Ashley Hope Pérez takes the facts of the 1937 New London school explosion—the worst school disaster in American history—as a backdrop for a riveting novel about segregation, love, family, and the forces that destroy people.
I just finished Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Perez, an unflinching story of love in the midst of East Texas Jim Crow horror. It's book #4 toward my 2022 #FReadom goal to read 20 books banned, challenged or threatened in Texas libraries or schools. ashleyperez.com/books/
Some challenges to this book have asked, "What do we teach by exposing young people to such scenes?" The answer in a word: empathy. Perez' writing lays bare raw emotions that teenagers may need to process 1st-, 2nd-, or 3rd-hand, from racial hate, family abuse, gender violence.
This is a book I read because it was on the Texas Book Investigation list. I found it very interesting that the books events were based on an actual event that took place in Texas: the 1937 Texas New London school explosion. The author is also a Texan, who lived quite close to the town where the explosion happened. There is one thing that I've learned from the Texans that I know is that they most Texans a lot of Texan pride. Why would someone in office propose to ban a book that takes place in their very own state?
Then I started reading. It became apparent right away this book was banned. The main characters are Mexicans (or half-Mexicans), living with their White step-father in a very White religious community. The main character struggles with trying to keep her culture alive against her step-father's wishes and keeping her relationships …
This is a book I read because it was on the Texas Book Investigation list. I found it very interesting that the books events were based on an actual event that took place in Texas: the 1937 Texas New London school explosion. The author is also a Texan, who lived quite close to the town where the explosion happened. There is one thing that I've learned from the Texans that I know is that they most Texans a lot of Texan pride. Why would someone in office propose to ban a book that takes place in their very own state?
Then I started reading. It became apparent right away this book was banned. The main characters are Mexicans (or half-Mexicans), living with their White step-father in a very White religious community. The main character struggles with trying to keep her culture alive against her step-father's wishes and keeping her relationships with other minorities in the area.
This book was incredibly riveting. I think it's due to the fact that I managed to feel (at some level) sympathy for all the characters and rooted for each of them to have their redemption or success. There was no one character that I felt was badly written, they all felt alive, each with their own distinct spirit.
Pérez did a great job with this book.
Warning: Spoilers ahead
First Sentence: From far off, it looks like hundreds of beetles ringed around a single dome of light.
Last Sentence: This strange song, gathered out of darkness.
