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| Plot Summary of River Cross My Heart |
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"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
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| Review Analysis of River Cross My Heart |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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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
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Click here for more information about this book
Breena Clarke Resident Scholar Profiles
TOP SCHOLAR:
 Sandra Calhoune
SCHOLARS:
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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