Mr Touchdown
The revision
The narrative begins on a dusty day in Tennessee in 1965. That is the day Eddie Russel’s preacher father drops a bomb. Eddie and his sister Lakeesha will be part of a small group of black high school students to make up the local all-white high school. For soccer star Eddie, this is not good news. ‘You all want us to go to a white school, we’ll go,’ he said. But don’t expect us to be heroes. From that beginning, Eddie, Lakeesha, and their friends, Lethe Jefferson and Rochelle Perry, embark on a rollercoaster of racial slurs, glare, and just plain animosity. From the coach not wanting a black player, to the assumption that the students must be behind and need to make up work, to those they ignored, to the outright animosity and grudging approval, the four find themselves fighting a battle. uphill for acceptance. As Eddie runs laps to let the white kids take a shower after soccer practice, the teacher’s eyes darting to him without looking at them and panting, the first days of school aren’t easy. Cafeteria workers who were careful not to touch black hands, grudgingly respecting unsuspecting teachers and fellow students, being ignored, sitting outside one football game after another, always feeling fear and making decisions.
Mr. Touchdown offers the reader a glimpse into the turmoil faced by many students, black and white, during 1965 as they faced changes in their lives when the law required that the schools be eliminated. Jocks, straight students none of that matters, everybody knows that -they- are dirty, they cheat and they can’t compete with white students. Everyone knows that -they- are fanatics, they hate everyone who is not white and they have no compassion. Facing the anger and outright hatred of many faculty members, as well as fellow students, is something few of us can honestly say we have experienced. Integration forced blacks and whites to look within themselves and find the community of humanity… It was not always an easy fight. The writer Phillips has well portrayed the struggle of black and white alike as they come to understand themselves, the social mores of the time, and the change in society.
Written primarily in the third person, writer Phillips draws the reader into the story from the beginning and holds the reader’s interest as we follow the ups and downs of four young men facing more stress than most of us face in our lifetimes.
Mr. Touchdown is an outstanding read filled with resonant, illustrative language used to carve out a lively teenage world filled with unfair shop classes and gym teachers, band rattles, pep rallies, and pom-poms. Gusty dialogue, a fast-moving story, and downright astonishing twists and turns rooted in the revolutionary social change that were an integral part of our country during the 1960s are presented in a readable way that is sure to grab the attention of middle and high school readers. Writer Phillips has managed to balance the vivid portrayal of community background, intergenerational angst, personal struggle, teenage angst, and violence against the beginnings of understanding and acceptance by adults and fellow students. From outright anger to false acceptance and real understanding, the teachers are believably portrayed.
Racism, segregation, separation and never equality, are presented with stark words and in a stark manner. The writer has produced a work of fiction based on historical events. Eddie is a character that readers can relate to both for his struggles as a young black man and for simply being a teenager in an adult world.
Excellent choice for the classroom, leisure reading shelf, homeschool library, and middle and high school curriculum.
Enjoyed the read, happy to recommend.
Powerful, thought-provoking read… Recommended… 4 stars
Gender: Young Adult
Author: Lyda Phillips
http://lydaphillips.com
iUniverse Line/Publisher 2021 Pine Lake road STE 100, Lincoln, NE 68512 http://www.iuniverse.com
Available: Amazon, Barnes and Noble $13.95 Paperback, Hardcover, eBook
ISBN: 0595672884