Reviews for The Glory Field

The average rating for The Glory Field based on 2 reviews is 2.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2015-03-02 00:00:00 Michael Yerton In a brief 375 pages, Walter Dean Myers, in his novel "The Glory Field", covers roughly 250 years in the history of a black family, spanning multiple generations. Starting with the abduction of an 11-year-old boy named Muhammad Bilal off the coast of West Africa in 1753, the novel follows key events in the lives of the progeny of Muhammad, from slavery to the Civil War to Reconstruction to the Civil Rights Movement to present day (or 1994, which is when the book was published). A symbolic family totem that manifests itself throughout the book, Muhammad's iron shackles that the slave traders used to restrain the slaves on board the slave ships is used to represent the struggles that the family faced in the past, the metaphoric shackles that continue to keep them down in the present, and the sense of freedom and liberation that is constantly within grasp in the future. Also at the heart of the book is the titular Glory Field, the piece of land located on Curry Island, South Carolina that has been the home for the Lewis family. Even when most of the family members have gone off to find their own paths throughout the country, Glory Field is where the family members return to find fellowship, safety, and a sense of strength to help them continue on in the struggles of the rest of the world. Myers, a prolific author who has written over 50 best-selling books, most of them targeted to the young adult markets, has written a beautiful and powerful epic about the history of black people in the United States. Myers clearly understands that learning history comes not from dry textbooks of dates and names and important events but from being able to relate to the everyday people who have been impacted by history as it unfolds. This is why "The Glory Field" is such a powerful book. Myers is a master of the writing adage, "Show, don't tell". Rather than being told that life as a slave on a Southern plantation---regardless of how kind the plantation owners were---was completely dehumanizing, we are shown, through the eyes of runaways Joshua, Lem, and Lizzy Lewis in 1864, how cruel and inhumane the system was. We see it through the whippings and the torturous working in the fields in stiflingly hot weather. We see it in the renewed hope of the young men as they quickly join up with a Union regiment, while Lizzy goes to work as a regiment nurse. Rather than being told how racist and unfair Southern whites acted toward blacks---even as they truly believed they were good Christian people---we see, through the eyes of Elijah Lewis in 1900, how hypocritical whites were, after he saves the life of a young white boy during a hurricane. Rather than showing gratitude, members of the local Klu Klux Klan attempt to lynch him, because he accepted reward money that some whites in town felt he should not have received. He escapes, and moves to Chicago, embodying the Great Migration. Rather than being told how much the system--and the world---was dominated by white culture, we see, through the eyes of Luvenia Lewis in 1930, how unfairly slanted opportunities for education and jobs were toward whites and against blacks as she loses a much-needed job based not on her performance but because of a nasty joke played on her by a fellow white employee. We see the extra work and effort she must put forth just to attain a "normal" livelihood that white people are simply born into and take for granted. Rather than being told how awful segregation was, we see, through the eyes of Tommy Lewis, how a system that allows "coloreds-only" hospitals, bus seating, and diners can be so unjust that it goes against every ideal of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" upon which this country was supposedly founded. Rather than being told the legacy of racial self-loathing and the effects of over 200 years of oppression, we see, through the eyes of Malcolm Lewis, how his cousin, Shep, is wasting his potential through the slow suicide of crack addiction. "The Glory Field" is that rare find: a novel that brings history to life and gives us an honest, eye-opening look at what life was like for the people in different eras. Undoubtedly, this would make excellent supplementary reading for students of middle school or high school age who are studying American history.

Review # 2 was written on 2013-01-23 00:00:00 David Kurvach This is what some others call a never again book. It isn't the worst, but it definitely isn't good. As soon as you start getting wrapped up, and think your okay with reading this they change to another decade. Here's the chapters: July 1753, page three March 1864 page seven April 1900 page forty-one May 1930 page seventy-seven January 1964 page one hundred fifteen August 1994 page one hundred fifty-nine Two hundred, the end. That itself is completely disturbing. I have to read this for language arts, this is fucking language arts, not history. And don't get me started on trying to explain how I feel about the writing. He says the most worthless shit I have ever heard, the writing font size is probably the smallest I've ever seen. Trying to squeeze every fricking bit that he can onto a small page. Not working. I mean it was great in the beginning until he decided to go ahead another decade, and the adorable kid is dead, and we know NOTHING of how he died, because we are struggling to finish this, I have to constantly keep reading back and forth to see what the heck is going on. And then my mom says. "Go watch the movie, it's great! The story is magical!" First off: There is a MOVIE? I mean I like history, and all that it is but come on, fucking come on. I can barely even FINISH the BOOK. And secondly, you would have your daughter see the movie, instead of reading the story?! What kind of parenting is that, I could fail the test because of that! OH and I have to do an essay on why I loved the book, and what difficult choice I have made. I just want this book away from me forever, after this test, I am so done with reading books by Walter Dean Myers. Sorry! Just get it off of my shelf, it doesn't deserve to be there. Well, that is what I think of this book, seems like a lot of hatred, but that is not what was intended, I'm just very upset with this book, I had high expectations.