New Boy by Julian Houston

New Boy by Julian Houston

282 pages

This was an amazing historical fiction novel about a 15-year-old boy who is the first African American accepted into an exclusive boarding school. His attention is divided by doing well in school and his friends back home who are fighting segregation by planning a sit-in at the lunch counter at Woolworth's.

When I finished, it was straight to the computer to find more facts about the struggle.

(from jacket cover)

Fifteen-year-old Rob Garrett wants nothing more than to escape the segregated south and prove himself. But in late-1950's Virginia, opportunity doesn't come easily to an African American. So Rob's parents take the unusual step of enrolling their son in a Connecticut boarding school, where he will have the best education available. He will also be the first student of color in the school's history. No matter-Rob Garrett is on his way.

But times are changing. While Rob is experiencing the privilege and isolation of private school, a movement is rising back home. Men and women are organizing, demanding an end to segregation, and in Rob's hometown, his friends are on the verge of taking action. There is even talk about sitting in at a lunch counter that refuses to serve black people. How can Rob hope to make a difference when he's a world away?

This picture was taken in 1960 in Greensboro, South Carolina, one of the many sit-ins where African American politely sat, waiting to be served at the Woolworth's lunch counter. To read more of the history, go  here