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Gray Baby
by
Scott Loring Sanders (Goodreads Author)
At six, Clifton watched as two white police officers beat his black father to death. The official report called it an accident. But Clifton and his mother, who was also there, know the truth.
Ten years later Clifton's life has been shaped by that horrible event. He's a social outcast, his mother has sunk deep into alcoholism, and the only connection has with a living thing...more
Ten years later Clifton's life has been shaped by that horrible event. He's a social outcast, his mother has sunk deep into alcoholism, and the only connection has with a living thing...more
Hardcover, 336 pages
Published
June 1st 2009
by Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
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Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com
About ten years ago, Clifton Carlson watched as his father was beaten to death by a police officer. The attack was provoked by the fact that Clifton's black father was driving in a car with his white wife. Today's label for the situation would be DWB - driving while black.
Now in high school, Clifton doesn't think of himself as black or white. He is simply surviving, most of the time on his own since his mother has been lost in depre...more
About ten years ago, Clifton Carlson watched as his father was beaten to death by a police officer. The attack was provoked by the fact that Clifton's black father was driving in a car with his white wife. Today's label for the situation would be DWB - driving while black.
Now in high school, Clifton doesn't think of himself as black or white. He is simply surviving, most of the time on his own since his mother has been lost in depre...more
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Clifton saw his African-American father beaten to death by two white policeman in their small Virginia town when he was a child. Now in high school, he longs for friendship and finds an old man to fit his need. The topic of racism flows throughout the book. Language, alcohol consumption by a minor, and violence may be upsetting to some readers. The cover art distracts from the story; it will take booktalking to put this book in teen hands. An enjoyable story.
This was an awesome book. I loved his first book "The Hanging Woods" and I enjoyed this one just as much. Having it take place in Southwest, VA was even cooler... I recognized so many places(even ones I go to today!). If you read the first book you will pick up on a reference to one of it's characters which was pretty interesting. I totally recommend this book...he is an awesome author and I look forward to hearing more from him.
Although this is technically a Young Adult novel, I think anyone will enjoy it. The book is suspenseful, with an attractive setting and credible, vulnerable characters. Check out my full review at Perpetual Folly.
This was another book by an author from our area. He also wrote The Hanging Woods. The setting is Radford, but it's called Crockett's Mill. It's fun to read it and figure out what places the author is referring to. For example, there's the steel works (the foundry?), and the rehab clinic across the New River (St. Albans?). The story itself is very good. The main character, Clifton, is a black teen growing up in the 1980s. It's a quick read from the young adult section of the library. I keep find...more
This is another one of those books that makes me realize how good my childhood was and that I should never take it for granted. Clifton, our protagonist in "Gray Baby" witnessed his father's brutal murder at the age of eight, and now his mother is loving but addicted to alcohol. On top of that, he has to deal with the ridicule--and occasionally fear--that comes with being biracial in rural Virginia during the 1980s. I really fell in love with Clifton as well as the other main character, Swamper,...more
VA author- bought book on recommendation of my fav roanoke book store owner. good book
Compelling read with great characters and some surprising twists.
Teen Fiction
Sweet story with values and morals.
Sweet story with values and morals.
What a boring book. I just couldn't do it. I just couldn't force myself to finish this book. All I know is that in the cover jacket they said the boy was 6 when his father dies but in the book they act like he's either 4 0r 8. Could the author make up his mind? I guess it doesn't really matter because the beginning when the boy's dad dies is the best and then the rest of the book is just blah blah blah...
Book about a highschool aged boy who is bi-racial and saw his dad murdered by the police. His mom is severely depressed and the young man befriends an old fisherman in the community. Despite the very serious issues covered in the book, it still manages to be an enlightening story- full of life's sweet surprises.
Excellent book. Young boy who has mixed parents was called a gray baby, watched his father murdered by police. His adventures in search for meaning in his life are quite interesting.
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| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| fantastic | 1 | 7 | Jul 08, 2009 10:25am |
Scott Loring Sanders was born April 20th, 1970 in Atlanta, Georgia but was raised in New Jersey. Since 1990, he has lived in various towns of the Virginia Blue Ridge Mountains, including Blacksburg, Floyd, and Christiansburg.
His first novel, The Hanging Woods, was published by Houghton Mifflin in March, 2008 and is set in rural Alabama. The novel “recalls Greek tragedy even as it suggests a cursed...more
More about Scott Loring Sanders...
His first novel, The Hanging Woods, was published by Houghton Mifflin in March, 2008 and is set in rural Alabama. The novel “recalls Greek tragedy even as it suggests a cursed...more
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