The year is 1973 and Daniel Musgrove's cantankerous dad has
been transferred again. This time, his parents are hauling
him and an older brother and a younger sister from Indiana
to the Deep South -- Mississippi. The family gets off to a
rocky start as they happen upon a fiery wreck on the
highway, only to discover it's their moving van filled with
all their possessions. Of course, dad was too cheap to take
out insurance for the move.
That's how life goes for young Daniel as he arrives in
Mississippi. He moves from one mini-saga to another
throughout the book. His only friend and sidekick, Tim
Cousins, shares many of these experiences from taking
homely twins Dianne and Debbie to the prom, getting caught
up in a hit-and-run accident and starring in a Baptist
musical named Christ! Daniel also befriends Arnita,
a beautiful black girl who's been crowned prom queen and is
the victim of the hit-and-run. Arnita suffers a head injury
and now thinks she's a white girl named Linda.
As I was reading this novel, I could almost hear the
narrator of The Christmas Story reciting this story
to the reader. The book has the same matter-of-fact,
descriptive tone to the writing that's very honest, funny,
nostalgic and comforting at the same time. Childress truly
has a gift for capturing the sights, smells and sounds of
the 70s in hilarious detail. ONE MISSISSIPPI is a fast-
paced blast from the past capturing high school
absurdities, family strife and general teenage angst in 70s
techno-color style. For any kid who grew up in the 70s,
this book is a fantastic, zany trip down memory lane.
When Daniel Musgrove's family moves to a small Mississippi
town at the beginning of his junior year, he faces all the
pain and thrills of adolescence, with extra helpings of
hormones and humiliation. But then he meets Tim, a fellow
outsider, and the two become fast friends. You only need
one best friend, Daniel reasons, to make it through high
school alive.
Together, they negotiate the triumphs and tribulations of
junior year: going to the prom in sky blue tuxes — it's
1973, after all — playing in an original Baptist musical
entitled "Christ!," and an unforgettable encounter with
their secret heroes, Sonny and Cher.
But when the first-ever black prom queen of Minor High
School is hit by a car and emerges from her coma believing
she's white, Daniel and Tim find themselves caught up in a
shocking chain of events that leads to a shattering climax.
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