[115] Books Reviewed
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Monday, September 1, 2008

Devil On My Heels by Joyce McDonald

() This story takes place in Benevolence, Florida. The main character is a fifteen-year-old girl named Dove. She's grown up in Benevolence; here, her father owns a section of orange groves. Life is going good for Dove: she's forming her first love and exploring life's possibilities. But mysterious fires are breaking out, and Dove is just starting to become aware of the dangerous racial disparities surrounding her. Things are getting weird, and Dove's incessant curiosity gets the better of her.
Dove finds out what's up, but when she does, she wishes she didn't. Her friends are getting death threats, and she is shocked to learn of a long-kept secret murder[er]. It is soon evident that the KKK is involved, and the least likely people in her life are members.
Never in her life could she have even imagined this kind of thing to be prevalent in her little town.
But it is, and hits way too close to home. Her involvement becomes more than a quest for truth, but a protection of the values and people she holds dearly. This can have deadly consequences.
This reader explores an era of extremist racism through this terrific narrative. It's a great book for anyone interested in social inequality, or just deeper read.

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