Three Books by Linda Williams Jackson

I do not have the experiences of a Black child or adult. I was raised at a time when history books and fiction books did not include Black history in the United States.

Our book club recently read They Came for the Schools by Mike Hixabaugh, about a school district in Texas that was a focal point for removing diversity programming, banning books, and fighting critical race theory. A portion of the parents wanted books removed from the curriculum that might make their white children feel bad. Eye-opening for me, lived history for many.

As I read Linda Williams Jackson's three novels, I was strongly reminded why reading books about the real history of this country and the experiences of people that are different from my own are imperative. My empathy levels are on high alert. Every piece of news, every old movie, every TV show we watch, I have the added filter from the books I am reading to put things in perspective, to understand when we're not hearing the truth. Novels like those written by Jackson are grounded in the real people and events that surrounded them, helping me learn through her characters' mind and vision.

I began with The Lucky Ones, published in 2022. Set in 1967, the main character compares his life to that of Charlie Bucket in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, a book loaned to him by his teacher.

Then I read Midnight Without a Moon (published in 2017, set in Mississippi in 1955), followed by A Sky Full of Stars (published in 2018, set in Mississippi in 1955). The main character in these books is Rose Lee Carter, a thirteen-year-old. She lives with her grandparents, sharecroppers on a white man's cotton plantation. They are "privileged" to live in a house without lights or plumbing on the plantation. Papa, Rose Lee's grandfather, does not share in the profits from the cotton crop.

Descriptions of the house they live in, the school Rose Lee attends, her family members, the in-and-out movement of those family members (Rose Lee's mother abandons her and her younger brother so she can move north with a new love) ... this is where my empathy builds and understanding makes connections.

In Midnight Without a Moon, the community must deal with the killing of Emmett Till in a town a few miles away: how it happened, the subsequent trial of the men who beat him to death. How do children and adults deal with the tragedy, the fear, the knowledge of how little worth white people place on their lives?

In A Sky Full of Stars, it is later in that year and Rose Lee is going to school, listening to adults talk about the Black people who are being shot and hurt ... people they know. She has a full life, a best friend who is growing into someone who will join the movement for justice, and family members who should no longer live with their abusive grandmother.

In the first book, Rose Lee is given the choice of moving North with her aunt or staying in Mississippi. She chooses to stay. In book two, as the violence grows worse, Rose Lee wonders if she made a mistake. But she loves her home and the people who live there. Her cousin wants to foment violence against the white people and her best friend wants peaceful protests. Rose Lee wants to help be a part of the change she and her teachers see coming.

The Lucky Ones is written about an 11-year-old boy, Ellis Earl Brown, who lives in a barely passable house in Mississippi without electricity, running water, or an indoor bathroom. He is surrounded by a lot of family members who are down on their luck. Ellis Earl is very bright, loves school, and has kind adults who recognize his potential and support him. The real people and events in Ellis Earl's life are Thurgood Marshall and Marian Wright, along with Robert Kennedy's "southern poverty tour."

All three books were so absorbing that I couldn't put them down, stealing moments out of my day to turn more pages. I know that I will never think about people or history in the same way again. Jackson's writing is beautiful, warm, and heart-opening. By putting events of the 1950s and 1960s in the South into context within these novels, I will make it a point to learn more, to understand more fully. In the Author's Note for each book, Ms. Jackson explains that she grew up in the same surroundings, with similar family and friends, affected by the events surrounding her community.

Please read these books and share them with the young people in your lives. They are important books. Highly recommended.

---

Midnight without a Moon
Clarion Books, 2017

Sky Full of Stars
Clarion Books, 2018

The Lucky Ones
Candlewick Press, 2022

Your subscription can be free. That’s one of the choices. You can also choose a $50 annual subscription. Perks for paid subscribers will be announced in 2025. Writing this column was begun as an experiment. I’ve decided to keep doing Reading Ahead for many reasons. I hope you’ll be a part of this community.