With the Might of Angels: The Diary of Dawnie Rae Johnson, Hadley, Virginia, 1954 (Dear America)

Andrea Davis Pinkney

Sep 2011 · Sold by Scholastic Inc.

About this ebook

Coretta Scott King winner Andrea Davis Pinkney brings her talents to a brand-new Dear America diary about the Civil Rights Movement.In the fall of 1955, twelve-year-old Dawn Rae Johnson's life turns upside down. After the Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education, Dawnie learns she will be attending a previously all-white school. She's the only one of her friends to go to this new school and to leave the comfort of all that is familiar to face great uncertainty in the school year ahead. However, not everyone supports integration and much of the town is outraged at the decision. Dawnie must endure the harsh realities of racism firsthand, while continuing to work hard to get a good education and prove she deserves the opportunity. But the backlash against Dawnie's attendance of an all-white school is more than she's prepared for. When her father loses his job as a result, and her little brother is constantly bullied, Dawnie has to wonder if it's worth it. In time, Dawnie learns that the true meaning of justice comes from remaining faithful to the integrity within oneself.

Ratings and reviews

This book is an amazing capture of the harsh reality of growing up in a racist world. Dawnie Rae Johnson, a Negro, integrates a previously all white school, and goes on in life to become her dream-a doctor. Her best friend, Gertie Feldman, helps her along on this voyage of courage and determination.

I love the dear america series. The reason I love them is because it gives you a taste of what people went threw in the olden days

Absolutely beautiful, amazing book. I highly recommend, everyone should read this.

About the author

Andrea Davis Pinkney is the New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of nearly 50 books for young readers, among them The Red Pencil and A Poem for Peter, as well as several collaborations with her husband, Brian Pinkney, including Martin Rising: Requiem for a King, Sit-In, and Hand in Hand, which received the Coretta Scott King Book Award. Andrea Davis Pinkney lives in New York City. You can follow her on Twitter at @AndreaDavisPink, on Instagram at @Andreapinkney1, and on Facebook at @andreadavispinkey.