Week 10 Book 9--My Mother the Cheerleader

Louise's mother is a Cheerleader at age 36. But you're probably thinking of a different cheerleader. She's cheering against integration of African American and white students in the 1960s. So every day, she gathers with other locals to scream at Ruby Bridges, a 6-year-old African American who is allowed to attend a previously all-white school. The townspeople chant, throw items, spit, threaten--you name it.

Louise is kind of indifferent to the situation. She's so used to segregation that she really has no opinion about it. But then a man named Morgan arrives at her mother's boarding house. His opinions of integration are VERY different than the rest of the town, and his views could get him in major trouble. So what happens to Louise if she agrees with him?

I found the premise of this book to be very interesting. I am used to reading about people having a strong opinion on integration, so it was intriguing to have a character that was really indifferent to it. And isn't indifference dangerous when it comes to change?

I expected most of the book to be about Ruby walking into school each day with the Cheerleaders gathered around, but there was so much more to it. In fact, Ruby doesn't really appear until the middle of the book. A lot of character development in the book!

I enjoyed it...you should pick it up!