The Rock and the River

The Rock and the River:

During the time of Martin Luther King Jr. protests, Sam wants to follow his famous father, Roland Childs, another leader in the peaceful protest world. But, whenever he sees a police officer beating a black person for nothing or other unfair racial treatment, he finds it hard to peacefully protest. When his brother, Stick, joins the Black Panthers, a group that takes action (non-violent and sometimes violent) to help victims of these crimes, Sam feels torn. His brother tells him, “You can’t be the rock and the river,” meaning that you can’t stay still like the rock and move ahead like the river. Will he ever understand what the Black Panthers is about?

I liked this book; it was really well written. I haven’t read something about the Martin Luther King Jr. speeches before. I think it’s a good first-hand look at what it was like during the 1960’s. It shows the two sides of wanting to get somewhere but not knowing how to get there. Although
I could tell the emotion in this book, it didn’t hit me as hard as it could have. But I still didn’t want to put down The Rock and the River, but it also took motivation to pick it back up.

My book comparison might be a bit strange. I think it is like Someone Named Eva because both books are about something that is not often written about. Plus, the main character each don’t know which path to take; for Sam, it’s peaceful or joining the Black Panthers, and for Milada it’s going along with what is happening or fighting back and trying to keep her identity.
I really liked it though. I wanted to urge Sam to do something.
I recommend this to young adults who like to read things about history or that like to read things about indecision and growing up.