A Yellow Watermelon

Upon their first meeting, Ted Dillon and Jake Johnson developed a bond based on mutual respect and trust that grew stronger over time, fueled largely by their generous hearts and adventurous spirits. Yet life in rural Alabama during the 1940s placed some big obstacles in their way that forced them to hide their friendship and stymied their efforts to help each other. Ted, a twelve-year old white boy, had just started to awaken to the disturbing realities of racial discrimination and segregation, but he refused to abide by the strict set of norms that others around him followed. Jake, an older black man who had escaped from prison and found a job with barely-tolerable working conditions in Ted's small town, knew the difficulties of living in the segregated South only too well. Along the way, Ted befriended a black boy his age named Poudlum. Backed by the threat of a cotton-picker boycott, they integrated the town's cotton field and also stood up to the bigotry of the town's most powerful man. Together, these three unlikely friends found themselves enmeshed in an adventure of intrigue and danger that seemed to grow bigger by the day. With its colorful prose, exciting plot, and rich historical context, this novel successfully manages to embed an important reminder of the deplorable treatment of blacks in the deep South before the Civil Rights era into an entertaining, action-packed story. Thoroughly ingrained into the plotline are some important economic principles related to poverty, decent wages, and property rights. This engrossing book is sure to please even the most discerning of readers.

Well, what most people do not know about this book, is that, it comes from real life experience in a real place. this is acctually a true story. It is beautifully written. I can really see old time coffeville. It is a story that just comes to life in my mind. i enjoyed it so much! Thank you for a trip into history.

Before gifting this book to my godsons, ages 6 and 9, I was led to read it. This book chronicles a period of prejudice that we should never forget and never repeat. Ted Dunagan's well written book is filled with the wiles of two boys of different color, and their exciting journey of setting things right in their poverty-stricken rural community. A must-read for all ages.

"A Yellow Watermelon" reminds me of "To Kill a Mockingbird" and "Huckleberry Finn" in that it is a great read with engaging, memorable characters and wonderful boyhood stories that also tell volumes about the small town South of the 1940's. Read it for fun, but soak up the history. This is a story that will engage young readers as well as elders who lived the 1940's era of this yarn. A wonderful cast of characters struggle with the issues such as race and economics of Post WWII South Alabama. Ted Dillon's gradual discovery of the racial double standards of South Alabama during the 1940's and his decisions to deal with it is powerful. "A Yellow Watermelon" is a most enjoyable and a rewarding read.

This is an excellent little story of growing up in the South in the 1940's. A story of black and white little boys tied in with an exciting story told from a child's viewpoint.