about the book
Two teenagers—Naomi, who is Mexican, and Wash, who is black—live in the racially divided town of New London, Texas. As the two struggle with ethnic tension, they grow closer, quickly blossoming into a couple. But soon, they are targeted by racist classmates, and a rising cloud of darkness threatens to destroy their happiness.
The forbidden love, the racial tension, the cloud—then, ultimate chaos.
On Thursday, March 19, 1937, Wash turns garden soil at the superintendent’s house which overlooks the school. As he works, he looks forward to seeing Naomi upon dismissal. He imagines kissing her hand and her waist—but suddenly a loud explosion interrupts his thoughts. Rushing to the school, he sees it crumble. Desperate, he runs into the school only to find an all too familiar black, red-buttoned shoe.
This novel is loosely based on a historical school explosion in New London, Texas, 1937.
about the author
Ashley Pérez, once nicknamed “Cookie Girl”, avoided being labeled “The Loud Librarian” by not choosing to earn a library science degree to feed her desire to be surrounded by books. She loves reading, but she also loves talking. Instead, she did other cool and nerdy things.
She fell in love with teaching during her experiences teaching bilingual kindergarten, Montessori 6-9, high school English, and university literature. While teaching high school in Houston, she was thrilled to see the change in her students—beginning the year thinking they hated reading and writing, and ending the year loving it. This experience, she says, is what made her into an author.
After her first teaching experiences, she earned a Ph.D. in comparative literature at Indiana University and now teaches world literature at Ohio State University. She also researches Latin American literature, Latina/o literature, and narrative ethics.
While most of Ashley’s time is spent reading, writing, or teaching; she also loves spending time with her two sons, running, eating locally, baking, watching movies, and playing Scrabble. Her husband, Arnulfo, also teaches at OSU.
Source:
Author website
Also by Ashley Pérez:
The Knife and the Butterfly. Carolrhoda. 2012.
What Can’t Wait. Carolrhoda. 2011.
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