John McMillan was only eight years old when his mother died and he was ripped, without warning, from his sheltered world of books and gentility. Now on his aunt's run-down tenant farm in southern Alabama, abused by his alcoholic uncle, and completely bereft, John longs for escape--his only hope for survival. He's about to get his wish in a way no one could ever predict....A twist of fate will bring John to the Bend, a black settlement that has become a refuge for outcasts, where he'll join Tuway, a black man who helps others leave the South and find a new life in Chicago. But neither will be ready for the brutal confrontation about to change their lives, challenge the prejudice of an era, inspire the courage of a people, and most of all, touchingly reveal the secrets of one boy's heart.
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"Loved this book! The travails of John and the adjustments he had to make to his expectations and reality resonated with me. I still remember my adjustment at the age of 13 when I got sent away from all I knew in Havana, to live at school in Philly...the day the world changed for me." — Alicia (5 out of 5 stars)
"Loved this book! The travails of John and the adjustments he had to make to his expectations and reality resonated with me. I still remember my adjustment at the age of 13 when I got sent away from all I knew in Havana, to live at school in Philly...the day the world changed for me."
" One of my favorite books. What a powerful story about a young, white boy who befriends an older, black man during the civil rights era. I cannot say enough good things about it. "
" I read this back in the 90's it was a book my Grandmother had read cover to cover at least 20 times. I love historical time period fictions and this one was so perfectly writen that I felt swept away by the story. "
" Really great story. I dont have anything else to say about it. I literally didnt put it down. Not once. Well, only for some cheez-its. am currently re-reading. "
" Harper Lee meets Rick Bragg. This territory feels familiar but Devoto gives things enough twist to be satisfying despite arbitrary plotting. "
" ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS I HAVE EVER READ... "
" I could not put this book down. Devotoalso wrote "My Last Days as Roy Rogers". "
" I didn't think this was a particularly memorable book, but easy to read and OK if you've got nothing else to read. About a boy living in the south around the time of the civil rights movement "
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