At one point, I remember driving by the site of the disaster with my father and him telling me the story of a little girl who could only be identified because she had colored her toenails with a crayon. The explosion-which happened at 3:17 on March 18, 1937-was always a kind of shadowy event that I’d hear whispered about from time to time but rarely discussed openly. I grew up about 20 minutes from New London. What made you decide to write a story about the 1937 New London school explosion? The author Ashley Hope Pérez-who just so happens to be a proud Longhorn-was kind enough to share some insight into this multifaceted tale of love, loss, family and the ugly forces that drive people apart. Read on to learn more about the book-and how many of the themes touch on issues we face today in American society. Will they overcome the forces of hate and intolerance that loom over their town, their school-even their own homes? You’ll have to read the book to find out! Out of Darkness hits shelves Sept.
And when tragedy strikes, the young lovers struggle to find a shred of light amidst the shroud of darkness. Like a ticking time bomb, the tension builds as their love blossoms. Yet the heart wants what it wants and societal barriers are no match for young love. In a town where store signs mandate “No Negroes, Mexicans, or dogs,” Naomi Vargas and Wash Fuller know not to cross the deeply entrenched color lines. Amidst the backdrop of this catastrophic event, a Mexican-American girl falls in love with a Black boy in a segregated oil town. In March 1937 a gas leak caused a massive explosion that killed almost 300 children and teachers at a school in New London, Texas. This post originally appeared on my other book blog, Go check it out if you’re in the mood for some brain food!
0 kommentar(er)
