Ashley Hope Perezs OUT OF DARKNESS
Ashley Hope Perezs OUT OF DARKNESS
"This is East Texas, and theres lines. Lines you cross, lines you dont cross. That clear?"
New London, Texas. 1937. Naomi Vargas and Wash Fuller know about the lines in East Texas as well as anyone. They know the signs that mark them. They know the people who enforce them. But sometimes the attraction between two people is so powerful it breaks through even the most entrenched color lines. And the consequences can be explosive.
Ashley Hope P�rez 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 got a copy and started reading. Then, I got to page 98 and paused at "Im a low man on the totem pole." Prior to that reading, Id had very limited--but positive--interactions with Ashley. So, I wrote to her about that line. Was it possible, I wondered, to take out or revise that one line in the next printing? Ashley wrote back, saying that shed try.
Well... Ashley talked with her editor, and when the next printing was done, the line was changed. Ashley created a photo showing the change and shared it on social media, and she referenced our conversation. With her permission, Im sharing her photo here:
I was--and am--gripped by, and deeply moved by the story she tells in Out of Darkness. It got starred reviews and went on to win awards. With that change ("Nah, Im a low man on the totem pole" was replaced with "Nah, no suck luck.", I can enthusiastically and wholeheartedly recommend it.
Heres my heartfelt thank you to Ashley for hearing my concern. For not being defensive. For not saying "but..." or any of the things people say instead of "ok." And of course, a shout out to her editor, Andrew Karre, and her publisher, Carolrhoda, for making the change.
Out of Darkness doesnt have any Native content. Im recommending it because it is an excellent story, and because it is an example of what is possible when people speak up and others hear what they say.
Is Out of Darkness in your library yet? If not, order it today.
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Please see Sarah McCarreys post, On Totems, because she, too, listened and responded in a good way.
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