Just Like Martin - Hardcover

Davis, Ossie

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0671732021 ISBN 13: 9780671732028

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 1992

Synopsis

The actor-playwright tells the story of a boy growing up in Alabama in 1963, a youngster who becomes torn between his idol, Dr Martin Luther King, and his father, a Korean War veteran who believes in fighting fire with fire.

About this title

About the Author

Ossie Davis appeared in numerous Broadway and Hollywood productions, including I'm Not Rappaport, The Defenders, The Stand, Jungle Fever, Evening Shade, and The Client. He was also the author of several plays, teleplays, and children's books. He passed away in February 2005, still active in his work at the age of eighty-seven.

Reviews

Grade 7-9-- The year is 1963, and 14-year-old Isaac ``Stone'' Stone's father, Ike, won't let him travel with the rest of his church youth group from Alabama to the civil rights march in Washington. His mother has just died, and his father worries that something will happen to the boy. Besides, ever since Ike came back from the Korean War filled with bitterness, he has kept a gun in the garage. He opposes his son's devotion to nonviolence and belittles his admiration of Martin Luther King. When the church youth meeting room is bombed, killing two friends and maiming a third, Stone organizes a children's march. Ultimately, these efforts and the assassination of President Kennedy force Ike to confront his feelings and support his son. Both Stone and Ike are well-drawn characters, and their relationship is developed convincingly. Stone's devotion to his cause will inspire readers from all backgrounds. Davis realistically portrays the boy's struggle to apply King's values in his personal life, and the ending is hopeful but not happy. Unfortunately, inconsistencies in language and dialogue interrupt the flow of the story, as do the characters' tendencies to make speeches. Historical information is not always integrated smoothly. This is a moving story, but one that does not quite come together as a novel. --Lyn Miller-Lachmann, Siena College Library, Loudonville, NY
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Fourteen-year-old Ike Stone and his pals are thrilled to be part of the Civil Rights movement sweeping the deep South in the 1960s, but the depth of racial hatred is brought painfully home when two of their friends are killed in a bombing. The peaceful demonstration that the boy and his friends mount in response to this senseless violence forms the climax of this stirring novel. Equally moving is the subplot dealing with how Ike and his troubled father take halting steps towards making peace with each other. Noted theater figure Davis has loaded enough action and emotional energy for two novels into his tale. Even though his characterizations (particularly of the adults) sometimes blur, the book's drive and vision more than compensate. A passionate first novel. Ages 10-14.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 1992
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0671732021
• ISBN 13: 9780671732028
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 208