Lay That Trumpet in Our Hands by Susan Carol McCarthy

Although this book doesn't hold a candle to a book like The Help, I think it has a different intended audience and it works well for young adults. I am always impressed when an author can take well known facts from history and build a fictitious story that incorporates them. The reader knows something that the characters don't know, but the reader is still intrigued. In this case, the death of Medgar Evers, the early career of Thurgood Marshall, and the budding civil rights movement are incorporated into an intriguing story. When you factor in that the story is set outside Orlando, then any self respecting Floridian (whether you are born here or moved here) should read this book. Although most events take place in Ocoee and surrounding areas, Marion County is mentioned by name at least twice in the story. Before I read this book, I thought about Memphis, TN, and Greensboro, NC, and Montgomery, AL as the major cities of the Civil Rights movement. Now I know how events in Florida in the early 1960's led to events in other cities later in that decade.
Stylistically, I appreciated how the author wove the character of Marvin into the story. The book begins with his death, then includes flashbacks of his influence on Reesa, the main character. I enjoyed reading about the Florida Orange Blossom Trail (Hwy 441), the saw grass and swamp, of oranges and tourists, of sinkholes and rattlesnakes, of the KKK and religious prejudice. Although the book has been compared to To Kill a Mockingbird, I don't think it is a fair comparison. TKAM is a far more complex plot and has much better defined characters. However, TKAM did not pretend to include historical facts and Trumpet does. (I don't think the sub-plot of Reesa's out-of-town friend, Valie, was that crucial to the plot). TKAM has much more more irony and humor; Trumpet is much simpler to process and would appeal more to young adults. All in all, it is a good book.