Spite Fences

Any words I write fall short of Trudy Krisher's outstanding book, Spite Fences.
It is a very compelling story evoking a range of emotions in me. Krisher expertly captures the 1960's Jim Crow south in this coming of age story of a 13 year old white girl. Many relationships are portrayed- familial, neighbors, and inter/intra racial. The role of a camera in its figurative relationship to the story and literal relationship to Maggie is important to the story.
I recommended this book when I recently learned about it. Now that I I've read it I give it a stronger and enthusiastic endorsement. It would make a a good selection for book groups as well as "One book, one community" events.
The role of the fence reminded me of August Wilson's play show more Fences. I had the opportunity to meet him and he signed my Playbill with these words, "May all your Fences have gates". Maggie found her gate. show less

Maggie is a 13 year old girl in Kinship GA who was born on the wrong side of the tracks, is strong but not pretty, and will always have to scrape for money. But, at least, she's white and in the segregated south of the 1960s that counts for a lot. As her favored sister vies for a local beauty pageant, Maggie gets a job cleaning the house of a (gasp) black man, George Hardy, visiting from the big city (Atlanta) to help locals fight to integrate. Maggie begins to see the injustices of Jim Crow-ism. There is also a side plot with the "white trash" neighbors (the Pughs build a fence). The ending is a tad contrived and convenient but in between are pages of telling details of living with segregation and is an admirable, even-handed look at show more race relations. Suitable for middle and high schools but some scenes of violence may be hard to read for the sensitive (local peddler Zeke is tortured; Maggie is nearly raged). show less

Maggie Pew knows how to work. Her sister Gardenia is beautiful. Her father is unemployed. Her mother loves Gardenia, and beats Maggie. Naggue takes a job as a housekeeper to help support the family, and finds herself in the middle of a civil rights battle in Kinship, Georgia.