What a heartbreaking book! Exceptional characters, really well told. I appreciated the author's note at the end. A great title for a book group. So much to discuss! ( )

Siblings Lamb and Simeon live with their mother, Marion, in Jackson, Mississippi in the 1940s. Simeon dreams of attending Wilberforce University in Ohio, but Marion doesn't want to leave Jackson and isn't sure she wants her kids to leave, either. Lamb is often caught between her older brother and her mother, serving as quiet peacekeeper or simply absorbing their arguments. When the three of them visit a white eye doctor, his daughter Marny attempts to strike up a friendship with Lamb based on their common interest in Pearl S. Buck. Lamb knows a friendship between a Black girl and a white one is impossible, but Marny doesn't care, and this leads to tragedy.

Lamb, Simeon, Marion, and other characters (Marion's brother and the kids' uncle, Chime; Marion's husband and the kids' father, Chester) take turns narrating in first person.

Author's note on the history of lynching in the United States. Equal Justice Initiative: https://museumandmemorial.eji.org/museum

See also: Stella By Starlight by Sharon M. Draper (MG)

Quotes

"Just because people stay don't make them scared, Simeon. Just because people quiet don't make them cowards neither. Sometimes that makes them smart. Makes them want to live and take care of their families. Maybe live to see another day."
"But that ain't really no way to live, now is it?" (Lamb and Simeon, 26)

"You want to live long enough to get to that school up north, then you better learn how to live here in the South. You understand me?" (Momma to Simeon, 77)

"Why, anyone can say they liked a book, but few can tell you why." (Miss Thompson to Lamb, 113)

I smiled back with the same face we all had to have when we talked to white people. When we were saying one thing but thinking another. (Lamb, 116)

I spent so much time caring about what other people thought, I barely paid attention to what I thought. (Lamb, 120)

I hated that every time we talked about something form the past, I remembered it one way, Simeon another. His memory was like a nightmare to my daydream. (Lamb, 139)

But I was coming to find the ways I thought I knew her ain't what I thought at all. She's still good but she's got more of her own mind than I ever thought she did. And she's less afraid than I ever thought she could be. (Marion, 239) ( )

FULL REVIEW: https://readingbeyondthebookcover.com/book-reaction-for-lamb-by-lesa-cline-ranso...

Told in alternating viewpoints, For Lamb is a story that left me in deep reverence for all who have put themselves in mortal danger to protect and give their loved ones a chance at a more purposeful life. In this heart-wrenching story of family, friendship, and sacrifice, Cline-Ransome highlights the significance of black women, the stability of the black family structure, and the domino effect of forbidden relationships during the Jim Crow Era of U.S. History.

If you liked Mildred D. Taylor’s, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, then you are sure to enjoy Lesa Cline-Ransome’s, For Lamb. So I did.

4/5, I recommend this book. It would be a great addition to any classroom or children’s library. It’s informative and evokes emotions and further discussion around the treatment of African Americans through time.

Many thanks to Holiday House Books for Young People, Lesa Cline-Ransome, and NetGalley for an Advanced Review Copy in exchange for an honest review. My review/reaction is voluntary, all thoughts are mine and unbiased, and receiving the Advanced Review Copy does not influence my rating and/or recommendation. ( )