by Karen Hesse
(Hesse, Karen. Witness. New York: Scholastic Apple Paperbacks, 2001.)
Witness by Karen Hesse, describes a town that kicks out the Ku Klux Klan after a number of mishaps with the townspeople. This book follows three children and eight adults that live in this town. Each is affected in their own way by the KKK. Ester, a six year old Jewish girl, and her friend, Leanora, an African American 12 year old feel the least safe in this town. This book is organized into five acts and can be performed. Each person in the act has a free verse that they speak. Each character has a specific way of talking which allows the characters to come alive. The reader is able to get the views of different characters in less pages because each character speaks as the story unfolds.
The author of this novel is Jewish but doesn’t include any Jewish traditions in the novel at all. While, two of the characters are Jewish, and are harassed by the KKK , the main theme is not centered on being Jewish. Positive Jewish content is limited in this book. Most references to Judaism occur in a negative or labeling way. This book tells a great story, its not a story to help the reader deepen their understanding of the Jewish faith.
(Hesse, Karen. Witness. New York: Scholastic Apple Paperbacks, 2001.)
Witness by Karen Hesse, describes a town that kicks out the Ku Klux Klan after a number of mishaps with the townspeople. This book follows three children and eight adults that live in this town. Each is affected in their own way by the KKK. Ester, a six year old Jewish girl, and her friend, Leanora, an African American 12 year old feel the least safe in this town. This book is organized into five acts and can be performed. Each person in the act has a free verse that they speak. Each character has a specific way of talking which allows the characters to come alive. The reader is able to get the views of different characters in less pages because each character speaks as the story unfolds.
The author of this novel is Jewish but doesn’t include any Jewish traditions in the novel at all. While, two of the characters are Jewish, and are harassed by the KKK , the main theme is not centered on being Jewish. Positive Jewish content is limited in this book. Most references to Judaism occur in a negative or labeling way. This book tells a great story, its not a story to help the reader deepen their understanding of the Jewish faith.
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