Lay that Trumpet in Our Hands: A Novel

I must say, it is seldom that I find a book so well written. I never thought I would find a book about my tiny cracker town! I lived in the city for 30 years and it is very realistic.The book itself was a wonderful story about light over coming darkness. In many ways, I almost felt like I was reading something akin to that movie we all love, "It's a Wonderful Life" meets "To Kill A Mockingbird". When evil strikes this tiny town, people of courage band together to fight it and good over comes evil.Reesa's family settles from the North into a quiet, sleepy Orange Grove community. It is only when a good family friend, mistaken for being someone else is murdered as a racist act. Grief stricken, the family determines a clever way to circumvent the evil law enforcement officials who don't bother investigating and beat the Klan at their own game.This book is full of Florida History. As a Floridian, I find that most of the history written is either on the Native American's or more present day. Seldom does anyone take on the more hidden stories. Whereas, Rosewood takes on the acts of the Klan just 2 hours North of Central Florida, it was much a more sterile account since most of the survivors were gone.The characters were well drawn and believable. Cudos to Ms. McCarthy, she is a master story teller. I also admire her for telling the story. I particularly enjoyed how she ended her story, something that is a challenge for many writers. Rarely do I find a story that puts a lump in my throat.I wish the ending were more true to reality; that everyone in this town had changed for the better, that a next generation would rise let go of their need for supremacy and embrace the brotherhood of mankind. Yes, things are a bit better, unfortunately, most of the people, who ran this town more than 50 years ago now have passed the torch to their offspring and amazingly some are even still in power! Now they cloak their animosity more effectively but the hatred and fear is still present. So, I pray that the Lord will Lay the Trumpets in Our Hands and that the True Light will soon overcome the darkness.

This novel by a central Floridian is written in the style of Scout in To Kill A Mockingbird. It is a story told by a young white girl, Reesa, who is growing up in the late 40's and early 50's in a small town outside Orlando (itself a small town at the time). The KKK is very active in Florida (perhaps the most racist state at the time). A young friend, Marvin, is brutally murdered by the Klan which has an enduring effect on Reesa who is looking for understanding and justice. The story revolves around historical events and individuals. There is the brutal Lake County Sheriff, Willis McCall, who stayed in office until the mid 70's in spite of murdering two shackled and handcuffed prisoners. There is Thurgood Marshall who was head of the NAACP (later a Supreme Court Justice), J. Edgar Hoover, Governor Fuller Warren, Harry and Harriett Moore (Harry was the first civil rights leader assassinated when on Christmas eve and his wedding anniversary he and his family were dynamited), etc. The book is good but not great. The ending was somewhat disappointing. If intesested about these events and times, I would recommend The Devil in the Grove.

This is way out of the norm from what I usually read - thrillers and other "action" books. But a friend who grew up in the area where the book takes place mentioned it, so I purchased it out of curiosity and started reading it out of friendship. SO glad I did, because this is one of the best books I've ever read. It starts out somewhat slow, but I'm very glad I stuck with it. The author is a master storyteller - I could actually feel the atmosphere depicted in the book and had a great sense of the places she writes about. It also made me ashamed to be a Floridian, not knowing that severe racial injustice was the norm not that long ago.

This is an exceptional book, not only for the writing, but also for the story and its nearness to the truth. Like “To Kill a Mockingbird,” it captures the time, the tension, and the testimonies of the people who lived and died during this wretched time in our country. As Susan says, we all have our stories. I lived in Chattanooga and waited in fear as my husband rode the fire trucks during riots as a member of the Tennessee Air National Guard. Enjoy this as fiction, but remember it as history.

This is an excellent novel which I greatly enjoyed. It describes, from the viewpoint of a young girl, the experiences of a family in the fight against racism in Florida in the 1950s. The most striking aspect of this is the description of living in a society whose basic assumptions are different to one's own. Most of us have experienced people making off-color/racist/sexist comments in our presence (although nowhere near as overt nor as excessive as those expressed by some of the characters in the book). It is interesting to see how this family copes and compare their reaction with one's own and imagine how one would cope in the same situation.The book is well written and is easy to read. The characters are well defined and the story beautifully paced.I would recommend this book to teenage as well as adult readers.

The story was very well written. The people were so believable. The time it took place was far to real. It worked well together and I really didn't want it to end.

I put this book in the category of one of the best books I have ever read. It is fiction, but I heard the author speak at a conference and discovered that it is based on a pretty true story in Susan Carol's childhood. Racial conflict, terrible sadness, in Florida during the 1950's. Susan Carol shared with the audience that some of the most horrific racial incidents occurred in Florida which was a surprise to me. I came away from this book realizing that there are many heroes in this world -- certainly her father and her grandmother stand in that category. I will be sharing this story with my grandchildren. I think it is important we remember these times -- and share them with our children.