A Seed in the Sun
Sometime in 1964, while working in the California fields, twelve-year-old Lula lost her voice. Now it is just a whispery, scraggly thing that won’t let her say the things she wants to say. In her daydreams, she has a strong, powerful voice that commands attention, like the ringmaster she saw once in a circus.
September of 1965 finds Lula’s migrant-worker family in Delano, California, picking grapes. It isn’t long before they learn that they’ve been hired, in part, to replace the Filipino workers who are on strike. Lula’s Papa and older siblings listen to Dolores Huerta, who explains why all the farm workers should strike together: Filipinos, Mexicans (Lula was born in the U.S. but her parents emigrated from Mexico), African Americans, and Okies. Lula and her siblings are convinced, but Papa won’t listen to the arguments of a woman, plus Mama is ill. How can they care for her on the little money the strikers get from the union? Will the family join the strikers? Will Lula get her voice back? Will Mama get better?
This is a novel-in-verse, with Lula narrating. Sometimes her words are lovely lyrics full of color, heat, and longing. Sometimes the verses are merely concise storytelling. Salazar finds a perfect balance. Middle-grade readers will understand Lula, her problems, and her dreams, especially those readers, like Lula, who are multilingual. Spanish words are sprinkled throughout the text. There are many books about the civil rights movements of the 1960s, but few focus on the striking farm workers in California. Salazar does a magnificent job showing the struggles of the migrant families, clearly showing that children were workers and strikers as well. This is a much-needed addition to any library.
