Friday, June 1, 2012

The Rock and the River

Thirteen year-old Sam watches as his lawyer father speaks out for Civil Rights, and meets with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and other activists. Meanwhile Sam's older brother Stick is helping out with the Black Panther's movement. Sam feels caught in the middle, and can't help but feel that his time has come to choose his own path.
The Rock and the River, by Kekla Magoon
Book on CD

3 comments:

Karen said...

For fans of historical fiction, and fans of the movie Selma, Kekla Magoon's writing is stellar, the conflicts are gripping and believable, and as with my viewing of Selma, "The Rock and the River" had much to teach me. Magoon has a companion novel out, "Fire in the Streets."

Caitlin McHugh said...

The Rock and the River was a good book. It had dialogue that was so realistic, relationships that were altered by the events that happened in the books, and gave faces
the civil rights movement and the Black Panther Party. It was also very relatable because Sam has to choose between two attitudes and lifestyles. I think that everyone, especially teen and young adults, have to make decisions and hard choices about their future lives. The story also had an emotional resonance since Sam’s relationships with the other characters, especially his brother and his parents, were realized in a very thoughtful way.
I also enjoyed the historical aspects of the book, since I enjoy reading historical fiction.
One of my favorite aspects was how the author’s notes were detailed and in-depth.Overall, it was a very good book and I would recommend it.

Alyssa M. said...

The Rock and the River was a very moving book for me. I am not a particular fan of historical fiction, but I decided to try it, and I was so moved by the book's realistic dialogue. This book also helped me understand more about civil rights movement. I can really connect with Sam in this book because he has to choose between two different lifestyles. I also liked the relationship between Sam and his brother Steven (Stick). I really enjoyed this book and would recommend this book to anyone in particular.