Being Clem

by Lesa Cline-Ransome Narrated by Dion Graham

Overview

Clem can make anybody, even his grumpy older sisters, smile with his jokes. But when his family receives news that his father has died in the infamous Port Chicago disaster, everything begins to fall apart. Clem's mother is forced to work long, tough hours as a maid for a wealthy white family. Soon Clem can barely recognize his home-and himself. Can he live up to his father's legacy? In her award-winning trilogy, Lesa Cline-Ransome masterfully recreates mid-twentieth century America through the eyes of three boys: Langston, Lymon, and, now, Clem. Exploring the impact of the Great Migration, the Harlem Renaissance, Jim Crow laws, and much more, Lesa's work manages at once to be both an intimate portrait of each boy and his family as well as a landscape of American history.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

★ "Cline-Ransome’s mastery of first person narration and her gift for dialogue present a close-up look at Chicago’s African American community in the 1940s. . . . While readers will miss this group of Cline-Ransome’s memorable characters, Clem’s story is a satisfying end to the series." —The Horn Book, Starred Review

★  "Like the other two entries, this novel with its parallel narrative addresses tough situations with care, including parental grief and depression, the threat of eviction, domestic abuse, the emotional and physical abuse of children, the impact of racism, and negotiating problematic friendships. A compelling work whose intriguing characters readers will miss when they turn the last page." —Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

★ "Cline-Ransome offers unusually perceptive portrayals of his family members, their interactions, and their strong, ongoing, but largely unspoken grief. Clem’s engaging first-person story, written with simplicity and emotional clarity, provides a rewarding conclusion to this historical fiction trilogy."—Booklist, Starred Review

★ "[Lesa] Cline-Ransome skillfully brings the era of 1944 middle America to life, giving readers a glimpse of an often neglected part of history—growing up Black through the segregation and discrimination in the North during this time period. . . . ­Exceptional characters and the chance to explore the previous volumes will leave readers wanting more. The historical aspect of the novel encourages further exploration of the era and a greater understanding of race in America during this time. This whole series deserves a place on library shelves ­everywhere."—School Library Journal, Starred Review  

★ "In addition to exploring Clem’s relationships with his friends, Cline-Ransome offers unusually perceptive portrayals of his family members, their interactions, and their strong, ongoing, but largely unspoken grief. Clem’s engaging first-person story, written with simplicity and emotional clarity, provides a rewarding conclusion to this historical fiction trilogy."—Booklist, Starred Review

"Cline-Ransome incorporates events of mid-century American history so seamlessly, young readers may not realize they're absorbing real historical facts. . . . Works beautifully as a stand-alone or as a companion to the earlier novels in the trilogy."—Shelf Awareness

"In this final title of Cline-Ransome’s historical fiction trilogy, Clem steps fully into the limelight, and the Thurbers’ story sensitively explores another facet the Black community on Chicago’s South Side during the 1940s, as government bias against Black servicemen causes a proud family to lose its tenuous grip on prosperity."—The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

School Library Journal

★ 07/01/2021

Gr 3–7—This third and final novel in the "Finding Langston" trilogy continues the historical fiction narrative of three boys during World War II. Set in Chicago, this installment follows Clemson Thurber, Jr, who along with his mother and two sisters, navigates life after the Port Chicago Disaster in San Francisco. The catastrophe killed 320 Navy sailors, including Clem's father. Although Clem doesn't remember much about his father, who was a career sailor, he feels obligated to live up to his legacy. He was a strong man and a robust swimmer, whereas Clem is afraid to even get into the water. Clem is very intelligent, even skipping a grade, but his identity is tied to making his family proud. He begins a friendship with Lymon, a new kid who isn't afraid of anything. As Lymon gets a bit too carried away with his bullying and picks on another new kid, Langston, Clem is forced to choose between his old friend and this new boy who seems to understand him more than anyone else. Cline-Ransome skillfully brings the era of 1944 middle America to life, giving readers a glimpse of an often neglected part of history—growing up Black through the segregation and discrimination in the North during this time period. Cline-Ransome's Clem faces these challenges while, struggling to find his own path and reconcile his need to live up to his father's legacy. Readers will identify with Clem's struggles and come to like him for the exceptional young man he is: a devoted son and brother, and a true friend. VERDICT Exceptional characters and the chance to explore the previous volumes will leave readers wanting more. The historical aspect of the novel encourages further exploration of the era and a greater understanding of race in America during this time. This whole series deserves a place on library shelves everywhere.—Carol Connor, Cincinnati Pub. Schs., OH

AUGUST 2021 - AudioFile

Returning to narrate the third installment of the Finding Langston trilogy, Dion Graham once again brings historical fiction for kids to life. Feeling the aftershocks of his father’s death in the Port Chicago disaster, Clem is growing up in the shadow of a man he barely remembers. As his family adjusts to their new normal, Clem struggles with fear, bravery, and finding his place in his family. Listeners will feel like they are in Chicago in the year 1944 as they are treated to Graham’s exceptional performances of the people in Clem’s world. Soft-spoken Momma, bossy big sisters and aunts, bullying—and bullied—classmates are all captured by Graham as he infuses his performance with the emotional depth it deserves. A.L.S.M. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

★ 2021-06-01
The highly anticipated conclusion to Cline-Ransome’s Finding Langston trilogy.

Small but smart, Clemson Thurber Jr. has acquired resilience from dealing with his two teenage sisters, who barely tolerate him. Now 9, Clem has lost his father in San Francisco’s 1944 Port Chicago Disaster that killed 320 sailors, most of them Black, who were loading ammunition onto ships. Because of Chicago’s employment discrimination, Clem’s widowed mother works as a domestic to a White family despite her college education. Although Clem believes his mother wants him to follow his Daddy into the Navy, he must face his utter terror of swimming; the water makes him think of his father’s death. Clem befriends a music-loving school bully—the eponymous protagonist of Leaving Lymon (2020)—and appreciates the protection that grants, but when “Country Boy” Langston of Finding Langston (2018) becomes Lymon’s target, Clem starts doubting the ethics of tormenting nice kids. A fight over a book and the discovery of their mutual love of the library seal Clem and Langston’s friendship. A sensitive, bookish budding geographer and cartographer, Clem ultimately honors the moral compass his parents have instilled in him. Like the other two entries, this novel with its parallel narrative addresses tough situations with care, including parental grief and depression, the threat of eviction, domestic abuse, the emotional and physical abuse of children, the impact of racism, and negotiating problematic friendships.

A compelling work whose intriguing characters readers will miss when they turn the last page. (author's note) (Historical fiction. 8-12)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940172946110
Publisher:	Dreamscape Media
Publication date:	08/03/2021
Series:	Finding Langston , #3
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years

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