BIBLIOGRAPHY

Woodson, Jacqueline. 2002. Hush. New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons. ISBN 0399231145

PLOT SUMMARY

Toswiah loves her life. She has a best friend, she lives near her grandmother, and she knows exactly who she is and where she is going. Her policeman father loved his job, and, as the only black man on the Denver police force, was respected and well-liked. When Toswiah’s father sees a young black boy shot and killed by two white policemen, his sense of justice forces him to testify against the policemen that Toswiah has known her entire life. Mr. Green’s decision to testify puts his entire family in danger and they receive death threats and are ostracized by their friends. The family enters the witness protection program, and Toswiah’s life is turned upside down. The family is moved to a new location where the kids are not friendly, her father sits and stares out the window all day, and her mother spends her time with her new-found religion. Toswiah Green is now Evie Thomas, and she struggles to discover who she is, and what her new future will hold in this captivating coming-of-age story.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS (INCLUDING CULTURAL MARKERS)

From the first page, Woodson draws readers into a mesmerizing tale of intrigue, loss, and rediscovery. Her attention to detail allows readers to picture each character as if through a window. Ma is “brown—all-over brown—hair, eyes, skin”, Toswiah and Cameron are their father’s “copper pennies”. It is these details, intricately woven into the story that give readers an insight into the lives of an African American family who is faced with one of the most difficult choices that a family can make. Throughout the story, Woodson uses words to illustrate mannerisms that bring the characters and the story to life. Woodson cleverly switches the setting of the story from the character’s past as Toswiah Green to her present as Evie Thomas, highlighting Evie’s struggle to discover her identity in a world that is not always friendly or safe. The underlying hope that is woven through the story emphasizes the strength of African American people in today’s world, where racism and prejudice still exist.

REVIEW EXCERPTS

Publisher’s Weekly. When Toswiah Green’s father, witness to a murder, does the right thing by testifying against two fellow police officers, he puts his entire family in danger. Now the Greens have fled for their lives, leaving behind all that is comfortable and familiar for the alien existences laid out by the witness protection program.

School Library Journal. The younger daughter in a successful African-American family, the 12-year-old’s life is ripped apart when her policeman father testifies against his comrades in a racially motivated shooting, placing his family in jeopardy. Now they are living in a strange city in the Witness Protection Program. They have new names, new identities, no friends, and no history. Evie’s mother has taken refuge in the Seventh Day Adventist Church, her father sits in front of the window day after day, and her older sister is looking for a way to escape this less-than-ideal reality. Evie must come to terms with her new life and create a present and future for herself even though she no longer has a past.

CONNECTIONS

Hush is an ideal book to read with students and discuss race issues, right and wrong, and consequences of decisions. It can also be used to discuss family histories and the impact of losing everything that is known.

Look for these other coming-of-age books about African American teens:

Johnson, Angela. The first part last .ISBN 9780689849237

Myers, Walter Dean. Monster. ISBN 0439202183

Draper, Sharon M. Tears of a tiger. ISBN 9780689806988

Garcia, Rita Williams. Like sisters on the homefront. ISBN 9780140385618

Flake, Sharon. Bang!  ISBN 9780786849550