If you are a fan of The Help, you must read Whistling Past the Graveyard. This is the story of Starla Claudelle, a nine year old who runs away from her life with her grandmother in search of her famous mother in Nashville. Along the way she meets Eula, a black woman who offers her a ride. When Starla gets in Eula's truck and closes the door, finding a white baby on the floorboard, her life takes a turn she never expected. And because so much happens while she's trying to make it to Nashville to find her mother, I am not about to ruin any of the surprises here by detailing them all.
What I will tell you is this. This book will make you feel every emotion possible: anger, fear, happiness, love, admiration, respect, sadness. The characters are so real you can hear them talking and you can't help but love Eula and Starla, even when they don't make the best choices. More than anything, it's one more book to help us truly understand what life in Mississippi was like in the early 1960's, for both the black and the white people. Whistling Past the Graveyard (which is what Starla's daddy called it "when you did something to keep your mind off of your worstest fear") is a fresh story detailing lives of those who probably got lost in the racial struggles of the 60's. It's a beautiful, endearing story.
Seriously, if you liked The Help, you need to read this one.
Happy reading, everyone!
:) Dodie
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