Crow

Crow, by Barbara Wright

In 1898, white supremacists launched the only successful coup d'etat in American history in Wilmington, North Carolina.  A mere generation after the abolition of slavery, Wilmington had a thriving middle-class black community, a black newspaper, some integrated neighborhoods and four democratically elected black aldermen.  This book is set amongst the rise of racial tension in the south that led to the eventual race riot and coup d'etat, making way for the Jim Crow segregation laws that would come to dominate the south.

This novel is set in the weeks leading up to the race riots, and is told through the voice of eleven-year old Moses.  Moses' grandmother, Nana Boo, was a slave for 30 years, his mother was born into slavery, and his father is one of the town's elected black aldermen, who also works on the black newspaper.  He raises Moses to value education, and to take the opportunities open to him.  Moses is often oblivious to the racism, tension and potential violence around him, and as the story progresses, his awareness of these cruel realities grows, both through his own day-to-day experiences, and through blatant and violent incidents he experiences and observes leading up to the coup. 

Wright does an excellent job with both setting and characters.  She transplants the reader into the post-slavery, pre-Jim Crowe south, and allows her to experience this unique time and space through the eyes of a boy on the brink of adolescence who has only known this reality.  Through the cast of characters, from Nana Boo who hearkens back to the history of slavery, to Moses' father who reminds the reader of Civil Rights leaders who wouldn't appear until half a century later, Wright weaves the complex stories and mindsets that went into the often forgotten period of history.

Many aspects of this violent history are aluded to, including lynching and rape.  Because the story is told in the first person narrative through an 11-year old boy, the details of these topics and the role they played in this time period remain fairly shrouded.  However, much as Moses has questions regarding these issues, younger readers still unexposed to this time period will as well.  These topics are presented in the context of a story that is an ideal platform for discussion. 

This is a powerful, compelling, well-constructed novel around an important piece of American history.  Highly recommended for upper-elementary/middle school.