Reviews for Christmas in Canaan

The average rating for Christmas in Canaan based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2012-10-13 00:00:00 Brendan Repkoe Racial tension and a fight between school boys seems an unlikely start for a Christmas story, yet that is exactly how Christmas in Canaan begins. Rodney, a smart black boy, lives with his grandmother. DJ, a white boy, is the son of a farmer and struggles with school. After getting into a fight, both boys resent each other. They are horrified when DJ’s father and Rodney’s grandmother force them to live together for four days. They might have remained enemies if not for an injured dog. As they tend to the dog their grudging partnership grows into the bonds of a friendship that will last a lifetime. Their friendship carries them through the death of Rodney’s grandmother, hard times on the Burton farm, and a Christmas where they can’t afford gifts. It’s on that Christmas that Mr. Burton teaches them that, wherever friendship is, there will always be “some Christmas”. And, years later, when Christmas comes to Canaan, Rodney is ready to bring “some Christmas” to the friends that have become his family. This is a heartwarming tale of friendship. The story rambles along like a stream but is not without a few rapids. A great read for anytime of year, but especially good for the holiday season.

Review # 2 was written on 2017-05-26 00:00:00 Justin Hartzog Set in East Texas a half-century ago, two boys strike up an unexpected and unlikely friendship when the father of one of the boys decides it's time for his son to walk in the other boy's shoes (and vice versa with the other boy who lives with his grandmother) for a week. Their friendship survives from age ten thru their teen years at which time the stakes are raised and they become even closer friends as they weather hardships. Through the bulk of the book it seems to be a novel for Tweens or Teens, but near the end there is a time jump, following one boy into his early adult success as a playwright. The story still works for the younger reader, but it is a bit confusing. I listened to the audio edition which is performed and orchestrated very well. The book would serve as a great holiday season read-aloud if the audio version is not at hand. They boys straddle the racial tension of the locale and time in which it is set. I would like to see the story re-imagined, reversing the race of each boy which would result with the African-American family taking in the Caucasian boy.