The Dry Grass of August

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 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.

I picked up this wonderful debut book not knowing what it was about. I could not put it down!  It has what you would expect from a dysfunctional family of the 50s told through the eyes of 13 year old Jubie.  She is, right from the start, a lovable character as she comes of age (violently) in the segregated South.  If you like Southern fiction, don't miss this gem.

Author: Anna Jean Mayhew
Published: April 2011
Pages: 352
Genre: Southern Historical
Source: Library
Finished: 5-14-11
4 Bears