Circle of Fire

by William H. Hooks

Shortly before Christmas, 1936, eleven-year-old Harrison overhears a notorious local bigot planning a Ku Klux Klan raid on a band of Irish tinkers camped nearby and realizes he must do something to prevent it.

147 pages, Library Binding

First published January 1, 1982

About the author

Director of Publications at Bank Street College of Education

He collects folklore and lives in New York City

Reviews

[AyeeRalphyy · Rating 4 out of 5]

“There’s something in all of us that wants to be top dog, that wants to keep our kind in control. Human decency doesn’t seem to be a God-given gift. It’s a precious thing you have to learn early and keep working at.” Harrison Hawkins, an 11-year-old white boy that lives in a town of colored people. A town down in South Carolina, he lives with his Aunt Het, His Mother and Father. Harrison a boy that favors equality and despises racism, he at first is a normal boy, that goes through life as it is, with Christmas, coming soon he and his black friends, Kitty Fisher and his little sister Scrap, whose real name is Magnolia, were going to the woods for supplies to get ready for Christmas. While the town lived as one, there was another person who had his own land, Mr. Bud Highsmith another white old grumpy man, who enforced inequality, racism, and despised black people, Catholics, and Jews. As Harrison and his friends were going back home from a trip into the woods for Walnuts that he had to gather for his Aunt Het, Harrison, Kitty, and scrap notice that as they took the way back home, that passed through Broom Sage Hollow they noticed, that there were gypsies, camped out on the road, it was at this moment when Harrison, Kitty, Scrap, and all the townspeople’s lives were about to change, and go into a dark, scary time in their lives.

I like this book because it, teaches you that everyone deserves equal rights. That everyone is human, no matter how different you are, whether it be the color of your skin, or your personality, your style, whatever it can be that makes you physically and visibly different, that does not change the fact that we are all human, we are all one race, and one kind. We all have feelings, emotions, and people that we care so dearly for. The book teaches you that people think differently of others in social ranks, but that is not rightfully true, that it is wrong to look down on your own kind. The book gives you the feeling of wanting to read more, that you can somehow guess what may happen, but at the same time leaves you in a daze of thought in your head as to if what you think will happen or not. Although the book will keep you guessing, you will often find yourself surprised.

I recommend this book to people who love to hear about what people who are racially discriminated have to go through everyday, and somehow still be able to find a way to bond with one another, and enjoy life as it is, while getting rid of the daily problems that they go through. This book would go well with people who enforce equality, and despise racism, because this book has the daily hardships of racism, but has even more equality rights written all over it. I don’t recommend this book to people who dislike the racism past of the U.S. to people who dislike looking back at what this nation’s people did to each other.

[Nicole Adrienne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book in the 6th grade and remembered only a few details, basically the fact that it dealt with the KKK and a Roma boy named Liam. The title and author had escaped me and every few years I'd try to search to no avail. Finally, I was able to track down the information and one of my local libraries actually had it. I was happy to read Circle of Fire and instantly remembered why it had impacted me at age 11.

The story is set in 1936 in North Carolina. It teaches race relations through the experience of an 11 year old boy. His best friends are two African-American kids, Kitty & Scrap. They discover a group of gypsies (Irish Tinkers) that have recently come to town. It is discovered that the KKK is planning on coming to town to harass the tinkers.

Reading this novel again at age 31, I realize that it teaches an important lesson on racial privilege. The main character, Harrison, frequently asks his friends to go to certain areas of town where they are not welcome. They have to repeatedly explain that even though he is not bothered by their skin color, many folks are and they must stay in safe areas.

This is a timeless novel and I think kids now could still benefit from the important lessons held within.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

reading with Max, interesting. decent, gets you thinking and good discussion....historical fiction