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Title details for The Lucky Ones by Linda Williams Jackson - Available

The Lucky Ones

by Linda Williams Jackson
Reginald James
Audiobook
2 of 2 copies available
Borrow Listen to a sample Listen to a sample
2 of 2 copies available
Award-winning author Linda Williams Jackson pulls from her own childhood in the Mississippi Delta to tell the story of Ellis Earl, who dreams of a real house, food enough for the whole family—and to be someone.
It’s 1967, and eleven-year-old Ellis Earl Brown has big dreams. He’s going to grow up to be a teacher or a lawyer—or maybe both—and live in a big brick house in town. There’ll always be enough food in the icebox, and his mama won’t have to run herself ragged looking for work as a maid in order to support Ellis Earl and his eight siblings and niece, Vera. So Ellis Earl applies himself at school, soaking up the lessons that Mr. Foster teaches his class—particularly those about famous colored people like Mr. Thurgood Marshall and Miss Marian Wright—and borrowing books from his teacher’s bookshelf. When Mr. Foster presents him with a copy of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Ellis Earl is amazed to encounter a family that’s even worse off than his own—and is delighted by the Buckets’ very happy ending. But when Mama tells Ellis Earl that he might need to quit school to help support the family, he wonders if happy endings are only possible in storybooks. Around the historical touchstone of Robert Kennedy’s southern “poverty tour,” Linda Williams Jackson pulls from her own childhood in the Mississippi Delta to tell a detail-rich and poignant story with memorable characters, sure to resonate with listeners who have ever felt constricted by their circumstances.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    April 12, 2022

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780593632260
      • File size: 162159 KB
      • Duration: 05:37:49

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      April 25, 2022
      Ellis Earl Brown, a Black 11-year-old living in 1960s Wilsonville, Miss., dreams of becoming a teacher or a lawyer, “or I can be both at the same time.” Though his house has a leaking, rusty tin roof, and his overworked mother spreads herself thin caring for his siblings and various extended family members, they make do with what they have and live a life filled with love. When confronted with the possibility that he might be pulled out of school to help make ends meet, though, Ellis Earl worries that his aspirations are forfeit. Then a kind teacher, Mr. Foster, lends him a copy of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Ellis Earl finds comfort in the pages, seeing himself in Charlie’s situation and looking toward a better tomorrow. Ellis Earl, Mr. Foster, the Brown brood, and their predominantly Black community are astutely characterized, imbued with eclectic and lovable personalities. Jackson (A Sky Full of Stars) delivers a touching novel that resonates today, centering the crucial impact of community on one family’s financial precarity. Ages 8–12. Agent: Elizabeth Bewley, Sterling Lord Literistic.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      The mixture of politics, friendship and the media causes a struggle among four women whose desire for power gets in the way of their friendship. The excitement of the novel is fueled by a presidential election and a hostage crisis, but Kathleen O'Malley fails to deliver excitement. The first half of the book is reported like a history lesson. Whether she's reading dialogue or the chronological events of the novel, her disinterest in the material carries over to the ear. The bonus is the preview of an Olivia Goldsmith novel read by Frances Cassidy, who makes you wish she had read the previous story. Her lyrical reading brings you inside the action; O'Malley's leaves you outside. J.P. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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