Clean Getaway by Nic Stone is a middle grade book that should be read by every single person you know. And you. It touches on father-son relationships, civil rights, biracial relationships (especially during the civil rights era), traveling as a black person during this period and the power of secrets. Make a clean getaway from all the holiday busyness and make time for this book. It is a freakin’ GEM!
William ‘Scoob’ Lamar (or scoob-a-doob as G’ma calls him) is in sixth grade and is in deep doodoo with his dad. Now, his dad’s pretty rigid and non-emo to begin with, but this is extra. Because of some recent antics at school, Scoob’s spring break plans get the 86. G’ma calls up to ask if he is interested in a field trip and anything beats sitting around, so he’s in.
G’ma pulls a fast one and shows up in a Winnebago with a true adventure in sight. Scoob and G’ma embark on a redemption trip to finish with G’ma and her husband, G’pop, couldn’t finish decades ago.
Sadly, a white woman and a black man in a relationship was frowned upon back in the day. Traveling as a black person was extra tricky. Combine the two and you have an uphill battle.
However, things get a little wonky because the story that Scoob’s dad has shared his whole life about G’pop is not entirely accurate. And G’ma isn’t exactly the saint Scoob painted her to be.
This story touches on the Traveler’s Green Book and Martin Luther King, Jr. It shares insight into the difficulties of a biracial relationship. And it really hits home the double-standard that if a white person does something, there’s an opportunity to share his/her side of the story. Whereas if you’re black, that opportunity doesn’t present itself as often. Or ever.
As a white person, this hurts to read. Because it’s true. And terrible. And embarrassing that we call ourselves the united states yet we’re all about division. But it’s important for me to read it. Just because I think it’s unfair and unjust and pure ignorance, doesn’t mean a lick.
We need to read these accounts. We need to learn history through someone else’s lens. We need to ask why before making accusations. I want my kiddos to read these stories and learn history the way it actually was (not the way it was written or glossed over in history books when I was growing up) so that we have a better chance of not repeating history. We’re in this together.
Soapbox done. 😉 These books speak to my soul and I have to share.
Another thing I love about Clean Getaway is the relationship Scoob and G’ma have. I didn’t have that kind of connection with my grandparents, so reading about these dynamics is so sweet to me. And Scoob makes some seriously funny observations. G’ma might be 4’11” and a bit long in the tooth, but she’s darn sharp!
This is my first book from Nic Stone and I cannot wait to read her others! What a genius!