Road to Awakening, by Nancy Weatherspoon, is a Story Set in the Hot Texas Summers of the 1950s and of One Young Girl's Coming of Age in a Time of Deep Racial Divisions

Road to Awakening, a semi-autobiographical novel by Nancy Weatherspoon, follows in the same tradition of the oft-censored book To Kill A Mockingbird that uses language as a means to expose racial injustice. What books should be taught in schools? Veteran Elementary School Teacher Addresses Controversy.

Deer Harbor, WA (PRWEB) February 15, 2005 -- What do To Kill a Mockingbird, the Harry Potter series and the dictionary all have in common? At some point, they have been banned by schools or libraries in the United States. Educators love to brag about how schools today teach kids critical thinking, but how do they expect to awaken students' critical faculties if they censor material that can spark stimulating discussion? Will reading about people who fought against injustice really have an adverse impact on our children?

Opponents of censorship, like veteran schoolteacher Nancy Weatherspoon, insist that the banning of books violates the academic freedom and diversity of thought protected by the U.S. Constitution. Road to Awakening (TurnKey Press, February 2005, ISBN: 0-9754803-7-5, $14.95), a semi-autobiographical novel by Weatherspoon, follows in the same tradition of oft-censored books like To Kill a Mockingbird and Huckleberry Finn that use language as a means to expose racial injustice. Set in the hot Texas summers of 1958 and 1959, the novel tells the story of one thirteen year old girls coming of age in a time of deep racial divisions.

Sally Jarman is spending her summer vacation with her grandparents when she discovers that her grandfather is a member of the KKK. As the heat rises, tempers flare in the small, segregated town of Mossville, Texas. Defying her grandfathers orders and determined to understand the hatred that has poisoned his heart, Sally befriends a young black girl, Zora Mae, and a group of intriguing drifters who live in a derelict train depot.

With their help, Sally decides to stand up to injustice and organize an interracial event that could change everything for the town. When her grandfather discovers her plans, violence ensues. Will Sally and her friends be able to bring peace and hope to the town, despite the bigotry of many of the towns white residents?

Road to Awakening is a moving and thought-provoking lesson in tolerance that accurately reflects the linguistic reality of the time.

To ban books such as To Kill A Mockingbird simply because they use the n" word in a historical context does a disservice not only to the authors who strive to expose an injustice, but also to the young readers who are denied the opportunity to better understand the ugly truth that hides behind the word," says Weatherspoon.

Now retired, Nancy Weatherspoon currently resides in Deer Harbor, Washington. She estimates that during her thirty-four year career, she taught more than 1700 students. Weatherspoon earned her B.A. at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her M.A. in Education at California State University at Chico. Visit www.roadtoawakening.com for more information.

To schedule an interview, or to request a review copy of Road to Awakening, please contact Nancy Weatherspoon at (360) 376-4523 or nancyweather@centurytel.net. http://roadtoawakening.com

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