1959
by Thulani Davis
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Description
Thulani Davis's 1959 is a powerful, poignant coming-of-age novel that captures a dramatic moment in American history as clearly as a photograph. It's the summer of 1959 and Willie Tarrant of Turner, Virginia, is twelve. Her father and other adults in the town are worried about integration -- how it will affect their children's safety and the quality of their education -- but for Willie it's just another problem she's going to have to deal with, like her chores and beginning to go out with show more boys. Willie and her friends -- kids from good families with good grades -- are being groomed to be sent in the first wave. Before this can happen, though, eight black college students, wearing suits and fresh haircuts, go into the Woolworth's lunch counter -- changing everything. In 1959 one of the most talented writers of her generation has written a book that will become a classic of civil rights literature. show lessTags
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When the Civil War ended, William Walker gathered his family from the different nearby plantations and creates Turner, Virginia. While their dreams of equality are crushed by unfair laws and practices, the family retained their land. In 1959, twelve-year-old Willie Tarrant is on the cusp of womanhood. Talk of true integration has become serious, and the local college students are stirring the pot. When Martin Luther King comes to visit Turner, Willie is assigned to act as a tour guide. Amdist boycotts, protests, and demonstrations, Willie copes with her mother's death and reconnects with her father. Davis does an excellent job of providing a teenaged view of an adult world and evokes strong emotions with her language. She deftly weaves show more history and geography to enhance the story and uses strong, interesting secondary characters to bring the town of Turner to life.
1959.doc show less
1959.doc show less
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Author Information
11+ Works 371 Members
Awards and Honors
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- 1959
- Important places
- Virginia, USA
Classifications
- Genres
- Fiction and Literature, General Fiction, Historical Fiction
- DDC/MDS
- 813.54 — Literature & rhetoric American literature in English American fiction in English 1900-1999 1945-1999
- LCC
- PS3554 .A93779 .A615 — Language and Literature American literature American literature Individual authors 1961-
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 133
- Popularity
- 242,082
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (3.38)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper
- ISBNs
- 5
- ASINs
- 1
