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Reviewed: Aug 13, 2009

Billy by Albert French
Penguin Books , February 1995
224 Pages, Paperback, $15.00
ISBN: 0140179089
Genre: Fiction

RAW Rating: 5.0 (out of 5)

BILLY, written by Albert French, is an American literary classic that explores the racial dynamics of the conviction and execution of a ten-year-old black boy in rural Mississippi. French brilliantly weaves two racially segregated communities together and examines the hatred that threatens to diminish the reliance these two communities have on one another. Bold characters brighten the pages, weaving a colorful tale that will leave readers mourning Billy Lee Turner's death for generations to come.
 
The novel opens introducing Cinder, Billy's mother who is also the title character in French's follow-up novel. We learn Cinder is beautiful, mysterious, and stubborn. Cinder's strength will be tested the day her son, while innocently playing in the pond of fifteen-year-old Lori, stabs the young girl after being repeatedly beaten by her. In a flash, Sherriff Tom begins knocking on the doors of every black home in Patch County, burning some of the homes and turning violent on anyone who doesn't provide the answers he demands.
 
This is a story that speaks to the unwavering love of a mother, the cruelty of racism, and what happens when the innocence of a child is exploited.

Reviewed by **Guest Reviewer, RAWSISTAZ.com
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Christina Lenear is a bibliophile who currently resides in the Harlem section of New York City. She is an academic librarian who organizes the Uptown Girls Harlem Book Club that meets monthly at various venues throughout Harlem.

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