Jericho Walls

Book excerpt: Set in 1957, Jericho Walls is an unforgettable and inspiring novel about the power of friendship for a young girl growing up amid racism. "I woke early that first Sunday in Jericho. The sun was barely a stain in the sky, but the air was hot and clammy. My nightgown stuck to my skin. I padded to the bathroom and splashed my face with cold water. My stomach clenched in a queasy ball . . . I'd keep myself out of trouble in Jericho, I promised myself. I'd do all the right things and make lots of good friends and no one would care a whit about my being a preacher's daughter." Jo Clawson isn't the boy her father wanted, and she's not the "young lady" her neighbors expect of the preacher's daughter, either. But even though Jo doesn't always meet the expectations of the people around her, she still longs to fit in. When she and her family leave their northern home for the small southern town of Jericho, Alabama, Jo might finally stop picking fights and settle in right. But when Jo befriends a young black boy, she discovers that "fitting in" is about a lot more than proper manners or a smart outfit. Suddenly she's faced with a new set of questions that call up her own values. Maybe some fights are worth picking, after all.