Jewell Parker Rhodes

An exciting and inspirational historical middle-grade adventure story.

Will’s Race for Home is a new historical middle-grade adventure story from author Jewell Parker Rhodes centered around the Oklahoma Land Rush of 1889. Twelve-year-old William Samuels and his father, George, set out for Oklahoma from their home in Texas, where they are sharecroppers on another man’s cotton farm, to participate in the upcoming land rush. At stake is a 160-acre piece of farmland they can call their own. show more Along the way, they face danger from many directions: rattlesnakes, a treacherous river crossing, and, worst of all, from their fellow man. However, Will also comes to know and understand his emotionally distant father, a man of few words and agonizing secrets buried in his past.

I absolutely fell in love with this book and its young protagonist from the first page. Will Samuels easily mirrors the thoughts and feelings of any boy, as does his yearning to gain his father’s approval and love. Not only does the journey allow him to connect with his reserved father, but it also opens his eyes to a world from which he’s been mostly sheltered his entire life, living in deeply rural southwest Texas. Young readers will identify with Will, his hopes and dreams, and his love for his family and the mule, Belle.

The author features the historic Oklahoma Land Rush, which occurred on April 22, 1889, and the descriptions of the Samuels’s journey, the time, and settings are vivid and evocative, putting the reader smack on the trail with Will, George, and their new friend and former Union soldier, Caesar. The story gives readers an idea of what it meant to be a sharecropper and the difficulty of ever getting ahead under the system.

Occurring a little over 20 years after the end of the Civil War, the story relates the tensions still in existence between those who supported opposite sides of the conflict: for many, the war was never over. Will’s mother, Anna, his father, George, and their friend, Caesar, put names and faces to the men and women who had been enslaved from birth, only gaining freedom after the start of the war, and illustrates realistically what that meant for them going forward.

This is not the first book I’ve read from this author, and her stories and writing continue to be an immersive experience, no matter the topic. Her writing style is warm and easy to read, and the chapter lengths are perfect for younger readers. With its exciting and suspenseful story and engaging, relatable characters, I recommend WILL’S RACE FOR HOME to middle-grade readers and for use as a read-aloud book in the classroom, in an afterschool program, or at home.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy through TBR and Beyond Book Tours. show less

Well, this book is fantastic -- a bit heavy on the philosophy, but I think it's appropriate to the subject matter. Lighter than I expected, and far more focused on the importance of home, family, social groups than I expected -- does a beautiful job of highlighting the things we have in common rather than our differences. Love how the 3 main characters all have things that are huge challenges in their lives (Deja, homelessness, Ben, divorce, Sabeen, persecution of Muslims).

Will's grandfather and father were enslaved in Louisiana, and headed west - not north - to Texas when they were freed. In Texas they became sharecroppers, but Will's father George dreams of owning his own land. When the Oklahoma land rush of 1889 is announced, he begins planning to stake his claim - and Will goes with him. Just as George and his father had an "adventure" when Will's father was a boy, now Will will have an adventure - but it's a dangerous journey, including rattlesnakes, show more thieves, a river, and worse. Along the way, they meet Caesar, a Black Union officer trying to outrun bad memories. Caesar, and his horse Midnight, join Will and George and they become as close as family, saving each other from mortal peril more than once. When Caesar is injured, Will has to make the final leg of the journey alone, and defend his claim from those who would rob him of it.

An author's note lends context to the story, and acknowledges that the land was not "empty" (Indian Removal Act of 1830) or needing to be "improved"; that in fact many tribes had been repeatedly displaced from their ancestral land, and that white, Black, and Hispanic "settlers" all participated, knowingly or unknowingly, in this land grab. It also cites events that followed the land rush, including the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921; some of those victims were the descendants of Black settlers.

See also: One Big Open Sky by Lesa Cline-Ransome

Quotes

Far, far away there is more everything - more land, more clouds, more mountaintops. For the first time, I sense how big Texas is. (28)

"We won the war."
"It doesn't mean people set aside their feelings. Or forgive and forget." (64)

"Once you pick up a gun, it's hard to put it down. Some men can't resist conflict. It's how they prove themselves." (Caesar, 64)

More than anything, this trip taught me to be wary. (162)

Growing up isn't easy. Certainty is nowhere. People, including me, are complicated. (169) show less

Donte and Trey are biracial brothers - white dad, Black mom - but Donte is dark-skinned and Trey looks white, which means they experience life differently, especially when they move from New York to a rich white Boston suburb and attend a private school. There, Donte is framed and blamed by a racist classmate, and teachers and administration never even listen to his side; instead, they call the police on him without even contacting his parents. Donte decides he wants to get back at Alan, and show more the best way to do that is at Alan's own game - fencing - despite never having played a sport before. Trey finds a Black ex-Olympian fencer and Donte goes to the Boys & Girls Club to ask him to be his coach. From Arden Jones, Donte learns how to fence - and also, what motivations are truly important.

Quotes

(I wish Mom would stop talking. Everything she says, I know. But saying it out loud makes me feel worse.) (24)

I shiver. Never thought there'd be a time when Mom and Dad couldn't protect me. Is this growing up? (28)

"Swiftness, intelligence can win a match. But patience is the real necessary skill." (Coach, 90)

Ever since the arrest, I sometimes feel life is going to crash. Out of the blue. Unexpected. But not in a good way. I don't feel completely safe. (I used to. Not anymore.) (171)

I'm the one wasting energy, suppressing memories, words. (212) show less