Overview
These classic novels, set during the Civil Rights era, follow the early years of David Williams, a young man who in the face of violence and bigotry struggles to keep alive his dream of becoming a doctor. A foreword by Rudine Sims Bishop and an afterword by the author's daughter, Ruth Graham Siegrist, Ph.D., place these remarkable novels in the context of their time (South Town was originally published in 1958.) Through the character of David Williams, young readers witness a turbulent era in American history, a period marked by unspeakable injustice and life-affirming hope.
David Williams, a poor African American teenager, dreams of becoming a doctor and returning to help his small rural community of South Town.
Synopsis
In this award-wining African American classic set in the segregated South of the 1950's Lorenz Graham weaves a riveting tale about a poor black teenager named David Williams who dreams of becoming a doctor and helping his people in the small rural community of South Town.
Publishers Weekly
In the words of Rudine Sims Bishop, from her foreword, Lorenz Graham "helped pave the way for the development of contemporary African American literature for children and young adults" with his Town novels-South Town; North Town; Whose Town?; and Return to South Town. The four books span 15 years in the life of their protagonist, David Williams, whom readers first meet as a 15-year-old in the rural south of the 1950s. The first title chronicles a dangerous summer for David, when an act of heroism backfires under the constant pressure caused by the bigotry and Jim Crow laws that control his daily life. In North Town, although David's family has moved to a Northern city where racial divisions are less obvious, bigotry makes David's dream of becoming a doctor seem even more remote. Racial violence becomes more pronounced in Whose Town?, as the civil rights movement gathers momentum. Return to South Town features an adult David and his effort to become the first practicing black doctor in his hometown. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
Editorials
Publishers Weekly
In the words of Rudine Sims Bishop, from her foreword, Lorenz Graham "helped pave the way for the development of contemporary African American literature for children and young adults" with his Town novels-South Town; North Town; Whose Town?; and Return to South Town. The four books span 15 years in the life of their protagonist, David Williams, whom readers first meet as a 15-year-old in the rural south of the 1950s. The first title chronicles a dangerous summer for David, when an act of heroism backfires under the constant pressure caused by the bigotry and Jim Crow laws that control his daily life. In North Town, although David's family has moved to a Northern city where racial divisions are less obvious, bigotry makes David's dream of becoming a doctor seem even more remote. Racial violence becomes more pronounced in Whose Town?, as the civil rights movement gathers momentum. Return to South Town features an adult David and his effort to become the first practicing black doctor in his hometown. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.Children's Literature
The first of Graham's four "Town" books introduces sixteen-year-old David Williams, a black teenager trying to cope with racism in his small Deep South town in the mid-1950s. David has a goal: he wants to become a doctor. But getting a decent education in his segregated "Training School" is tough. Equally tough is being man of the family while his father works in a distant city. When Ed Williams comes home—laid off—his anger at having to beg for his old job sparks a weekend of terror in South Town. Graham unfolds this story and its characters gently, till they blossom full blown—the striving David, learning to kowtow to the local bigots and still retain his self esteem; the white Korean War vet who's been taught a thing or two about color in battle; a wonderful preacher. Lorenz Graham came first. He was the precursor to African-American literature for children. He paved the way so that later writers such as Christopher Paul Curtis could be heard. Graham's voice is not one of rage, like his contemporary, Richard Wright. It is more placatory, yet realizes that a man may reach a flash point during which he must act—or lose his spirit forever. It is good that his saga of David Williams's struggle and rise within the burgeoning civil rights movement has been reissued for a new generation. 2003 (orig. 1958), Boyds Mills Press, Ages 10 to 14.— Kathleen Karr