This week I read Witness a novel by Newberry Award winner (for Out of the Dust) Karen Hesse. I acquired this book for $2.00 during a holiday flea market spree with my children. This author has written many acclaimed children’s books and Witness might be leveled as Young Adult, but the style and subject matter makes it interesting for older readers, also.
This is the story of the people in a small Vermont town in 1924. When the Ku Klux Klan moves in, no one is safe from their hatred — even the white protestants who find that “those who are not with us are against us.” No one is allowed to remain neutral. This tale of a town on the brink of disaster is told in blank verse, in the individual voices of its residents. Very intriguing writing technique and a very worthwhile read.
May I borrow it? Blank verse books intrigue me. I’ve read two or three and wish I could write one myself. pl