Reviewer Fran Lewis:
Fran worked in the NYC Public Schools as the Reading and Writing
Staff Developer for over 36 years. She has three masters degrees and
a PD in Supervision and Administration. Currently. She is a member of
Who's Who of America's Teachers and Who's
Who of America's Executives from Cambridge. In addition,
she is the author of three children's books and a fourth Alzheimer’s
book is Memories are Precious: Alzheimer’s Journey: Ruth’s story
in honor of her mom. Fran
hopes to create more awareness for a cure of Alzheimer.
She
was also the musical director for shows in her school and ran the
school's newspaper. Fran writes reviews for authors upon request and
for several other sites. You can read some of my reviews on Ezine.com
and on ijustfinished under
the name Gabina.
Follow Here To Listen to Fran's Radio Show and Here
Author: Richard
Doster
ISBN:9781434799845
Publisher: The B&B Media Group
Inc
Click Here To Purchase Crossing the Lines: A Novel
Never judge a man by the color of his skin, the way he
wears his hair or the clothes on his back, but by his soul. Words to
live by as stated by the late Dr. Martin Luther King. We need to
build an air of trust and understanding in order to live together.
This brings me to my review of Crossing the Lines by Richard
Doster.
As the book opens we meet sports
reporter Jack Hall who uproots his family and moves to Atlanta taking
a job writing for the Atlanta Constitution and moves his family
south. This is the first step to many life changing experiences and
new friendships that would forever create a history of their own.
Starting out as a sportswriter, the editor of his paper asks him to
do a piece about an incident that happened in Montgomery, Alabama.
Little does he know that this was not just any incident but one that
would change the way people throughout the state of Alabama and the
United States would view people of other races. Rosa Parks, a
seamstress by one simple act, of refusing to give up her seat to a
white person in the front of the bus, and sit in the back, started a
chain of events that not only rocked Montgomery but the entire
nation. Jack Hall, asked by his boss, to go to Montgomery and
meet with Martin King a young pastor, to find out more about what
happened and to bring back a story.
Taking that story and
expanding it into more than just a newspaper piece was Jack Hall’s
dream. Dalton Dorsey, another member of the Atlanta Constitution
staff had the same dream. Together, they met with Martin King, the
senior Martin Luther King and members of their churches and
congregations and wrote an article so powerful and so compelling that
Life Magazine printed it and the world learned of what was happening
not only in Montgomery, Alabama but also to all people of other races
in many walks of life.
As Jack Hall interviewed and met with
Martin King I could hear his voice resonating in my head the words he
spoke came to life. Rosa Parks helped start a movement so great that
everyone respects and remembers the bus boycott and the impact it
made not only in Montgomery but also everywhere in our country.
But,
Jack Hall did not stop there. He had a vision just like Dr. King.
With the aide of his new neighbors, who were predominantly white, and
his friend Dalton Dorsey, they would create their own magazine with
their own brand of journalism.
When Martin King met with Jack
Hall when the courts decided in their favor, they both took a ride
with many others in the buses for the first time and wherever they
wanted. A great start but only the beginning for the people of
Montgomery and the end of segregation. Not only would they eliminate
it on buses but in the schools and other places too. One woman
standing for her right to sit where she wanted, one day, December 5,
1955, and the entire world would see and hear what we should have
known all along. Segregation is wrong.
But, the fight just
started and more homes would be burned and more lives would be lost
before this was over. From Little Rock Arkansas and the fight for
integration in the schools, to the riots in the streets and the
bombings of homes this book leads us through a difficult time for
everyone. Change is hard and often comes at a price.
Martin
Luther King Jr., Sam Phillips the founder and creator of Sam’s
Records and the man who introduced us to the Blues, Rock n’ Roll
and Elvis. The man who realized who Elvis really was and where he
came from. This book Describes the day the first Negro students were
supposed to come to Central High and start the process of
integration. The nightmare when 17young children were supposed enter
Little Rock Central High and the protests, angry mobs that and courts
that would prevent them from getting what is so rightfully theirs: an
education.
Jack Hall, Dalton Dorsey, Alan Emerson, Flannery
O’Connor, Percy Sutton, Chris Hall and Ansley and so many others
who believed in what Dr. King did and what Rosa Parks had
started.
Three men-one-goal-one changes to create change: You
can’t force people to change as the author states, you can only try
to inspire it and they will love you forever. That is what Hall and
Dorsey did to change the thinking of their wives, children and their
community. What Sam Phillips did for music, what Harper Lee and
Flannery O’Connor did for literature and so many more- makes us
remember that this is America and we are all Americans and we did not
get there by the color of our skin. Dr. King had a dream that all
people of every race and creed would have the same freedoms and live
together in peace. He believed in non-violence and reason. If we
could translate his dreams and what Hall and Dorsey and so many more
succeeded in doing to those in the countries that are presently at
war and create a World of Beauty Magazine geared to showing how great
this planet it, maybe they would appreciate the land where they live
and embrace it, not destroy it.
Crossing the line opened the
lines of communication and helped filter out misconceptions about
people, and started a dialogue of hope and understanding between
Blacks and Whites and all people. Although we are not completely
there as we can tell by the situation throughout the world, perhaps
in the future we will not have to deal with hate and hate crimes and
we will learn tolerance and understanding try to embrace our
differences and cultures.
This book should be on the shelf of
every college, high school, elementary and public library. It should
be the required reading of children in every school. I learned so
much about what happened during a time that I grew up that I did not
know about. I would highly recommend this book as a must read.