Add this copy of Mary Jane to cart. $10.00, good condition, Sold by Reed Books rated 2.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Birmingham, AL, UNITED STATES, published by SBS.
Add this copy of Mary Jane to cart. $10.90, good condition, Sold by Wonder Book - Member ABAA/ILAB rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Frederick, MD, UNITED STATES.
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Seller's Description:
Good. Good condition. (African Americans, Juvenile Fiction) A copy that has been read but remains intact. May contain markings such as bookplates, stamps, limited notes and highlighting, or a few light stains. Bundled media such as CDs, DVDs, floppy disks or access codes may not be included.
Add this copy of Mary Jane to cart. $12.00, good condition, Sold by Crabtree's Collection rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Sebago, ME, UNITED STATES, published 1959 by Hale.
Add this copy of Mary Jane to cart. $24.08, fair condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Austell, GA, UNITED STATES, published by Doubleday.
Add this copy of Mary Jane to cart. $24.08, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Baltimore rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Halethorpe, MD, UNITED STATES, published by Doubleday.
Add this copy of Mary Jane to cart. $24.08, fair condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Baltimore rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Halethorpe, MD, UNITED STATES, published by Doubleday.
Add this copy of Mary Jane to cart. $29.32, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Dallas rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published by Scholastic.
Add this copy of Mary Jane to cart. $29.32, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Dallas rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published by Scholastic.
It's the late 1950's (publication date 1959), and Mary Jane Douglas is about to be one of a handful of the first African-American students to integrate High Ridge's Wilson Junior-Senior High School. Most of Mary Jane's friends are going to Douglass, but Wilson has a better science program, and that's what interests Mary Jane. She misses the anticipatory hubbub that sweeps through the town during the summer, because she spends her summers on Grampa Douglass' farm. On her last night on the farm, she asks Grampa to re-tell her favorite story, that of "Red Anne," a little girl born into slavery a century ago. Slave children didn't go to school; acquisition of even a little learnin' was forbidden because it might lead to them realizing that they weren't supposed to be OWNED by white people! But Red Anne taught herself to read and write (starting with what she could glean by being around the "young master of the house" while he did his homework) and was very clever about not getting found out until she was ready to make her escape. Mary Jane had always loved the story, especially because it wasn't just a story...Anyway, now is the time she NEEDS to hear it. Back in High Ridge, Mary Jane's mother takes her back-to-school shopping and to the doctor and the dentist--and then to the beauty shop for a more grown-up look in honor of entering Junior High. Everybody offers Mary Jane encouragement, although some also offer warnings. Mary Jane is nervous, sure, but she's basically sure she will do fine. She's GOT to go to Wilson; it has what she needs. She doesn't particularly care about making history; it's the science education that matters. But to get that science education, Mary Jane endures quite a different kind. The crowd waiting for her and the other African-American integrators is not made up of 100% well-wishers...far from it! Things don't go much better once they finally get inside. Mary Jane's homeroom teacher, who'll also be her French teacher, seems nice, but the alphabetical seating that makes it easier for teachers at the start of a new school year proves unpleasant for Mary Jane. At home after this first grueling day, Mary Jane is surprised and pleased to find letters and telegrams from people around the country--and the world--who have read about Mary Jane in their newspapers. Her own older brother and sister, a law student and a nurse, send encouraging greetings--and her sister sends the perfect gift, as usual. But is that enough? As the days go by, you couldn't say that "White Wilson" is getting used to the new hues in their ranks. Mary Jane almost gets used to the animosity of the girl who has to sit behind her, and after a while the things "they" say don't surprise her (as much), but how to respond when a teacher, an adult, makes a stereotypical remark? Mary Jane seeks solace in her French studies--I thought that was clever. I wonder if actual African-American integrators did the same, or the other ways they found to cope. On the way home after another difficult day, Mary Jane wanders into a situation that parallels her own--and gradually reveals a human ally as well. The adventure of attending WJSH becomes more positive. Maybe Mary Jane has made the right decision after all, and Red Anne would be proud...maybe someday other young Afriecan-Americans would clamor to hear her story.
