I kept waiting for this book to grab me and pull me in, but I guess I missed the bus. It just never happened. The story is of two 4th grade girls, Zora, based on author, Zora Neale Hurston and the narrator, Carrie, her best friend. The story is told from an all-black township in Florida where the girls have been sheltered from the racial tension between the white and black. When a series of events leads to Zora spinning some unbelievable tales, including one of a half man-half alligator, Carrie is left wondering where truth begins and ends, especially after a man they had just met turns up dead the very next day. Excellent and awesome book that base on the life of author Zora Neale Hurston, the story fictionalizes events surrounding Zora in the all-black community of Eatonville, FL, during her fourth-grade year, about 1900. The story, narrated by Zora’s best friend, Carrie, enables the reader to feel the power of Zora’s storytelling abilities. Zora and her friends learn that truth is sometimes stranger and more complicated than imagination. Mysteries and thought-provoking situations infuse the story with action as well as biography. This debut novel, endorsed by the Hurston Estate, introduces a new generation to the life of an important literary figure.
What do You think about Zora And Me (2010)?
This was a great book. I read it all in one night.
—dana
I would recommend this to middle school readers.
—0christie0