“A Tugging String,” by David T. Greenberg
Dutton, 2008
David T. Greenberg’s book is set in 1960s Alabama, “blending facts, speeches, memories and conjecture.” A twelve-year-old boy, the son of a civil rights lawyer, tries hard to fit in at school. An African-American woman struggles to become a registered voter. As the two stories come together, the young protagonist sees first-hand the importance of the civil rights struggle. While many readers on amazon.com whose reviews I have checked are raving about the book, BookList and School Library Journal have called it “didactic” and “not always making for a smooth narrative.” (They also did call it “sincere,” “clearly written” and “fascinating.”) http://www.amazon.com/Tugging-String-Growing-During-Rights/dp/0525479678/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1297877810&sr=8-1
I am always very sad and a little sorry when I don’t fall in love with a book. I am, as my regular followers know, a fan of historical fiction. But I am also a fan of fantasy. Sci-fi. Contemporary YA. My point is this: I love learning about other worlds, be they old or new, past or future, real or imagined, or a crazy blend of the two. But what I love the most about books is . . . the story. The characters thrust into a situation that takes center-stage. The feelings that come through, implode and explode as other events unfold, be they historical or fantastical.Â
While reading “A Tugging String,” I did learn a lot. I did especially like the fascinating unusual little details no one thinks about when reading of the 1960s, like a Jamaican housekeeper with a ring on every toe!
But, to me, the book was trying too hard to “tell” me things: here is what is important, here is what’s horrible, here is how to feel.
I realize, the book is probably meant for the school market. Teachers give it great reviews, and the author David Greenberg is a popular speaker. Also, Â judging from the amazon.com reviews, some kids like it too.
So yes, books can teach. Still, I feel an author shouldn’t worry so. An honest story with a character that feels real can teach a young reader more about that character’s time and place, than any amounts of footnotes or paragraphs of asides ever could.
What do you think? Writers and readers, when you write or read historical fiction, what sort of balance between STORY and HISTORY do you expect or hope to create?
Answer the question, and get the chance to win an autographed copy of David Greenberg’s “Tugging String!”
Then read it and judge for yourself, then maybe write your own review, so we could compare notes? 🙂
Katiaesque 
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