Fireflies in December by Jenifer Erin Valent

This book Fireflies in December was about an interracial friendship in the 1930’s.

Jessilyn Lassiter and Gemma have always been close but

when Gemma's parents die in a fire the girls have to be strong for each other. People from the

town do not agree with the Lassiter’s decision to take Gemma in as part as there family. Because of this the

Lassiter’s and Gemma become a victim of the KKK. Together

they must support one another, protect one another and learn

to stay strong in what they believe.

What is it about?

Why this book?I choose this book because I enjoy learning about civil rights movement. The fact that people were segregated because of there color is appalling to me. Reading books about this topic help me understand how people felt and the problems they faced. Reading this book has taught me how hard it was to be different from everyone else and stand up for what is right. In the end it pays off, I mean look at were we are today we are not judged by the color of our skin but by our character.

The south thought they needed to do something. The Southern legislatures, former confederates, passed laws known as the black codes, after the war, which severely limited the rights of blacks and segregated them from whites. When the U.S. entered WW II the south was a fully segregated society. Everything from schools, restaurants, hotels, train cars, waiting rooms, elevators, public bathrooms, colleges, hospitals, cemetery, swimming pools, drinking fountains, prisons, and even churches were for whites or blacks but never for both. The kkk were anti-black and tried to kill the blacks and get laws passed to prevent blacks from doing things and socializing with the whites.

Facts about Segregation