Whistling Past the Graveyard

Whistling Past the Graveyard by Susan Crandall
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I absolutely adored this book. It is told from a nine year old white girl, in the late 60's early 70's who befriends and come to depend on a black woman in Mississippi during the time segregation.

The author wrote about the segregation with taste and class. There was no horrid, gross, terrible description of what happens or the treatment of how black people where treated back then. It wasn't the main focus of the book and I, as a reader, really appreciated the fact that the author mentioned it, but didn't make it center of the book. She kept the story about the young girl Starla and the friendship that come between her and Eula.

Starla, lives with her mammie, who treats Starla terribly. Her mother lives in Nashville and Starla says that she's a country singer and has all these imaginations of her mother and the life style that comes with being a big country star. Starla's dad, works on a oil rig, and is gone for periods of time. When Starla gets in trouble with mamie, and she threatens to send Starla to reform school, Starla decides to run away and go to Nashville to live with her mother.

Eula, a black woman see's Starla walking and stops to see if she needs a ride. Starla goes with Eula and baby James. When they get to Eula's house for the night, her husband, who likes the "juice" is outraged with Eula for bringing a white girl to their house. Several things happen and Eula, Starla, and baby James, escapes and heads for Nashville. Along the way Eula and Starla come to depend on each other for strength, love, companion, and friendship. The two shows that the color of your skin doesn't define who that person is, and that family isn't necessary blood, but in your heart.



View all my reviews