Seeing Red

by Kathryn Erskine Narrated by Michael Bakkensen

Overview

Publisher Marketing: National Book Award winner Kathryn Erskine delivers a powerful story of family, friendship, and race relations in the South. Life will never be the same for Red Porter. He's a kid growing up around black car grease, white fence paint, and the backward attitudes of the folks who live in his hometown, Rocky Gap, Virginia. Red's daddy, his idol, has just died, leaving Red and Mama with some hard decisions and a whole lot of doubt. Should they sell the Porter family business, a gas station, repair shop, and convenience store rolled into one, where the slogan -- "Porter's: We Fix it Right!" -- has been shouting the family's pride for as long as anyone can remember? With Daddy gone, everything's different. Through his friendship with Thomas, Beau, and Miss Georgia, Red starts to see there's a lot more than car motors and rusty fenders that need fixing in his world. When Red discovers the injustices that have been happening in Rocky Gap since before he was born, he's faced with unsettling questions about his family's legacy.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

09/02/2013
In the aftermath of the civil rights movement, bigotry still permeates 1972 Stony Gap, Va., the hometown of 12-year-old Frederick “Red” Porter. Red’s father was a fair man up until the day he died, and now it’s Red’s duty to carry on his legacy. There are many wrongs Red would like to make right, like the way a neighbor, Mr. Dunlop, abuses his children. Red would also like to help an elderly African-American neighbor, Miss Georgia, whose family was cheated out of land a century ago. When Red’s mother decides they should move to Ohio, Red fears he won’t have time to correct these injustices the way his father would have wanted. Although the narrative makes heavy use of early 1970s pop culture references (especially TV shows) to build its setting, National Book Award winner Erskine (Mockingbird) offers powerful images of discrimination practiced in the South. She frankly explores the difficulty in fighting a corrupt system, but also stresses the difference one individual—even a child—can make, providing hope that justice can prevail. Ages 10–14. Agent: Linda Pratt, Wernick & Pratt. (Oct.)

From the Publisher

Praise for Seeing Red:

* "A powerful indictment of injustice of all forms and an equally powerful and dramatic demonstration that young people, by taking individual action, can actually change history. This is an important book that deserves the widest possible readership." —Booklist, starred review

"Erskine tackles many issues in this novel: death and grieving, racism and race relations, women's rights, physical abuse, and religious and educational bias." —School Library Journal

"[Erskine] frankly explores the difficulty in fighting a corrupt system, but also stresses the difference one individual—even a child—can make, providing hope that justice can prevail." —Publishers Weekly

Kirkus Reviews

2013-09-01
Big changes are coming to small-town Virginia in 1972. Inheriting not just his great-great-grandfather's name, but his hair color too, 12-year-old Frederick Stewart Porter, aka Red, is grieving his father's recent death. His mother wants to sell the family auto shop and generations-old Porter land to move closer to her relatives in Ohio. Red's plan to thwart the sale becomes waylaid, however, by prejudice and family secrets. In his reflective, first-person narration tinged by references to pop culture of the time, he unknowingly joins a Klan-like group, which alienates him from his black, once–best friend, Thomas. As Red connects with Thomas' great-grandmother Miss Georgia, he vows to find the land that once held a historic African-American church. His search inadvertently uncovers a mysterious map from the past, his family's involvement in the church's demise and even his namesake's role in a murder. It also raises Red's awareness of racial inequality and the meanings of legacy and family. There's a lot going on, much of it clearly written to convey lessons. Add a teacher who encourages questioning authority, a bitter, generations-long dispute with violent neighbors, and a budding romance, and readers have a borderline didactic novel that raises too many issues with resolutions that are too quick. Still, there's no question the author's heart is in the right place. Erskine redeems many faults with a clear passion for racial justice and hope for change. (author's note) (Historical fiction. 10-14)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170704200
Publisher:	Recorded Books, LLC
Publication date:	05/02/2014
Edition description:	Unabridged

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