Synopses & Reviews
The year is 1867, the South has been defeated, and the American Civil War is over. But the conflict goes on. Yankees now patrol the streets of Richmond, Virginia, and its citizens, both black and white, are struggling to redefine their roles and relationships. By day, fourteen-year-old Shadrach apprentices with a tailor and sneaks off for reading lessons with Rachel, a freed slave, at her school for African-American children. By night he follows his older brother Jeremiah to the meetings of a group whose stated mission is to protect Confederate widows like their mother. But as the true murderous intentions of the group, now known as the Ku Klux Klan, are revealed, Shad finds himself trapped between old loyalties and what he knows is right.
In this powerful and unflinching story of a family caught in the period of Reconstruction, A.B. Westrick provides a glimpse into the enormous social and political upheaval of the time.
Review
Praise for
BROTHERHOOD by A.B. Westrick:
- YALSAs 2014 Best Fiction for Young Adults List (BFYA)
- 2014 Jane Addams Honor Book for Older Readers
- Jefferson Cup Award winner (VLA)
"Great historical fiction always feels like a gift… All the characters, dialogue, and action support each other deftly and with no filler." —VOYA Magazine, starred review
"Westrick makes an impressive debut. . . drawing a vivid picture of the embittered, violent environment of 1867 Richmond." —Publishers Weekly
"Debut author Westrick does an excellent job of re-creating post-Civil War Richmond. . . A welcome addition to classroom discussions." —School Library Journal
"This coming-of-age story will spark fruitful discussions about race, identity, social pressure and loyalty.” —Kirkus Reviews
"This compelling coming-of-age story uses great characterization and descriptive, illustrative writing to provide a glimpse into life in the post-Civil War South." —LMC
Synopsis
Winner of the 1999 Scott O'Dell Award A Notable Children's Book in the Field of Social Studies
Maybe nobody gave freedom, and nobody could take it away like they could take away a family farm. Maybe freedom was something you claimed for yourself.
Like other ex-slaves, Pascal and his older brother Gideon have been promised forty acres and maybe a mule. With the family of friends they have built along the way, they claim a place of their own. Green Gloryland is the most wonderful place on earth, their own family farm with a healthy cotton crop and plenty to eat. But the notorious night riders have plans to take it away, threatening to tear the beautiful freedom that the two boys are enjoying for the first time in their young lives. Coming alive in plain, vibrant language is this story of the Reconstruction, after the Civil War.
Synopsis
Winner of the 1999 Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction A CBC Notable Children's Book in the Field of Social Studies Two recently freed, formerly enslaved brothers work to protect the new life they've built during the Reconstruction after the Civil War in this vibrant, illustrated middle grade novel.
Maybe nobody gave freedom, and nobody could take it away like they could take away a family farm. Maybe freedom was something you claimed for yourself.
Like other ex-slaves, Pascal and his older brother Gideon have been promised forty acres and maybe a mule. With the found family they have built along the way, they claim a place of their own.
Green Gloryland is the most wonderful place on earth, their own farm with a healthy cotton crop and plenty to eat. But the notorious night riders have plans to take it away, threatening to tear the beautiful freedom that the two boys are enjoying for the first time in their young lives.
Synopsis
Winner of the 1999 Scott O'Dell Award A Notable Children's Book in the Field of Social Studies
Maybe nobody gave freedom, and nobody could take it away like they could take away a family farm. Maybe freedom was something you claimed for yourself.
Like other ex-slaves, Pascal and his older brother Gideon have been promised forty acres and maybe a mule. With the family of friends they have built along the way, they claim a place of their own. Green Gloryland is the most wonderful place on earth, their own family farm with a healthy cotton crop and plenty to eat. But the notorious night riders have plans to take it away, threatening to tear the beautiful freedom that the two boys are enjoying for the first time in their young lives. Coming alive in plain, vibrant language is this story of the Reconstruction, after the Civil War.
About the Author
A.B. Westrick is the daughter of Southerners who sought to leave the South behind. Raised in Pennsylvania, she later moved with her husband to Virginia and spent hours walking Richmonds brick streets, wondering how her ancestors fared during and after the War Between the States. Brotherhood grew from these wonderings.
A.B. Westrick has been a teacher, paralegal, literacy volunteer, administrator, and coach for teams from Odyssey of the Mind to the Reading Olympics. A graduate of Stanford University and Yale Divinity School, she received an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of the Fine Arts in 2011. Brotherhood is her first novel.
A.B. Westrick and her family live in Mechanicsville, Virginia. Visit her at www.abwestrick.com.