Dave Tells it Like it Was
Yes, this is the Nancy Garden of ANNIE ON MY MIND (1982) and many other works.
WHAT HAPPENED IN MARSTON appeared in 1971; what happened in Marston ("a bit west of New England, but...you could pick Marston up and plunk it down in Ohio and no one'd know the difference"--says 1st-person narrator David Bellinger Jr. on page 10) was that Marston Junior High got integrated by the addition of one sole African-American 13-year-old, Joel Garth. For whatever reason, his first day of class was the other students' second--as if they needed a day to get used to the idea. And their teacher did them no favors with the beyond-kid-gloves-ed way she "handled" it. The best thing she did was seat Joel next to Dave, whose discomfort was more down to the teacher's attitude than to the color of Joel's skin. Still, it takes a while for them to get on good terms--and you won't believe how it comes about!
Once Dave and Joel are friends, they have some good times. Dave and his friend Beany Morris brave "The Center"--the place in Marston where all the black people seem to live (well, exist)--and meet Joel's mother and siblings. The youngest ones snuggle into Dave's heart and will probably snuggle into yours, but 9-year-old "Foxy," the troublemaker, sure stirs up more than his share; he almost ruins a fun adventure Dave and Joel have that might remind you of a similar scene from Judy Blume's IGGIE'S HOUSE. From this escapade, Dave learns a bit more than he wanted to about real life in "his town," and it both prepares him and doesn't prepare him for the really big Happening in Marston.
Garden's style is lively and "groovy"; I especially liked a depiction of Dave slogging his way through Shakespeare's A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM and trying to get help from his older sister. I actually obtained this book as part of the Redding-Ridge-CT-based Institute of Children's Literature course, so I was unpleasantly surprised to find a mis-punctuated possessive form! AND at one point it looks like the teacher's marital status has changed! Otherwise, the writing is top-notch: Dave addresses the use of "boy" by any white person directed toward a black male of any age and even flings a snappy retort! Unfortunately, no, "boy" isn't the strongest epithet used; the "n-word" defaces a few pages. But that's how it was, that's What Happened in Marston, and Joel wanted Dave to tell it like it happened..."And that's what I've tried to do," Dave concludes his 16-chapter, 179-page story.
...OK. Did you know this became an ABC Afterschool Special, "The Color of Friendship," airing 11/11/1981? Go look it up at imdb.com. But I've got to tell you, that "b--- of a teacher," as Dave actually refers to her, is played by KATHARINE HOUGHTON? Does the name sound familiar? 14 years earlier, in 1967, she had portrayed a young lady called Joanna Drayton in a film you might've heard of...."Guess Who's Coming to Dinner."
What else can I say. You might really like this book and think it's worth sharing with the important people in your life.
