Witness [Hardcover]

Karen Hesse (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

The year is 1924, and a small town in Vermont is falling under the influence of the Ku Klux Klan. Two girls, Leanora Sutter and Esther Hirch, one black and the other Jewish, are among those who are no longer welcome. As the potential for violence increases, heroes and villains are revealed, and everyone in town is affected. With breathtaking verse, Karen Hesse tells her story in the voices of several characters. Through this chorus of voices, the true spirit of the town emerges. WITNESS is a story of poverty and prejudice but, ultimately, of hope and redemption.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

It is 1924, and a small Vermont town finds itself under siege--by the Ku Klux Klan. Using free verse, Newbery Medal-winning author Karen Hesse (Out of the Dust) allows 11 unique and memorable voices to relate the story of the Klan's steady infiltration into the conscience of a small, Prohibition-era community. The Klan's "all-American" philosophy is at first embraced by several of the town's influential men, including Constable Parcelle Johnson and retailer Harvey Pettibone. But Harvey's sensible wife, Viola, and independent restaurant owner Iris Weaver suspect from the beginning that the Klan's arrival heralds trouble. As the only African Americans in town, 12-year old Leonora Sutter and her father try to escape Klan scrutiny, while 6-year-old, city-born Esther Hirsch remains blissfully unaware of the Klan's prejudice against Jews as she enjoys the Vermont countryside. And Sara Chickering, the lady farmer who has opened her home to Esther and her father, is torn between her own hidden biases and her growing love for Esther.

All, however, are galvanized towards action when a shadowy figure shoots at Esther and her father right through Sara's front door. Who would commit such an evil act? And is it too late to remove the poison that has insidiously leaked into their once tight-knit community? Part mystery, part social commentary, Hesse's historically accurate chronicle is a riveting catalyst for discussion that thoughtfully explores race and identity from every possible point of view. The free verse format and distinct characterizations also make Witness a perfect choice for library or classroom reader's theater productions. (Ages 12 and older) --Jennifer Hubert

From Publishers Weekly

The author of Out of the Dust again turns language into music in her second quietly moving novel written entirely in verse. Here, 11 narrative voices chronicle actual events occurring in a sleepy Vermont town after the arrival of the Ku Klux Klan in 1924. Those victimized by the Klan include the families of Leanora Sutter, a 12-year-old African-American girl, and Esther Hirsh, the six-year-old daughter of a Jewish shoe salesman. Rounding out the portrait of the town are community leaders (an enlightened physician, a newspaper editor who moves from neutral to anti-Klan) as well as less prominent folk shopkeepers, a Protestant minister who are swayed into joining the white supremacist group. Their chorus of hatred rings loudly at first, but is tempered by their dawning realization of the severity of the Klan's punishment to their targets as well as the more rational, compassionate strains of the Klan's opponents. Hesse offers glimpses of the world at large through references to Prohibition, the Leopold and Loeb case and a letter Leanora pens to Helen Keller. The author distinguishes the characters (whose pictures appear in the front of the book) not only by their varying opinions but also by their tone of speech. The simpler, candid language of the two youngest cast members, Leanora and Esther, effectively crystallizes their gradual loss of innocence. Easily read in one sitting, this lyrical novel powerfully records waves of change and offers insightful glimpses into the hearts of victims, their friends and their enemies. Ages 9-12.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 161 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Press; 1st edition (September 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439271991
• ISBN-13: 978-0439271998
• Product Dimensions: 0.8 x 5 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (104 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #580,814 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Witness" by Karen Hesse, November 29, 2001

By 

"seagrave4" (San Rafael, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Witness (Hardcover)

