Susie Q Fights Back
Summer, 1942. When Susan’s father loses his job, he moves the family from New York City to Clayton, Missouri, where he has found work. Despite moving so far and leaving so much behind, Susan is optimistic and tries to fit in, attempting a Southern accent and looking for friends. She makes two friends quickly—Marlene, who is white, and Loretta, who is black. Although she didn’t have any black friends in New York, the city was integrated. The separation of blacks and whites and the Jim Crow laws of Missouri surprise and frustrate Susan. She doesn’t understand why everyone puts up with them. She and her two friends come up with a plan to challenge the segregated culture without actually breaking the law—or getting in trouble.
This novel does a great job of showing what life was like in 1942 America, through the eyes of an intelligent and stubborn ten-year-old girl. Susan is a character that children will easily relate to. The presentation of racism is realistic without being preachy, and without making stereotypes of all Southern white people. In one scene, a Chinese restaurant is vandalized and spray-painted with anti-Japanese slurs. In another, the reader (in the middle of the book) discovers that Susan is Jewish, when one of her friend’s grandparents disparages Susie’s father. Both are effective ways of showing the ignorance of prejudice. Highly recommended for ages 8-12.
