Kekla Magoon on THE ROCK AND THE RIVER (Part 1)

Kekla Magoon's first book, THE ROCK AND THE RIVER, is a beautifully written tale of a boy's struggle to find his place in the civil rights movement. It has received a starred review from Booklist and the School Library Journal called it, "an important book about a historical reality that has not been dealt with in juvenile literature."

Kekla joins me today to talk about the book's themes, and tomorrow to talk about the publishing process.

Tracy Marchini: Why did you pick 1968 Chicago to set Sam's story? What about that period and place struck you as important?

Kekla Magoon: I've always been intrigued by the civil rights movement, and the 1960's in general. The year 1968 was a particular turning point, between the non-violent movement and the black power movement, which was a major theme I wanted to include in the story. As a writer, I love exploring moments in time when ordinary people had to make tough decisions in order to stand up for what they believed in. The complexity, pain and uncertainty of the time pushed folks to take action -- but not all in the same way. I try to imagine the struggles that went on in people's minds as they had to choose where they would fit within the movement. In fiction about the civil rights era, there's been very little attention paid to the rise of black militancy, even though a lot of people embraced or empathized with that vision at the time. I wanted to try something that hadn't been done, and I know I would have loved reading a story about these issues as a teen.

Choosing to set the story in 1968 was easy for those reasons, but the Chicago locale came later. My earliest notes for The Rock and the River were short scenes between the main characters, Sam and Stick. The brother relationship was there from the beginning, but they didn't have a place in the world yet. The concrete details of the setting -- like which city they were in -- developed as the story began to take shape. I knew they were in an urban setting, and that their father had worked with Dr. King, but that left a lot of options. I narrowed it down over time in response to the needs of the story: a northern city that Dr. King had visited, had a chapter of the Black Panther Party, had riots in the wake of King's assassination, etc. It helped that I was marginally familiar with Chicago, since I grew up in the Midwest.

Tracy: It feels like Dr. King is always a presence in the novel, even if he's not a physical presence in the scene. Did you worry about portraying Dr. King in a fictionalized setting, given how many people today remember their interactions with him during the movement? Did you have an opportunity to speak with any of Dr. King's former colleagues or any Black Panthers while you were writing?

Kekla:Thank you. I did make an effort to keep Dr. King -- and all that he symbolizes -- present in the story. Sam was raised in the movement, looking up to Dr. King, so that's how he sees the world. I think this also parallels the experience that most of my young readers will bring to the book, as much of what they're taught about the civil rights movement surrounds Dr. King.


Dr. King never actually appears as an "actor" in the story, though. I felt uncomfortable fictionalizing actions and speech for a real historical person, particularly one who's so beloved. For the most part, I refer to him in the context of real historical events, such as the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, and his visit to Chicago a year in advance of his death. I do refer to a fictional visit he made to Sam's home, but there certainly were instances when Dr. King ate in the home of a colleague.

One of the most fascinating aspects of working on this book has been the stories I hear from people who remember 1968 and can speak about their own experiences. These weren't formal interviews, nor were they with anyone who might be considered a big name from the movement. I spoke to people (white and black) who'd attended Black Panther meetings, been arrested for civil disobedience, marched for civil rights, registered voters in the South, traveled to the March on Washington, and some who did none of that but watched it all unfold. I've been surprised by how readily people launch into their stories -- all I have to do is mention the topic, and folks light up, eager to tell me where they were and what they were doing. Sparking this dialogue is what most excites me about having the book out in the world; I hope it continues to invite people to share memories with one another.

Tracy: In talking to people, did you find that the women's experience with the movement varied from the men's? I noticed you touched briefly on the perceived roles of women and men when Maxie was told to stay behind, while Sam and Raheem went to go get Bucky. You wrote:

"I'm coming too," Maxie said.
Raheem pointed to the desk. "Someone has to stay and make the calls."
Maxie shot him a look. "And I guess that's the girl's job."
"You got it, little sister," Raheem said, chucking her under the chin.

Kekla:Yes, I think the women's experience was different. It's not the first thing that comes out in talking to people, though, and I think that's because the women I've spoken to all felt extremely linked to the movement and recognized the value of their contribution. But I do think women were marginalized. (It happened, after all, before the mainstream women's movement really took off.)

In reality, women stood right alongside men as footsoldiers for the cause of civil rights; they did everything from making speeches to leading demonstrations to stuffing envelopes. Still, they tend not to be regarded as leaders, even in the way we teach about the movement today. (Of the well-known civil rights leaders that come to mind, almost all are men!) Of course, many women were leaders, but often in behind-the-scenes ways. We hear much less about Coretta Scott King than her husband, but I find it hard to believe that she did less for the movement.

My observation is that women are more explicitly credited with leadership in the Black Panther Party (names that come to mind: Kathleen Cleaver, Angela Davis, Elaine Brown), and those women have written about the experience, so it has been preserved and passed on. This is not to say that their experience was the same as the men's. They dealt with gender politics within the ranks, as well.

If I were to write in this time period again -- which I might -- I would do it from the perspective of a girl, so I could delve into these issues a little more.

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Stay tuned to hear more about Kekla Magoon's The Rock and The River!