by Ronald Kidd
Flap Copy Description:
Thirteen-year-old Billie Simms doesn't think her hometown of Anniston, Alabama, should be segregated, but few of the town's residents share her opinion. As equality spreads across the country and the Civil Rights Movement gathers momentum, Billie can't help but feel stuck--and helpless--in a stubborn town too set in its ways to realize that the world is passing it by. So when Billie learns that the Freedom Riders, a group of peace activists riding interstate buses to protest segregation, will be traveling through Anniston on their way to Montgomery, she thinks that maybe change is finally coming and her quiet little town will shed itself of its antiquated views. But what starts as a series of angry grumbles soon turns to brutality as Anniston residents show just how deep their racism runs. The Freedom Riders will resume their ride to Montgomery, and Billie is now faced with a choice: stand idly by in silence or take a stand for what she believes in. Through her own decisions and actions and a few unlikely friendships, Billie is about to come to grips with the deep-seated prejudice of those she once thought she knew, and with her own inherent racism that she didn't even know she had.
My Thoughts:
The award-winning author and playwright, Ronald Kidd, has penned a powerful story that should be read by not only all children, but by all adults, too! Night On Fire is a well-written historical fiction novel set during the turbulent days of the Civil Rights Movement, but it is the thoughts and struggles of the protagonist, Billie, and her new-found friend, Jarmaine, that are so riveting. You'll see the issues of that time in a whole new way, no matter who you are. This novel swallowed me up whole; I couldn't put it down. I highly recommend Night On Fire to readers from the ages of eight to eighty!
Click here to learn more about the author, Ronald Kidd.
In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
