In this beautifully written debut, Anna Jean Mayhew offers a riveting depiction of Southern life in the throes of segregation, what it will mean for a young girl on her way to adulthood—and for the woman who means the world to her . . . On a scorching day in August 1954, thirteen-year-old Jubie Watts leaves Charlotte, North Carolina, with her family for a Florida vacation. Crammed into the … vacation. Crammed into the Packard along with Jubie are her three siblings, her mother, and the family’s black maid, Mary Luther. For as long as Jubie can remember, Mary has been there—cooking, cleaning, compensating for her father’s rages and her mother’s benign neglect, and loving Jubie unconditionally.
Bright and curious, Jubie takes note of the anti-integration signs they pass, and of the racial tension that builds as they journey further south. But she could never have predicted the shocking turn their trip will take. Now, in the wake of tragedy, Jubie must confront her parents’ failings and limitations, decide where her own convictions lie, and make the tumultuous leap to independence . . .
Infused with the intensity of a changing time, here is a story of hope, heartbreak, and the love and courage that can transform us—from child to adult, from wounded to indomitable.
“Mayhew keeps the story taut, thoughtful and complex, elevating it from the throng of coming-of-age books.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Beautifully written, with complex characters, an urgent plot, and an ending so shocking and real it had me in tears.”
—Eleanor Brown, New York Times bestselling author of The Weird Sisters
“A must-read for fans of The Help.”
—Woman’s World
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Soo, soo good!! I loved this story, please read!
I grew up at this time, so I can relate to the characters, even though it’s painful to remember that this sort of nonsense was going on in my own lifetime. I thought this was a wonderful story and even though the narrator tells you in the first sentence what will happen, it’s a shock when it actually happens. I thought it was just a great story. As soon as I finished it, I called my sister and told her to read it. She said she had just finished it and that she had loved it, too.
This book had me captivated from the very first sentence. The Watts family are a wealthy white family, living in Charlotte, North Carolina. As the story begins, the main character, 13 year old Jubie, is in the family car, on her way to Florida with her mother, siblings and the family’s black maid, Mary Luther. Jubie has just endured a particularly brutal beating courtesy of her father for letting her sister’s boyfriend read her sister’s diary. As the trip progresses, Jubie is made aware of how much harder things are for Mary, because she is black, from having to use outhouses instead of indoor restrooms, to observing curfews in some towns. Jubie loves Mary very much and Mary returns that love in countless ways. When Mary becomes yet another victim of deadly racist forces, Jubie suffers a huge loss but gains an inner strength and confidence to do what she knows is right, regardless of what her family thinks or the possible consequences.
A fascinating and sobering read. Very strongly recommend.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for a review copy. This is my honest opinion.
I loved the book and would recommend. This is an eye opener to tragic events that happened in the 50’s and after.
sad reminder of what things used to be like….I got attached to the characters…
The novel, The Dry Grass of August, opens in the summer of 1954. A few months earlier, the Supreme Court of the United States had ruled on the case, Brown v. the Board of Education of Topeka, determining that racial segregation of children in public schools was unconstitutional. Despite the Court’s unanimous decision, not everyone agreed with that finding, including some middle-class whites from Charlotte, North Carolina, Mr. and Mrs. Watts.
Growing up in the segregated South, their daughter, 13-year old Jubie Watts, has always lived her life behind the “separate but equal” screen, shielded from the realities of racism. But with age comes wisdom, and that summer, Jubie starts to see the world as it really is.
For the complete review, go to https://kindredconnection.wordpress.com/2019/04/12/the-dry-grass-of-august/.
Overall a well painted picture of life in a turbulent and changing era. However at times she moved from past to present and it was confusing as the moves were not as clear from the text as I would have liked. Otherwise a delightful and very well painted picture of life in a changing south.
a look into the lives of a family in the 1950’s. As children of that era, we were so oblivious of what life was like for the not so average American family……
it was a great read for me!
Part of the attraction for me was that I grew up in deep East Texas in basically the same time. The KKK was very active in a town less than 30 miles from my home, and remains so today as they do in other parts of Texas. One of the things I learned early was how to decipher codes on business names to know if they were owned by and welcomed Klansman. I was very fortunate to be raised by intelligent and open-minded parents and grandparents so that racism wasn’t a term I understood in my formative years. There were Mary’s in my history who I loved as deeply, possibly more so, than family members. I hope the younger readers of this book recognize both the truth and the evil of our past and commit to wiping out the vestiges of it that not only remain but seem to be gaining strength. This book brought back many memories of those times. What I would give to once again have the ice house in the community. We got all our watermelons from there where they were ice cold from sitting on the sawdust flour. And we never headed out on a vacation in our unairconditioned car without a big wax paper lined bag of crushed ice on the floor of the backseat for us to chomp on as we traveled.
Well written with well developed characters that you loved and hated by the end of the book. A study of how evil and racism impacts a family who has their own human weaknesses and flaws.
Truly liked this book and recommend it.