The Glory Field by Walter Dean Myers
Summary of the Plot
This captivating saga of one black family takes readers on a journey from slavery to modern times. The book features teenagers from five generations, each undergoing a crisis that leads them to maturity. The collection of stories is compelling. Together they present a dynamic portrait of the progress of black people in the United States. A riveting, important book for all Americans.
In 1753, ten-year-old Muhammad is chained in the hold of a slave ship. In 1864 thirteen-year-old Lizzie escapes from slavery. After the war the family receives the Glory Field as their own farm. In 1900, they struggle to pay their taxes, and fifteen-year-old Elijah earns the money by saving a blind white boy. In 1930, his sixteen-year old daughter, Luvenia, is fired from her job in Chicago but decides to start her own business.
Back in South Carolina in 1964, sixteen-year-old Tommy, who has a chance to become the first black to enroll in the local state college, loses the opportunity when he stages a demonstration for civil rights. In 1994, Luvenia gives money to Malcolm to attend the family reunion, but Malcolm has difficulty trying to travel with his crack-addicted cousin, Shep. In South Carolina, Malcolm helps bring in the last crop from the Glory Field and learns his family's history.
Character List
-Muhammad Bilal
-Elijah Lewis
-Lizzy
-Luvenia Lewis
-Thomas Lewis
-Malcolm Lewis
Summary/Analysis of the Characters
THE GLORY FIELD weaves together five stories to tell the tale of a strong family living on the land that their slave ancestors had worked and came to own. Each story has the power to keep readers involved, from Lizzie's exciting escape from slavery and Elijah's battle against a storm to Malcolm's trip from New York to South Carolina with his drug-addicted cousin.
The book introduces a wide range of characters and attitudes. While many incidents of white prejudice occur, Walter Dean Myers also presents whites who want justice for their black neighbors. Readers discover the fates of later generations of teenage characters as the stories progress. Tommy dies in Vietnam, and Luvenia becomes a wealthy businesswoman. The strong, capable Lewis family endures with Malcolm as its future.
General Theme and Symbol
The main themes of this book include overcoming prejudice and justice for all.
An important symbol is the actual field. The seeds are sown and the plants grow stronger with each generation.
Key Facts- The Glory Field spans the years from 1753 to1994. The novel is set in three primary locations: coastal South Carolina, Chicago, and New York City. One location—the South Carolina land that the Lewis family calls the Glory Field—is central to the novel. Family members first work this land as enslaved people on the Live Oaks Plantation.
Important Quote-
“ Those shackles didn't rob us of being black, son, they robbed us of being human."
Author Information-
Walter Dean Myers is the critically acclaimed New York Times bestselling author of more than eighty books for children and young adults, including Sunrise Over Fallujah, Fallen Angels, Monster, Somewhere in the Darkness, Slam!, Jazz, and Harlem. Mr. Myers has received two Newbery Honors, five Coretta Scott King Awards, and the inaugural recipient of the Coretta Scott King-Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement. In addition, he was the winner of the first Michael L. Printz Award and the 1994 recipient of the American Library Association’s Margaret A. Edwards Award honoring an author for a "significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature." He is considered one of the preeminent writers for children.
Citations
1) http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/collection/walter-dean-myers-author-study
2) http://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/glory-field
3) http://www.glencoe.com/sec/literature/litlibrary/pdf/glory_field.pdf
Cornelia Geraghty Page 2