The Friendship

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The Friendship
First edition
AuthorMildred D. Taylor
IllustratorMax Ginsburg
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
GenreAfrican-American Literature
PublisherDial (hardback), Puffin (paperback)
Publication date
1987-09-30
Media typePrint (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages56 pp
Awards1988 Coretta Scott King Author Award
ISBN0-8037-0417-8
OCLC14965647
LC ClassPZ7.T21723 Fr 1987

The Friendship is a children's novella by Mildred Taylor. Published in 1987, it is set in 1933 in Mississippi and deals with the unfair treatment of African Americans.

Summary[edit]

Mr. Tom Bee, an elderly black man, twice saved the life of a white storekeeper when he was a boy. The boy, John Wallace, was grateful and even allowed Mr. Bee to always call him by his first name. However, years later, Mr. Wallace does not allow Mr. Bee to call him John, while he and even his son call him Tom, which he can do nothing about. Their friendship is ultimately put to the test, which four black children witness. Later Mr. Tom Bee is shot by John Wallace. Mr. Tom Bee crawls away, cursing John Wallace and refusing to give up calling him John.

Reception[edit]

In giving The Friendship, a kirkus star, Kirkus Reviews wrote "From its quiet beginning, the tension grows relentlessly in this brief, carefully designed story." and "Ginsburg's black-and-white drawings are outstanding, his solid figures masterfully staged to convey the taut drama."[1] It is also the subject of study at school.[2][3][4][5]

Awards[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "The Friendship". www.kirkusreviews.com. Kirkus Media LLC. 15 August 1987. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  2. ^ "Language Arts Guide" (PDF). www.fpsct.org. Farmington Public Schools. January 2004. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  3. ^ Jean Sutherland. "Examining the African American Family through the Eyes of Women Authors". www.yale.edu. Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  4. ^ Courtney Wai. "CHAPS Lesson Plan: Place-based Curriculum 7th Grade English Language Arts" (PDF). www.utpa.edu. The University of Texas-Pan American. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  5. ^ Robert W. Smith (2011). Erica N. Russikoff (ed.). Spotlight on America: African Americans, Grades 5-8. Teacher Created Resources. pp. 44, 60–62. ISBN 978-142-063395-5. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  6. ^ "Past Boston Globe–Horn Book Award Winners". www.hbook.com. The Horn Book. 30 May 2011. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  7. ^ List of Coretta Scott King Award winners, American Library Association, retrieved 2008-03-20