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River Cross My Heart
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Plot Summary of River Cross My Heart
"It is 1925 and Johnnie Mae is living in Georgetown with her mother, Alice, her stepfather, Willie, and her six year old sister Clara. 12 year old Johnnie Mae's life changes forever on the day her baby sister Clara drowns in the Potomac River. Having been in charge of babysitting her sister that afternoon, Johnnie Mae is left devastated and haunted by her sister's passing. In the aftermath of Clara's death Johnnie Mae sees Clara everywhere - in her dreams, in her mother's kitchen and in her new school friend, Pearl, who Johnnie Mae believes is the reincarnation of Clara. Johnnie Mae becomes an excellent swimmer, despite the protestations of her resentful stepfather. Johnnie Mae becomes obsessed with the white's only pool at Valta Place, which becomes Johnnie Mae's own personal glass ceiling. She cannot forget that the reason she, Clara and her friends decided to swim in the Potomac on that fateful day was due to their inability to swim at the white's only pool. Memories of Clara are weaved throughout Johnnie Mae's days as she attends school, goes trick or treating, delivers laundry for extra money and joins the swim team. Bubbling beneath the surface of the Bynum household is the palpable grief of Clara's parents and the burgeoning womanhood of Johnnie Mae. As Johnnie Mae struggles to survive her familys' tragedy she finds herself taking a personal stance against the segregated world she inhabits."
Sandra Calhoune, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of River Cross My Heart
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book? - thoughtful
Time/era of story - 1900-1920's
Political/social activism Yes
Plotlet: - minorities fighting for rights
Internal struggle/realization? Yes
Struggle over - actions leading to death of someone
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book

Main Character
Gender - Female
Age: - a kid
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events? Yes
Ethnicity/Nationality - Black
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Very much smarter than other characters
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - society

Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings? - 7 ()
United States Yes
The US: - Northeast
Water? Yes
Water: - drowning

Style
Person - mostly 3rd
Amount of dialog - significantly more descript than dialog
Most similar books to River Cross My Heart
The Doctor's Dilemma by George Bernard Shaw
Payment Deferred by C.S. Forester
Arc of Justice by Kevin Boyle
Michael's Journal, 1917-1925 by L.M. Young
The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann


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Breena Clarke Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:
  
Sandra Calhoune  

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