Author: jaydafederickwilliams

Blog Post #4

There is kinda a lot of history surrounding the setting of this book…

The book is based in the time period of slavery to civil rights. in the 1940’s, there were the jim crow laws, segregation, kkk, and many other hateful words or groups. black people are giving their lives for their country but aren’t receiving full citizenship or true equality. black people being pulled away from their southern roots made it seem like they had to look, talk, and act white in order to succeed but they were still going through so much discrimination.

Blog posts #6

Who cares?

Something I would have like to be informed about early on is how slow the book is. I wasn’t really interested in what was happening until a little towards the middle of the book, but it was still a good book in my opinion. I think that this book is important to know even more about how unfair it was for black people at the time. I say this because Jefferson was an uneducated black man and being at the wrong place at the wrong time got him the death penalty. I think that if races were reversed, a white male would not have the same fate at this time, he may even be considered a hero for people thinking he killed Bear and Brother (two black men who killed a white man). Anyone who wants to be more informed on the unfairness, history, or just those interested in a little crime would like this book. I feel like there are many books that are easier to get into with the same theme, that would be just as affective, if not more so this book could be swapped out for another. I did like the book just not how long it took for me to start liking it, and I feel others would be the same way. 

Blog Posts #5 Jefferson’s pov

I’m goin down the street makin my way to the bar n I see Brother n Bear drivin. They pull up side me n offer me a ride. They start talkin bout how Gropé will give em credit just cause they know em, I think bullshit. When we get in n they start demandin they get drinks n don’t gotta pay n the old man say refuse say no. Bear, Brother, n Gropé start arguin bout payin for what they want n i don’t know what to do. I stand there listenin to em fight n Bear start goin behind the counter tryna grab a bottle n then old man Grope shoots em right there. Then Brother and Grope start shootin at each other and they both on the floor. I stand there not knowin what to do not even rememberin what exactly jus happened. I hear Gropé callin me “boy”n  I go down and beg him to tell the police that it wasn’t me, that I didn’t take no part in this, but he dead. I grab a bottle off the shelf n take one big drink. I see the cash holder is open so I grab some n I leave. Then these two white men done walk in the store n see me n all the people I jus saw shoot each other. They think I did it but I did nothin. I knew me havin the money look wrong but I had nothin so I grab it. I know I’m gon get blamed and go to jail. I start gettin real scared. I know I done bad.