Audiobook3 hours
The Unsung Hero of Birdsong, USA
Written by Brenda Woods
Narrated by John Kroft
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
4/5
()
About this audiobook
The Coretta Scott King Honor-winning author tells the moving story of the friendship between a young white boy and a Black WWII veteran who has recently returned to the unwelcoming Jim Crow South. On Gabriel's twelfth birthday, he gets a new bike--and is so excited that he accidentally rides it right into the path of a car. Fortunately, a Black man named Meriwether pushes him out of the way just in time, and fixes his damaged bike. As a thank you, Gabriel gets him a job at his dad's auto shop. Gabriel's dad hires him with some hesitation, however, anticipating trouble with the other mechanic, who makes no secret of his racist opinions. Gabriel and Meriwether become friends, and Gabriel learns that Meriwether drove a tank in the Army's all-Black 761st Tank Battalion in WWII. Meriwether is proud of his service, but has to keep it a secret because talking about it could be dangerous. Sadly, danger finds Meriwether, anyway, when his family receives a frightening threat. The South being the way it is, there's no guarantee that the police will help--and Gabriel doesn't know what will happen if Meriwether feels forced to take the law into his own hands.
Related to The Unsung Hero of Birdsong, USA
Related audiobooks
The Parker Inheritance Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Sardines Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Boy at the Back of the Class Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Harlem Charade Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Efren Divided Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Galaxy of Sea Stars Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Save Me a Seat Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Free Lunch Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Incredibly Dead Pets of Rex Dexter Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Three Keys (Front Desk #2) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Coop Knows the Scoop Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Stella Diaz Has Something to Say Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Total Eclipse of Nestor Lopez Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Stef Soto, Taco Queen Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lupe Wong Won't Dance Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Gracefully Grayson Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5War Stories Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Unplugged Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The First Rule of Punk Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Brave Like That Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Double the Danger and Zero Zucchini Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Weird Kid Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Checked Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Honest Truth Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/524 Hours in Nowhere Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5All the Impossible Things Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Candymakers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Children's Social Themes For You
The Dragonet Prophecy: Wings of Fire, Book 1 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Talons of Power (Wings of Fire #9) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Good Egg Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Smart Cookie Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Winnie-the-Pooh Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Days With Frog and Toad Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Happiness Trap: How to Stop Struggling and Start Living Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Adventures of Captain Underpants: Color Edition (Captain Underpants #1): Captain Underpants, Book 1 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Bad Seed Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Frog and Toad Together Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Winter Turning (Wings of Fire #7) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Bad Case of Stripes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The School for Good and Evil #2: A World without Princes: Now a Netflix Originals Movie Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The School for Good and Evil: Now a Netflix Originals Movie Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Sour Grape Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Darkstalker: Wings of Fire: Legends, Book 1 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Harold & The Purple Crayon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5New Kid Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Chrysanthemum Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pax Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Narcissism: How to Beat the Narcissist Understanding Narcissism and Narcissistic Personality Disorder Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bridge to Terabithia Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The One and Only Ivan Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Unteachables Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Out of My Mind Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wish Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5What Happened to Rachel Riley? Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Captive Kingdom Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Reviews for The Unsung Hero of Birdsong, USA
Rating: 4.0588235294117645 out of 5 stars
4/5
17 ratings3 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Great read -- short chapters, good topic.
From the point of view of 12 year white boy, Gabriel, who uses his influence with his family to help Meriwether Hunter, a "colored" veteran in post WWII small town South Carolina, after Meriwether saves his life. The book does a good job with the complex issues that surround Jim Crow and the beginning of the Great Migration, but the language, which includes a lot of timely historical slang can be a bit hard to follow sometimes. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Strong, authentic voices from all characters. The friendship between Gabriel and Meriwether is lovingly drawn and epitomizes the epigraph by Rabindranath Tagore that "Depth of friendship does not depend on length of acquaintance" and I would add, on age difference. As an adult reader, I learned more about the Jim Crow South, the 371st Tank Battalion, and the deplorable treatment of African-Americans, though the story and content are well-suited to the middle-grade audience, too. Includes an Afterword and Bibliography. Highly recommended. I look forward to reading more books by Brenda Woods.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5In a small town outside Charleston SC, Gabriel celebrates his 12th birthday with a new Schwinn Autocycle Deluxe bicycle. He almost gets hit by Mrs. Betty Babcock but Meriwether Hunter saves his life. Meriwether is a black gentleman looking for work; mentions a skill working with engines. When Daddy loses an employee, Gabriel gets the idea of Meriwether working for Daddy. Told in a folksy voice.