Who Are You, Trudy Herman: A Novel

(Paperback)

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Description

As a little girl, Trudy Herman is taught to stand up for truth by her much-loved grandfather. Then in 1943, Trudys childhood drastically changes when her family is sent to a German-American Internment Camp in Texas. On the journey to the camp, Trudy meets Ruth, who tells her and her friend Eddie the legend of the Paladinsknights of Emperor Charlemagne who used magic gifted to them by the heavens to stand up for virtue and truth. Ruth insists both Trudy and Eddie will become modern-day Paladinsdefenders of truth and justicebut Trudys experiences inside the camp soon convince her that she doesnt have what it takes to be a knight.

After two years, her family is released from the camp and they move to Mississippi. Here, Trudy struggles to deal with injustice when she comes face to face with the ingrained bigotries of the local white residents and the abject poverty of the black citizens of Willow Bay. Then their black housekeepera woman Trudy has come to care forfinds herself in crisis, and Trudy faces a choice: look the other way, or become the person her grandfather and Ruth believed she could be

Reviews

2020 American Fiction Awards: Finalist in Historical Fiction Reader's Favorites Book Awards Finalist in Young AdultComing of Age Featured in Bookstr's "2018's Top 15 Unputdownable YA Reads" * Culturalist's "Top 10 YA Picks to Inspire Lifelong Lessons" * POPSUGAR's "Best YA Summer Reads" * Buzzfeed's "5 Historical Fiction Reads For The Teen In Your Life" * 2Paragraph's "18 YA Books for Adult Women, Summer 2018 Beach Reading List" * PureWow's "9 New YA Novels to Read This Summer" "Give this to fans of historical fiction during this particular time period and to young adults interested in social justice issues." VOYA "The plot is fast, driving, and great for reluctant readers....Great for school libraries as it offers a viewpoint of the effects of World War II at home. School Library Journal "This novel offers a window into a lesser-known aspect of internment in WWII...When a regular girl confronts extraordinary challenges, this novel forcefully asks what it takes to stand up for what is right. Booklist Trudy Hermans struggle to survive adolescence and deal with the difficulties of injustice, cruelty, and self-doubt is a remarkable record of self-evolution. Her story is both engaging and revealing and the writers ability to capture Trudys conflicts and growth is remarkable. We all learn from her experiences. Gloria Campbell, author of Just for Thought "Who Are You, Trudy Herman is a strong commentary on social injustice viewed through the eyes of a young, innocent girl. Shocked and terrorized by its existence and the shame not to find courage to confront it, Trudy must reach deep within herself to do what is right. B. E. Becks writing style and her ability to develop her characters makes this a must read." Bruce Hansen author of ALPHA BLUE "Confronting questions of inequality, injustice, and poverty, readers will ask themselves, 'Who would I be' B.E. Beck explores America surrounding World War II, illuminating the story of a girl setting her moral compass. Trudys struggles leap off the page, relevant now more than ever." Jennifer Rainman, Librarian "Told with deep empathy, this tale illuminates a little-known but relevant aspect of U.S. history and deftly exploresprivilege and injustice in their many forms. KirkusReviews "Through Trudy Herman, B.E. Beck illustrates the toils and triumphs of looking absurdity, indifference to suffering, and condescension straight in eye, and in doing such, builds solidarity across racial, national, and cultural differences. It's an insight into empathy, the relevance of which in many ways continues to define the United States today." Kristin Gissberg, Ph.D German Philosophy, Berlin, Germany

Author Bio

B. E. Beck is an educator and writer. She taught at the University of Minnesota, Duluth, before moving to the Seattle College District. She is a member of Pacific Northwest Writers Association and is active in two writers groups. She and her husband live in the Seattle area.