From acclaimed author Patricia Hruby Powell comes the story of a landmark civil rights case, told in spare and gorgeous verse. In 1955, in Caroline County, Virginia, amidst segregation and prejudice, injustice and cruelty, two teenagers fell in love. Their life together broke the law, but their determination would change it. Richard and Mildred Loving were at the heart of a Supreme Court case that legalized marriage between races, and a story of the devoted couple who faced discrimination, fought it, and won.
This book was a little different from what I thought. For one thing, I wasn't really sure whether it was historical fiction or nonfiction. The narrative is in verse and it's telling the story from the POVs of Richard and Mildred Loving. It also has quotes from George Wallace (an awful Governor of Alabama who was a BIG opponent of school integration)and newspaper clippings and quotes from Supreme Court justices sprinkled throughout the book.
On one hand, I think the story of the Lovings was so sweet and so important to this country. These people just wanted to live their lives. They had children together and they were so young. They didn't marry until after their second child, but they got married because they loved each other and because they wanted to make a family for their kids. There was so much about this book that made me angry. I hated the sheriff that was out to get them and looked for excuses to get them in trouble. I hated that Mildred and Richard couldn't just be together. I hated that Mildred had to deal with lower class movie theatre sections and hand me down books in her school. I absolutely loved Richard and the fact that he never saw her as anything but an incredible woman. He didn't care about the color of her skin. There was one scene where the lawyer asked him if he wanted to tell the court anything for him. His response was pure Richard. It was simple and sweet: "Tell them I love my wife, and it is just unfair that I can't live with her in Virginia." They didn't even want the attention or the court case. They didn't want to set some great big example or set precedent for other couples: they just wanted to be together.
I guess the main thing I didn't like about the book was that it was told in verse. I am picky about those kinds of books. It doesn't always work. Even though I admired this couple and rooted for them, there were times when I felt a bit disconnected from their emotions and everything that was happening because of the way it was presented. It is still a worthwhile read though.
This book was a little different from what I thought. For one thing, I wasn't really sure whether it was historical fiction or nonfiction. The narrative is in verse and it's telling the story from the POVs of Richard and Mildred Loving. It also has quotes from George Wallace (an awful Governor of Alabama who was a BIG opponent of school integration)and newspaper clippings and quotes from Supreme Court justices sprinkled throughout the book.
On one hand, I think the story of the Lovings was so sweet and so important to this country. These people just wanted to live their lives. They had children together and they were so young. They didn't marry until after their second child, but they got married because they loved each other and because they wanted to make a family for their kids. There was so much about this book that made me angry. I hated the sheriff that was out to get them and looked for excuses to get them in trouble. I hated that Mildred and Richard couldn't just be together. I hated that Mildred had to deal with lower class movie theatre sections and hand me down books in her school. I absolutely loved Richard and the fact that he never saw her as anything but an incredible woman. He didn't care about the color of her skin. There was one scene where the lawyer asked him if he wanted to tell the court anything for him. His response was pure Richard. It was simple and sweet: "Tell them I love my wife, and it is just unfair that I can't live with her in Virginia." They didn't even want the attention or the court case. They didn't want to set some great big example or set precedent for other couples: they just wanted to be together.
I guess the main thing I didn't like about the book was that it was told in verse. I am picky about those kinds of books. It doesn't always work. Even though I admired this couple and rooted for them, there were times when I felt a bit disconnected from their emotions and everything that was happening because of the way it was presented. It is still a worthwhile read though. Highly recommended.
Buy/Borrow/Skip: Borrow this one.
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