Seeing red indeed...
Discover the past,
understand the present,
change the future.
The thing is, when you get over the flu, everything goes back to normal. When your daddy dies, nothing is ever going to be normal again.
-Chapter 14
The above is not a spoiler. The fist sentence in this book talks about Red's dad dying. Red was really close with his dad. They fixed cars together in their shop. Now that Red's dad is dead, Red's mom is trying to figure out how to survive without him. They are living in rural Virginia in the era of the Vietnam War. African Americans and women still don't have many rights and are still widely discriminated against.
Red's mom is planning to sell the house, shop & store and move them all to Ohio where her family lives. Red is very angry about her trying to sell and move. He wants to stay where he is. Being in the shop where he worked with his dad really keeps him connected. He still talks to his dad when he is in the shop.
So, this is a historical fiction book. Not my favorite genre, but this is one of the Sunshine State 2015-16 grade 6-8 nominees. And I am trying to read all of them. This is a well-written story about a 6th grade boy trying to deal with the loss of his father. He is also trying to find his way in a confusing world filled with hatred and bigotry. He learns a great deal and grows up a lot in this book. It's a good book, just not one of my favorites.
Recommended to:
Grade 6 and up. There is some violence and race issues that may be difficult and confusing for younger readers.
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