Review at a Glance
- Title: Freedom Lessons
- My Rating: 4.5
- Genre: Historical Fiction
- Format: Paperback*
- Publication Date: November 12, 2019
- Author: Eileen Harrison Sanchez
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Freedom Lessons Book Blurb
Told alternately, by Colleen, an idealistic young white teacher; Frank, a black high school football player; and Evelyn, an experienced black teacher, Freedom Lessons is the story of how the lives of these three very different people intersect in a rural Louisiana town in 1969.
Colleen enters into the culture of the rural Louisiana town with little knowledge of the customs and practices. She is compelled to take sides after the school is integrated—an overnight event for which the town’s residents are unprepared, and which leads to confusion and anxiety in the community—and her values are tested as she seeks to understand her black colleagues, particularly Evelyn. Why doesn’t she want to integrate the public schools? Frank, meanwhile, is determined to protect his mother and siblings after his father’s suspicious death—which means keeping a secret from everyone around him.
Based on the author’s experience teaching in Louisiana in the late sixties, this heartfelt, unflinching novel about the unexpected effects of school integration during that time takes on the issues our nation currently faces regarding race, unity, and identity.
Giveaway
FREEDOM LESSONS REVIEW
As a quick reminder, here is my rating structure:
- 1 star: Did not finish
- 2 Stars: Finished but I do not recommend
- 3 Stars: Liked but could use some improvements
- 4 Stars: Loved this book!
- 5 Stars: Rare. The unput-down-able, binge read obsession.
My star ratings are also based also genre based. I compare all books with books of the same genre. While I would love to believe that my love of books in general transcends all bias, there are genres I prefer over others.
I’m human.
Example: If I read a mystery novel and think it deserves a 5-star rating, then I have compared it to other mystery books, and determined it to be one of my absolute favorites. The unputdownable mystery.
This will hopefully keep me from comparing Outlander, a personal obsession of mine, with the experience of reading The Hate You Give. Both 5 star books for me, but completely and totally different. I couldn’t even try to rate them against each other, so I don’t. Makes my life easier. 🙂
My Thoughts About Freedom Lessons
There’s so much that anyone can learn from Freedom Lesssons. It’s a staggering glimpse into US racism during segregation.
Talk about emotional. This book will have you experiencing so much. Anger isn’t even a good enough word, the feeling is closer to rage, indignation, and disgust. The ugly pervasiveness of racism is stunning and left me wearing knowing that not only did these things really happen, but that people still feel this way today.
I loved the simplicity in the language of this book. It was intensely emotional, so it didn’t need a lot of complicated sentences and archaic language. It is a gritty, realistic story without flowery, over-done prose. Perfect tone for a story that had a lot of action in its storyline.
I loved that Freedom Lessons was told through multiple POVs. All of the different people gave an amount of emotional depth that was needed to understand the large effect of Jim Crow Laws.
not a fan of…
The only drawback to having so many characters is that we don’t get to go very deep with any of them. I wish there was a way for the characters have been even deeper without sacrificing the pace of the story.
Recommended For…
Historical fiction fans will love this, but I would recommend for anyone who enjoys fiction or history.
Thanks so much to Eileen Harrison Sanchez and iRead Book Tours for my copy of The Paris Affair in exchange for an honest review.
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