4 out of 4 stars
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All around the world, people live in disadvantaged areas and face injustice, a lack of economic opportunities, or social isolation on a daily basis. When hearing about these situations, it’s common to wonder, why don’t these people just leave? Darkness on the Delta by G.E. Johnson is a poignant and poetic novel that explores this theme with brilliant success.
In this story, which draws on Johnson’s personal life experiences, we meet Bern Gresham, the white teenage son of ACLU attorneys, who is transplanted from Jackson to the heart of the Mississippi Delta in 1966. We see him come of age during the civil rights movement, which includes the 1968 assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the 1969 Supreme Court order forcing the immediate desegregation of schools in Mississippi. He witnesses the chaos this desegregation order causes, as relationships are destroyed, students drop out of school, and teachers resign rather than mix with the other race.
Raised by his parents to fight injustice and make a difference, Bern decides to become a teacher. His first job out of college is as the first and only white teacher at Wilkes School in the impoverished and racially-charged town of Money, Mississippi. The student body is entirely black. As he teaches throughout the 1970s, he suffers firsthand from the hatred and distrust between the two races. This darkness is enough to break many of the people around him, and Bern constantly struggles to create a life for himself where he can feel happy and at peace.
This novel is written in the first-person point of view in the form of a memoir. Some sections are more action-packed, and some are slower-paced and more mundane, which aptly mirrors real life. There are many characters that Bern meets along the way, some likable and some not. Either way, the author does a great job of developing each one so that the reader can understand their thinking and the motivations behind their actions. These characters are a product of their environment, and some of them learn to rise above their upbringings, while others do not.
The writing and imagery in the novel are beautiful. Bern experiences triumphs and failures, love and heartache in such a realistic way. Despite being beaten down by his environment again and again, he knows he can never leave the Delta. Each time he is broken by a new tragedy, the beauty and magic of the land heal and restore him. From the poetic way in which he writes, you can feel that Bern’s passion for the Delta mirrors that of the author.
One element I particularly love about this novel is Bern’s interactions with his students. They are hopelessly behind in their learning when they arrive in his classroom. Some can barely read. They don’t have any knowledge of current events, or even what the world is like outside of their own county. After accepting that he will not be teaching these kids a typical English curriculum, he adjusts to accomplish the task of expanding their world by doing such things as taking them on a field trip to the movies and purchasing them newspapers. With his adjusted expectations, his students are able to thrive. If I had to pick one thing I would change about the novel, I would have it include more of these teacher-student interactions.
This book appears to have been professionally edited. I only noticed a small number of minor errors. One complaint I have is that the spacing breaks between paragraphs are large and uneven. After getting into the book, however, I got used to the spacing. This issue does not keep me from wholeheartedly rating Darkness on the Delta 4 out of 4 stars. I believe this novel would be appreciated by anyone who is interested in reading about the civil rights movement or just loves beautifully written literature.
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Darkness on the Delta
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