Bibliographic Citation: Wiles, Deborah. (2001). Freedom summer. New York : Atheneum Books for Young Readers.
Summary: Joe and John Henry are best friends. Joe is white and John Henry is black. Joe wishes he could go to public places with his friend, like the city pool. In 1964, a new law passes that allows the two friends to do this. However, Joe and John Henry soon learn that prejudice still exists.
Reviews: “K-Gr 3-- Joe is white and John Henry is black. When a new law is passed opening the pool to everyone, the two friends race there only to find it filled with asphalt. Bitter and disappointed, they enter a store together, arms around one another's shoulders. Cool, shady illustrations convey friendship, hot summer days, and the reality of segregation.” Oluonye, M. N. (2004). Freedom Summer (Book). School Library Journal, 50(10), 66. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
“Set in the South in 1964, this story powerfully conveys the experience of racial prejudice by focusing on two particular boys and their real-live-boy feelings and behavior. Joe's friendship with John Henry, the son of his family's black maid, is defined by the rules of segregation under which they live. "John Henry swims better than anybody I know...but he doesn't swim in the town pool with me. He's not allowed." Joe, who is white, is uncomfortable with the rules but accepts them, buying ice pops for them both, for instance, because his friend isn't allowed inside the general store. Then the announcement that a new law has been passed, and that everything--including the town swimming pool--will be open to everyone now, regardless of color, brings the situation to a head. The author presents the boys' excitement with such immediacy--"'I'm gonna swim in the town pool!' [John Henry] hollers. 'Is it deep?' 'REAL deep,' I tell him.... 'Let's be the first ones there'"--that when next morning they find the pool being filled with tar to avoid the enforced integration, their subsequent disappointment is palpable. It's also galvanizing. As Joe's "head starts to pop with new ideas" ("I want to go to the Dairy Dip with John Henry...I want to go to the picture show, buy popcorn, and watch the movie together"), John Henry decides to go into the previously forbidden store and buy his own ice pop (with his own nickel, thank you), and he and his friend join arms and go in together. The text, though concise, is full of nuance; the repetition of the phrase "he's not allowed" lets readers reach their own conclusions about injustice. Jerome Lagarrigue's oil paintings shimmer with the heat of the South in summer as they portray the boys' activities; they are most effective when capturing emotion, especially in a close-up portrait of John Henry after he's been denied the pleasure--and the right--of swimming in the town pool. He's so hurt his face looks bruised.” Parravano, M. V. (2001). Freedom Summer. Horn Book Magazine, 77(3), 317-318. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Personal Impressions: This is such a beautiful story with wonderful illustrations that show how African Americans dealt with prejudice. It also gives the readers a sense of hope. We see how two boys were such good friends and how for them it did not matter what color their skin was. The two boys knew they were treated differently because of their skin color but they found other ways to have fun. It broke my heart to see how despite the law passing, people still treated colored people poorly. When the pool closed down, Joe stood by his friend. That’s the way things were back then. It is nice to know we’ve come quite a ways since then.
Suggestions for Use: This would be a good read aloud for a Black History month program. It can also be used for a classroom study on segregation and the Civil Rights movement.
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