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Reviewed by Divine Zape for Readers' Favorite
Half-Truths by Carol Baldwin introduces Katie, a fifteen-year-old girl in 1950s Tabor City, North Carolina, whose aspirations for college and a career in journalism clash with the ingrained racial prejudices of her community and family. Witnessing racial injustice at her father's store and the terrifying arrival of the KKK fuels her ambition. Inspired by local editor Mr. Horace Carter, Katie bravely writes an opinion piece questioning the Klan, sparking disapproval from family and friends. She seeks a different future and moves to Charlotte to live with her estranged grandparents, hoping for college support. She faces her grandmother's expectations and forms a complex bond with Lillian, a Black maid. A shared family secret, revealed through old china and a hidden compartment, links their histories. Amidst Charlotte's racial tensions, Katie's friendship with Lillian propels her quest for truth and self-discovery in a divided world.
Carol Baldwin’s characters are vividly drawn, from Katie's earnest desire for a different future and her internal conflict between loyalty and conviction to her father's quiet decency, her grandfather's overt racism, and her grandmother’s demanding expectations. Lillian is a compelling, intelligent, ambitious character navigating the limitations placed upon her by race and class. The setting of 1950s North Carolina is cleverly portrayed, and readers will notice the stark contrast between rural life and urban sophistication, and the ever-present shadow of racial segregation and the Klan. The central conflict is multifaceted: Katie's struggle for independence and education, the conflict of racial inequality, the fight for civil rights, and the hidden family secrets that intertwine. The first-person narrative voice gives the story an intimate tone, connecting the reader emotionally with the narrator. The themes of truth, prejudice, identity, and the power of words are explored through Katie's experiences and nascent journalism. Half-Truths is unique and original, and the skillful plotting and deft characterization give the book literary merit.