Eleven "ordinary sensible hardheaded" Vermonters give eyewitness accounts of Ku Klux Klan activities in this edgy but affirming work by Newbery Award-winner Karen Hesse. The five-act novel opens in small-town northeast America in the time of Prohibition, Calvin Coolidge, and Clarence Darrow. The Klan arrives almost imperceptibly at first, when the town merely seems receptive to bigotry, but the nightriders quickly progress to threats and assaults. Leanora, a black 12-year-old, and Esther, a 6-year-old Jew, bear the brunt of hate, but the racism deeply affects the families, marriages, businesses, and romances of the white Protestant locals as well. A resident of Vermont, Hesse knows her territory: the Klan had thousands of supporters in this isolated rural state in the 1920s until its demise there in 1930. As historical fiction, "Witness" is a vital multicultural alternative to "To Kill a Mockingbird" for freshman discussions of racism in America. As drama, "Witness" can be adapted easily into a reader's theatre production. As poetry, it takes its cue from the village of multidimensional characters in Edgar Lee Masters's "Spoon River Anthology," written only ten years before the time of "Witness." While some conservative parents may object to the book's portrayal of Johnny Reeves, the KKK preacher, the real controversy will surface when students analyze how, in "Witness," racism also destroys the racists. This is a suspenseful, poignant read with very real characters and a high moral ground that should find a place on every teen's required reading list.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautifully written book., August 13, 2001

By 

Rebecca Herman (USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Witness (Hardcover)

In this book, Karen Hesse returns to the spare, poetic style of her beautifully written Out of the Dust. This book, set in a small Vermont town in 1924, is told from the point of view of eleven of its residents, including two memorable children, twelve-year-old Leonara Sutter, who is black, and six-year-old Esther Hirsh, who is Jewish. It is a time when hatred and persecution are commonplace all over the country, even in the idyllic New England countryside. Leonara and Esther have commited no crime but to be born different from their white Protestant neighbors, but in the eyes of the Ku Klax Klan, that is enough of a reason to target the Sutters and the Hirshes, and those that would befriend and defend them. This memorable, poetic, and powerful novel explores the nature of hatred, the horror of violence, the value of acceptance, and the beauty of life, all in just 161 short pages. I can't reccomend this book highly enough.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Karen Hesse's "Witness.", November 21, 2001

By 

James Findley (Richmond, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Witness (Hardcover)

Karen Hesse has outdone herself in writing this somber yet captivating story of a small Vermont town being invaded in 1924 by the Ku Klux Klan. The tale unfolds in the form of verse, which in turn is fashioned out of the memories and reflections of eleven different people who witnessed this ordeal. Twelve-year-old Leanora, an African-American girl, and six-year-old Esther, a Jewish girl sent to live in the country, are the main characters of the story. They watch as the Klan is taking root in this otherwise very white and Protestant New England town. Through the story, the reader is introduced to Sara Chickering, a Protestant farmer who takes young Esther into her home as a sort of foster mother, and who subsequently is disgusted and somewhat bewildered at the rise of this organization of hate. We learn of 18 year-old Merlin Van Tornhout, who definitely believes in his ethnic superiority and is intrigued with the Klan. But how far will he go? Then there is Jonny Reeves, a clergyman intoxicated with the idea that the KKK is the savior of the Protestant faith and the white race. It may surprise you what this man of God has to say.

Meanwhile Harvey Pettibone is being drawn into the flock of the organization, while his wife, Viola, has her doubts of the KKK's morality. Percelle Johnson, the towns constable, knows that the Klan is behind the threatening notes and dastardly deeds committed in town. He also knows, however, that he must walk a fine line between upholding justice and angering the Klan. Finally, Iris Weaver, a restaurant owner and rum runner, Fitzgerald Flitt, a doctor, and Reynard Alexander, the town's newspaper editor, all reflect on and voice their disapproval of the rise of the Klan. Nevertheless, they seem to fear speaking out too loudly. How long can they hold their respective tongues?

Written in a brief narrative style, this historical fiction offers a glimpse into the rise in popularity the Ku Klux Klan enjoyed in the 1920s. The reader is introduced to an important aspect of American history through the thoughts and feelings of these eleven seemingly everyday people. With what appears to be a simple retelling of an intriguing story, the reader is introduced to a small town on the precipice of social chaos brought on by a foreign ideal of intolerance. In so doing, readers are able to bear witness for themselves what at least one aspect of small town life was like in post World War I America.