Books on Tap convened on October 3 to discuss the Young Adult book, The Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine. Levine was born in 1974, graduated from Swarthmore College, was a professor of screenwriting at American University and currently lives in Alexandria, VA. 

Published in 2012, The Lions of Little Rock earned multiple honors including the American Library Association’s Best Fiction for Young Adults in 2013, inclusion on the 2013 Amelia Bloomer Reading List, and a dizzying array of state book awards.  

Overall, readers felt like it was an enjoyable, easy read. Because it is a book targeted to a younger reader, it was not an especially challenging read. However, the themes evoked comparisons to last month’s book, Sing, Unburied Sing by Jesmyn Ward. The book is set in 1958 in Little Rock, Arkansas, the year after the Little Rock Nine first integrated Little Rock Central High School. Marlee starts middle school while her high-school-aged sister is left at home when the district closes the high schools to prevent continued integration. Socially awkward Marlee forms a friendship with the new girl, Liz. However, one day Liz disappears from school and the gossip is that she was actually black, passing as white to attend better schools.

For some group members, the book brought back memories of their childhoods as Virginia grappled with desegregation of public schools, with a number of localities closing schools rather than integrating. One reader remembered liking one of the black girls she met at school but being afraid to ask her parents if it was okay to invite her to her birthday party.

Throughout Virginia, schools and even colleges shut down rather than integrate. Alternate schools were set up for white children, so their education could continue. Charlottesville was not immune to strife. Another reader grew up attending school in a neighborhood he described as having a very international population. The students in his school were so mixed, it didn’t occur to him that black students did not attend his schools, not because of segregation, but because of red-lining that meant their families could not live in the neighborhoods served by the schools he attended.

The question came up of whether readers were surprised that Liz was passing. Overall, folks thought there were multiple hints. At least one reader found the revelation a bit sudden but attributed that to a book for young readers needing to move a bit more quickly. One reader pointed out that passing is a lot to ask of a 12-year-old child. It requires one to give up so much – community, family, and friends. Another person pointed out that throughout the Civil Rights era, children were powerful and very involved, sometimes pushed by their parents, but sometimes choosing to act themselves.

Marlee as a character, was very numbers focused. Readers felt the way she gained her voice over the course of the story made the book more compelling. Her interest in and skill with numbers showed she was capable of thinking and making decisions. She could solve problems. She also had a skill that others in her family did not, and they recognized her gift. It gave her the opportunity to interact with different people than would be typical for a girl her age at that time. Her interest in math and space provided an opportunity to bring in the fact that there were not many women or blacks at NASA. 

Marlee had great coping skills. She counted in prime numbers when nervous. She also compared people to drinks. But even there she grew and developed. As her relationship with Betty Jean, the black housekeeper, developed, she reevaluated the drink assigned to Betty Jean to reflect the greater complexity she grew to see. She and Liz also gave each other space to be brave.

Reactions to secondary characters were mixed. One reader wanted more from Liz’s perspective. They felt that other books had done better at depicting race relations through the eyes of a child. Some felt that the characters of JT and Red were over the top and not nuanced in order to provide drama. Betty Jean was a favorite character of many. Her fear when her son Curtis was arrested reminded some of Parchman Prison and Emmett Till and discussion of last month’s book, Sing, Unburied Sing by Jesmyn Ward.

Marlee’s relationship with her mother also grew and developed. Early on, her mother appears to be racist. But as Marlee connects with her more and more throughout the course of the book, the reader is able to connect as well and understand that many of her mother’s actions were driven by fear.

Some parts of the book seemed particularly timely to the group. High schoolers were “attending” classes by watching teachers on TV. Marlee’s Dad comments that watching TV is no substitute for real instruction. That reminded readers of children’s recent experiences with virtual classrooms during COVID. Also, there is a big push in the book to get out and vote in the special elections for the school board, which parallels current efforts by many to encourage people to vote in the current 2024 election.

This book may have been an easier read, being targeted to a younger audience, but it prompted a lot of discussion of recent historical and current events!

---

---

---