The Glory Field [Mass Market Paperback]

Walter Dean Myers (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1996

An exciting, eye-catching repackage of acclaimed author Walter Dean Myers' bestselling paperbacks, to coincide with the publication of SUNRISE OVER FALLUJA in hardcover.

"Those shackles didn't rob us of being black, son, they robbed us of being human."

This is the story of one family. A family whose history saw its first ancestor captured, shackled, and brought to this country from Africa. A family who can still see remnants of the shackles that held some of its members captive -- even today. It is a story of pride, determination, struggle, and love. And of the piece of the land that holds them together throughout it all.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Spanning nearly 250 years of African American history, this emotionally charged saga of the Lewis family traces an ongoing battle for freedom and equality. Beginning with young Muhammad Bilal's journey from Africa in 1753 and ending with a 1990s family reunion set on the plantation where Muhammad was a slave, this series of resonant stories shows how each generation comes of age by taking a stand against oppression. All through the Civil War, Great Depression and civil rights movement, the family's strength and determination continue unabated. In his typically taut, economic prose, Myers (Somewhere in the Darkness) illuminates shadowy corners of history and reveals the high cost-and the excruciatingly slow process-of justice. The obstacles facing the Lewis family will be remembered as clearly as their triumphs, and readers will come away from this novel with both a broader perspective on social conflicts and a more profound understanding of the past. Ages 10-up.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 7 Up-This moving, effective novel is a sort of Roots for young adults. It chronicles the African American experience through the lives and times of one family, beginning in 1753 with the capture of Muhammed Bilal in Sierra Leone. He survives his journey to America on a slave ship to become the founder of a family, whose history The Glory Field is all about. Readers then meet one of his descendants, Lizzy, a young slave who works on a plantation in 1864 on Curry Island, South Carolina. From slavery, escape, and the Civil War, they follow the fortunes of the family to the year 1900. Then, teenaged Elijah migrates North. Chicago of the 1930s is described through the experiences of Luvenia, 16; Curry of 1964 is seen through the eyes of Tommy, also 16. The last part of the story is set in the present and focuses on Malcolm and Shep, teenaged cousins who have come to Curry from New York City for a family reunion. The decades pass swiftly and are connected by characters who appear in one segment of the saga and reappear later as survivors from the past or as memories. Each part of the story ends on a hopeful note, yet each is unfinished. Readers are left to wonder what happened to various people; sometimes an answer is provided, but more often not. The vast array of characters play out their lives challenged and beset by problems of racism, poverty, and identity. The anchors in their lives are family and their love for one another and their land. A beautifully written, powerful book.
Carol Jones Collins, Montclair Kimberley Academy, NJ
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks (January 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0590458981
• ISBN-13: 978-0590458986
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (65 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #594,194 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Walter Dean Myers is a New York Times bestselling and critically acclaimed author who has garnered much respect and admiration for his fiction, nonfiction, and poetry for young people. Winner of the first Michael L. Printz Award, he is considered one of the preeminent writers for children. He lives in Jersey City, New Jersey, with his family.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars READ this book!, July 26, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Glory Field (Mass Market Paperback)

I am not, and never have been, much of a history buff. In fact, it was my least favorite subject throughout school. Therefore, I never expected to enjoy reading The Glory Field.... but I did! Incredibly, I have to say, it is by far one of THE BEST books I've ever read. I immediately found myself drawn into the lives of the characters; wondering which of them would make it, and which ones would not. I'd sit down to read "a few pages", and find myself still reading an hour later. Myers paints a vivid picture of the black slaves' life: their commitment to family, their never-ending belief in God, and their struggle for freedom...and survival. He takes the reader on the journey of a lifetime...from the trip over from Africa on the crowded slave ship, through the days of back-breaking labor in the fields, through the civil rights movement, to the glorious days of owning their own land. The reader finds himself unable to put the book down, connected to this family's journey, and struggling along with them for what's right. My advice: READ this book! Teachers, read it to your students. Moms & Dads, read it to your children. Read it for yourself. You'll be glad you did, and a little more grateful for what you have.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Simply not my type, February 27, 2000

By 

Malice - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Glory Field (Mass Market Paperback)

I very much enjoy books that deal with ethnicity and self-discovery. And I'm beginning to enjoy American history at least a little (world history has always held my attention; the United States only has 200 years to work with, see what I mean?).

I could find, however, nothing incredible or amazing about this book. It is typical. Some scenes are mediocre, some are less than mediocre, very few truly caught my interest. Myers' gift (which probably isn't nonexistent, since "Fallen Angels" is quite popular) manifests in the areas of this book that are broad and well-known. I could have written a book of this ilk. All I would have needed to know would be something about slavery, something about the Great Depression. And that's all.

"The Glory Field" seemed to lack detail, and another element which I can't quite put my finger on, but must have something to do with making the novel fall together, into one cohesive tale (with many strands woven into it, characterized by the many family members). Ahhhh...characterized, huh? Well, I could not relate to any of the characters in this book -- I was forced to stretch the truth at school, when on a daily quiz the teacher asked, "Which character could you most relate to?"

I answered Lizzy. I lied.

My history teacher, a very well-read woman who makes everything fall into place, makes everything interesting, once showed us a video on American slavery. It truly was painful to watch. It showed slaves, men and women, scarred, children with faces mature beyond their years. If "The Glory Field" had handled some of these grisly elements -- perhaps not physically, since this is, after all an 8th grade book (and people seem to think my kind are stupid, immature, and can't take reality as it comes), but mentally (Lizzy was there, Lizzy did this, but did Lizzy really think much running away, besides, "I am afraid. But I am elated because I will be free" or about Lem's death and her subsequet marriage to Lem's brother Richard, or about Miss Julia's pampering -- (while Lizzy was thinking about flouncing about Johnson City in white gowns I kept thinking about her being slapped by Miss Julia on one occasion) -- , etc, etc).

Mohammad Bilal's role, also, was not expanded upon. This was somewhat of a relief (I still remember the incredibly boring 6th grade book "Amos Fortune: Free Man"), but later, a disappointment. Where were the people, behind the cardboard cuttout images of American cliches?

The slips in years would have been more tolerable if they characters were realistic, more poignant if the characters were likable (forget realism, then, let's go for liking 'em, Mr. Myers!).

All in all, a passable book... It makes me think, 'Well, if this book got published, I can publish one of my own books, right?' Now, you tell me, is that good or bad? <g>

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thanks Mom!, June 25, 2004

By 

J. Harper "chevy_chevelle" (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Glory Field (Hardcover)

It was my mom that suggested I read this and boy oh boy I'm glad she did!

Myers goes from generation to generation talking about this one black family--all the way from when they got off the slave ship in the south to living in New York in 1994.

When I first picked up the giant book, I just knew it would be boring. But once I read the first chapter, I just knew it would be interesting.

There area a lot of powerful things in this book and the language is strong (but not in a provocative way) so, I advise only mature readers to read this.