Publishers Weekly
12/05/2022
The friendship between two teens, one Black and one white, sets off a series of tragic events in this potent, 1930s Mississippi–set novel by Cline-Ransome (Being Clem), told via multiple narrators. When Lamb Clark, described as “quiet as a lamb,” befriends Marny, the daughter of her small town’s optometrist, she’s privately excited for the distraction from her family’s personal drama and the opportunity to forge connection amid the racism she experiences daily. Her older brother, Simeon, who’s earned a full-ride scholarship to a college up north, is eager to escape their town and is constantly at odds with their seamstress mother, Marion, who’s struggling to hide her romantic relationship with her best friend, Myrtle. As Lamb’s friendship with Marny unfolds, the protagonist must decide what she wants outside of her family’s expectations and navigate the dangers of befriending a white girl in the Jim Crow South. The perspectives of the siblings’ absent father and their charming uncle, Chime, feature throughout, providing myriad looks into their experiences with racism, and at how their personal histories reverberate into Lamb’s present. In lyrical prose that displays adroit attention to historical detail, Cline-Ransome empathetically renders a perpetually optimistic protagonist whose hopeful outlook lends heartbreaking resonance to the narrative’s dark themes. Ages 14–up. Agent: Rosemary Stimola, Stimola Literary Studio. (Jan.)
From the Publisher
"An essential read for anybody wanting to understand the Black experience and the love and pain that travels through the generations."—The New York Times
★ "Unendingly powerful, the story and characters are unforgettable."—School Library Journal, Starred Review
★ "Cline-Ransome deftly creates unforgettable characters, each with a distinct voice, and exposes readers to the oppressive racism of the Jim Crow South. . . . This standalone novel is a devastating page-turner that tells an all-too-realistic story."— The Horn Book, Starred Review
★ "Told with nuance and subtlety, this is a powerful story of striving to succeed in the face of nearly impossible odds."—Booklist, Starred Review
★ "Cline-Ransome depicts injustice and violence with a perfect balance of brutality and sensitivity. She particularly excels at portraying the nuances of relationships and character motivations, which are often at odds. . . . For Lamb is a heartbreaking novel that will leave readers with a visceral understanding of history."—BookPage, Starred Review
"In lyrical prose that displays adroit attention to historical detail, Cline-Ransome empathetically renders a perpetually optimistic protagonist whose hopeful outlook lends heartbreaking resonance to the narrative’s dark themes.)"—Publishers Weekly
"The voices of the characters complement each other, and the movement through narrators creates space for the readers to breathe so that the tension that fills the book from the very first page doesn’t completely overwhelm. An important and resolute depiction of the inhumanity of a still potent problem."—Kirkus Reviews
School Library Journal
★ 02/17/2023
Gr 10 Up—In this sweeping tale of the Jim Crow South for a Black family, Cline-Ransome weaves the voices of the family and several outsiders toward a climactic end. Protagonist Lamb is a young Black girl living with her seamstress mother and older brother. And while Lamb's dad has been absent much of her life, she discovers his proximity to them. In connecting with her dad, she also befriends a white girl, and both budding relationships position the family for trouble. Emotionally gutting, Cline-Ransome's use of multiple points of view focuses the story on the deeper lives of each character. The characters are three dimensional, motivated by love, connection, fear, and ambition. The short chapters create a calm introspective pace as the story is introduced, which then turns into controlled chaos by the end and leaves readers breathless (and angry). The highly charged atmosphere that develops is similar to A Sitting in St. James by Rita Williams-Garcia and Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Pérez both in the sweeping family tales and the connection to history. This book is a statement with its setting in Jackson, MS, in the 1930s, Lamb's mother's sexuality, Lamb and her brother's advancement through education, and the terrorism of the Ku Klux Klan on Black people. Unendingly powerful, the story and characters are unforgettable. VERDICT Leave no doubt that this should be purchased for collections serving older teens. There will be much to discuss.—Alicia Abdul
Kirkus Reviews
2022-10-27
Multiple narrators detail the danger and despair of growing up Black in Jim Crow Mississippi.
Lamb Clark is a high schooler who, for the most part, embodies the gentle spirit her name implies even though she holds on to the hope that she’ll be able to stand up for herself one day. Her older brother, Simeon, has a contentious relationship with their mother, Marion, a talented seamstress who is a little “rough around the edges” and wholly dedicated to her children. These three along with Marion’s secret lover, Myrtle; her husband, Chester; and younger brother, Chime, guide readers through a book that looks directly at the indescribable horrors of lynching. Although the book is mostly set in 1940 Jackson, Mississippi, after Lamb befriends Marny, the White daughter of her racist optometrist, she feels hope that their friendship might bridge the gap created by hatred. Unfortunately, a tremendous tragedy shows Lamb that her optimism is irreparably misplaced. Vignettes from each character provide insights into their personal knowledge of insidious racism, with incidents of lynching linking generations within this family. The voices of the characters complement each other, and the movement through narrators creates space for the readers to breathe so that the tension that fills the book from the very first page doesn’t completely overwhelm.
An important and resolute depiction of the inhumanity of a still potent problem. (author’s note) (Historical fiction. 14-18)
