Color Me Dark: the Diary of Nellie Lee Love, the Great Migration North (Hardcover)

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Nellie Lee Love is an 11-year-old African American girl living in the rural South at the end of World War I. In a year of tumultuous change, victory, and tragedy, she records her thoughts and feelings in a diary given her by her mother. After the white racism in their town becomes too brutally overt to ignore, Nellie and her family pack up and move to Chicago. Delighted with the seemingly endless opportunities in the big city, Nellie is blindsided by the more insidious forms of prejudice that northerners practice: hatred within their own race. But through family unity and integrity, and education by way of W.E.B. DuBois and Marcus Garvey's writings, Nellie and her family gradually discover a place for themselves in their new circumstances, and ultimately find hope and triumph.

Newbery Honor and Coretta Scott King Award winner Patricia McKissack writes the kind of historical fiction that will have history students and even reluctant readers and clamoring for more. The dignity and courage of the Love family provides a model for all families, regardless of ethnic or cultural background. The award-winning Dear America series is one of the most popular book series in America and includes another by McKissack, A Picture of Freedom: The Diary of Clotee, a Slave Girl. (Ages 9 to 12) --Emilie Coulter

From School Library Journal
Grade 4-6-Although 11-year-old Nellie Lee takes after her Mama's folks and "could pass," she proudly says "color me dark." Through the child's diary entries, McKissack explores the racism that existed in post World War I Tennessee, where a lighter skin was considered "better" than a darker one. In fact, a major story line involves Nellie Lee's sister, Erma Jean, as she learns to treasure her darker color. When Uncle Pace, returning from the war, is found badly injured, the family suspects the worst but can't prove it, and Erma Jean suffers hysterical muteness. His death propels Nellie Lee's father to join the Great Migration north to Chicago in search of a better life. The family discovers that although they do not face the Klan there, racism still exists, even within the black community. McKissack deftly explores the social unrest between blacks and whites and the social stratification within the black community, where newly arrived southern blacks were looked down upon by the more affluent residents. The time period is well developed, and serves as a compelling backdrop to the Love family's struggle to find a place. Nellie is a feisty and loyal protagonist, and although her voice sounds a bit mature for an 11-year-old, her observations carry the story line and interpret the action in a believable way. Secondary characters are distinct and add a richness to the telling.
Jennifer Ralston, Harford County Public Library, Belcamp, MD
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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