MIDNIGHT WITHOUT A MOON by Linda Williams Jackson is a work of historical fiction exploring the lives of African Americans of the Jim Crow South.

Set in the summer of 1955, Rose Lee and her family experience life in Mississippi and the prospect of moving north. Weaving in real events about a famous trial with fictional stories set in an African American family, the story blends fact and fiction to immerse readers in the time period.

Librarians will find the connection with a real historical event adds interest to this middle grade novel. The sympathetic characters and historical backdrop make it perfect for classroom activities revolving around the Jim Crow era.

Published by HMH Books for Young Readers on January 3, 2017. ARC courtesy of the publisher.

I talk about the murder of Emmett Till with my students, but this novel will bring the impact of his death to life (no pun intended) in a way my words never could.

Rose Lee lives in Jim Crow era Mississippi. Abandoned with her brother by her mother who has remarried and started a new family, Rose struggles to find happiness. She longs for an education, but her strict grandmother insists on having Rose work the cotton fields. When 14 year old Emmett Till is murdered it seems like Rose’s world will change forever. A harrowing read I could not put down. There is a lot of pain but still hope in this story. Do yourself a favor and read it.

In MIDNIGHT WITHOUT A MOON, Linda William Jackson creates a character both inspiring and relatable. Rosa Lee Carter shows readers Mississippi in 1955 with humor and stern honesty. In one scene she tells us "that sun beat down on me like I owed it money from six years back." But only a few pages later, Rosa is shaken to her core by the death of a friend, and doesn't mince words while describing the screams and tears that she couldn't hold back, the violence that made her sick to her stomach. MIDNIGHT WITHOUT A MOON is a perfect elucidation of the early days of the civil rights movement, and will give readers a more complete understanding of the tragic death of Emmett Till and the society which would allow such a crime to not only occur but to go unpunished. As many reviewers have said this book is a better fit for older middle grade readers, if reading alone, or for younger middle grade readers with substantial adult support. Pairing MIDNIGHT WITHOUT A MOON with a book about the Great Migration would also be beneficial so that readers might see what sort of life Rosa Lee Carter imagines for herself in the North, against the reality. It was a privilege to read this book and a huge thanks to Netgalley and HMH for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my thoughts.

Great premise for a book, that teaches about ignorance, and a piece of American history that is so often remembered that it is often forgotten.

Jackson skillfully weaves two tales, one about the historical tragic moment in the civil right movement: the death of Emmett Till and then a fiction plotline with Rose Carter Lee struggling to find her own identity in the plantation in Stillwater, Mississippi that she lives in with her family under the Jim Crow's laws.

This book is so damn hard to describe. If I had to though, I would say that it's expansive, and also alters your perspective on the death of Emmett Till. Believe or not, my newly acquired habit of not reading the synopsis proved to kind of be a downfall to my enjoyment of this book(yes, it's my fault.) I understood that this was historical fiction, but because I didn't research further I was quite disoriented at what is happening in this story. And now I regret that, but the blame to place is honestly all mine.

Moving on, for a debut novel the writing was stunningly immersive. Honestly, I could not tear my eyes away from the story; in fact I read it all in one sitting. I could deeply connect with Rose, the main character who feels insecure and unworthy and wants to find herself and her freedom. In my opinion, the core of this story is what it means to be a black girl living in the Deep South during the 50s. But one may argue, as the synopsis says that it's about how a murder can shake up and change someone's lives. Whether or not I personally understood the author's intent, I still really enjoyed this based on my own interpretation.

So many emotions ran through my heart from horrifying to bold. This book is definitively worth picking up and reading, because there's nothing like trying to learn something new, something from a different experience. I can't wait for the sequel!

*This interview was enlightening from NPR. It's around 6 minutes long and the author eloquently talks about her motivations and explains the various character roles: http://www.npr.org/2017/01/01/5077601... *

**Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.*