Don’t Forget Me, Little Bessie
Texas Rangers, battles with an oil company, and the social ructions as the 19th century collapses into the 20th: James Lee Burke piles up the great historical forces that face Bessie Holland in 1914, when she is just as old as the new century. Her heart tugs her toward one of the local “bad boys,” but she might not be able to follow: “I don’t know what else to do,” she admits to him. “I cain’t make the right things happen for you.” When her older brother leaves home, Bessie accepts full responsibility for protecting her father’s threatened ranch land, as well as her usually drunken and destitute dad. To make things even tougher, her alliance with a local suffragette and English teacher means she must protect someone whose sexuality is a terrible fit for this corrupt frontier region. Yet her father’s wise lessons from his own hard life teach her about fighting back against lynch mentality: “The lesson is you have to let the world break its fists on your face sometimes.”
Bessie narrates her own story, in language that is accessible for persistent teen readers but at a length that may work better for adults. Lynching, sexual assault, and criminal violence are bluntly described, with some rough language, so readers must choose whether it is worth enduring this lifestyle with Bessie across years of her life, just to witness her personal growth and the justice that follows. For many, the answer will be yes as they get caught up with Bessie from the jump. Burke’s seasoned storytelling is compelling, laden with the conflicts and choices of the time, and rewards the reader’s quest for a better understanding of this perilous and changing time in America.
