The Rock and the River by Kekla Magoon

“As the river flows, it wonders what it would be like to be so still, to take a breath, to rest. But the rock will always wonder what lies around the bend in the stream.”

A compelling coming of age novel set in 1968 Chicago about thirteen-year-old Sam Childs, the son of a prominent Civil Rights leader. Sam was raised with the lesson that you can effect change without using violence. He and his older brother, Stick, have grown up making signs and marching in protest demonstrations with their parents and count the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. as a close family friend. As time goes on and Sam witnesses the injustice inflicted upon African Americans, he begins to question all that he has been taught. After finding literature from the Black Panther Party among Stick’s belongings, Sam becomes intrigued by their philosophies. He is especially impressed with the way they help the community by serving free breakfast to needy children and policing their own neighborhoods and documenting police harassment. Like many others, Sam is impatient for change and is growing weary with what he perceives as slow progress by the Civil Rights Movement. He finds himself faced with a dilemma: Will he continue to follow his father’s non-violent teachings or will he become a member of the Black Panther Party, the one group he feels is making strides towards equal rights for African American people.

This explosive debut novel by Kekla Magoon effectively captures the mood and sentiment of the time as well as the tension between the Black Panthers and the Civil Rights Movement. I highly recommend this important work to teens and adults alike, for it is not often that you find a fiction title that focuses on the Black Panthers. The author’s note at the conclusion gives additional historical facts on both groups.

2010 Coretta Scott King /John Steptoe New Talent Author Award winner.