2001, New York: Scholastic, Inc.
ISBN: 0439272009
161 pages
Annotation: During the 1920s members of a town share their stories in how the Ku Klux Klan is making their lives unsafe.
Summary: Witness is a book that shares the story of eleven townspeople in a small town in Vermont in 1924. Each character shares what they see happening in the town as the Ku Klux Klan create havoc amongst whites, blacks and jews. A young black girl, Leonora Sutter begins the novel with her observation that the six year old jewish girl from New York doesn’t mind that Leonora is black. The town constable, the doctor, a farmer, shop owner, restaurant owner and the newspaper editor all express their stories and what they think about the Ku Klux Klan in their town. Some think that the KKK will help with the morals of the town and crack down on crime. The shop owner, Harvey Pettibone, feels that by associating with the Klan business will improve, contrary to his wife, Viola’s, beliefs on the matter. But, the Klan invites gun shots and death threats aimed at both Leonora’s and Esther’s father. The town soon realizes that nothing good can come from the Klan causing that Klan’s application to do business in the town is rejected.
Rank: 4.5 Stars-excellant writing which makes you live in the story.
Notes: Author of Out of the Dust, written in prose format
