Synopses & Reviews
A "colored" area in rural Georgia during World War II is the setting for the story of 15-year-old Caleb, whose brother, Randall, is in the army, waiting to be shipped overseas. This brings the war home to Caleb, as does the arrival of German POWs in the community. Torn between his loyalty to Randall and his discovery that a German can hate the Nazis as much as he does, Caleb is also fighting his own personal wars, against whites, against his domineering, angry father, and even--in a way--against God. Newly baptized to please his devout mother, Caleb has heard a voice he comes to believe is God's because he can't account for it any other way, and to his own astonishment he is able, twice, to heal afflicted people through prayer. In an era before the civil rights movement as we know it was born, Caleb lives with segregation, bullying, humiliation, and helplessness. Difficult as it is to put on humility and stay out of trouble, it's even harder to imagine that he is, somehow, special. A compelling coming-of-age story, Caleb's Wars portrays a young man who discovers his true calling, the kind of awareness that ultimately made the civil rights movement possible.
Review
"An elemental drama about the search for identity and... the answer to the question, When do you stand up?" BOOKLIST Booklist, ALA
"A poignant portrayal of African-American struggles in the segregated South. [Dudley's] characters remain sympathetic and realistically flawed." PW Publishers Weekly
"Complex characters and rich themes. There is much here to digest and a wealth of material for book discussions." SLJ School Library Journal
"[Dudley's] characters are vivid and appealing, and he strikes a reasonable balance of kindness and cruelty...Readers will...relate." -BCCB Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"[An] honest picture of the racism and oppression of the day." -KIRKUS Kirkus Reviews
Review
"Caleb is compelling and believable, and Dudley's rich writing is impressive, clearly showing the various wars black Americans were fighting in the 1940s, both abroad and closer to home." --School Library Journal
Review
"Full of emotionally charged depictions of brutality, physical abuse, and prejudice, Dudley's third historical novel is a tough and painful read. Dudley's use of dialect helps immerse readers in the injustice of the story, as he risks everything in the name of freedom."
—Publishers Weekly
"A ferociously well-paced book. . . Dudley invites a hard look at each individual's understanding of freedom, justice, and responsibility. It is a slanting truth across over a century in which much—and little—has changed."
—VOYA, 5Q 4P J S
"Life in the chain gang is relentlessly oppressive, violent, and heartbreaking. Cy's transformation from innocence to anger and, finally, with the support of his friends, to a leader willing to take risks is compelling."
—School Library Journal
Synopsis
Twelve-year-old Carissa lives with her widowed mother, Lorena, in rural Georgia. There arent many ways for a black woman in the South in 1927 to make a living. Lorena does laundry for white ladies, but she wants Carissa to have the opportunities that come with education. Both of them yearn to move up north, where Carissa was born.
Into their lives rides an elderly man on a shiny blue bicycle.
Bailey is a wanderer, a storyteller, a thinker, a kind and sociable man who can repair and tighten up and fix just about anything.
Soon hes part of Carissas life, almost like the grandfather she never had. He teaches her how to ride his bicycle, and how to find her balance in other ways as well, and Baileys time with Carissa and her mother helps him decide how to continue his own journey.
A vividly rendered setting, strong, memorable characters, and a narrative rich in humorous and poignant moments make this first novel a compelling and distinctive coming-of-age story.
Synopsis
A powerful novel about growing up black on the World War II home front in the Jim Crow South. Caleb lives in a world at war. War news is on everyones mind, and Calebs older brother, Randall, is likely to be sent overseas. The presence of German POWs in Calebs rural Georgia community is a constant reminder of whats happening in Europe. Locked in a power struggle with his domineering father and fighting to keep both his temper and his self-respect in dealing with whites, Caleb finds his loyalties shifting and his certainties slipping away. This coming-of-age story, set in a time before the civil rights movement emerged, traces one young mans growing commitment to justice and to the courage needed to protect it.
Synopsis
The hard-hitting story of Cy Williams, 17, who suffers the horrors of a labor camp where black boys accused of crimes are sent—brutality, near starvation, humiliation, rape. Cy hatches an escape plan that involves murdering two men. Ultimately he sacrifices himself to save the life of another inmate.
Synopsis
Cy Williams, thirteen, has always known that he and the other black folks on Strong's plantation have to obey white men, no question. Sure, he's free, as black people have been since his grandfather's day, but in rural Georgia, that means they're free to be whipped, abused, even killed. Almost four years later, Cy yearns for that freedom, such as it was. Now he's a chain gang laborer, forced to do backbreaking work, penned in and shackled like an animal, brutalized, beaten, and humiliated by the boss of the camp and his hired overseers. For Cy and the boys he's chained to, there's no way out, no way back.
And then hope begins to grow in him, along with strength and courage he didn't know he had. Cy is sure that a chance at freedom is worth any risk, any sacrifice. This powerful, moving story opens a window on a painful chapter in the history of race relations.
About the Author
David L. Dudley spent ten years as a parish pastor in the Lutheran Church before turning to university teaching. He is currently Chair of the Department of Literature and Philosophy at Georgia Southern University, where he teaches African American literature. He has also taught prison extension courses. His published work includes numerous articles and essays as well as fiction for young readers. Dr. Dudley lives in Twin City, Georgia, with his wife.