The Mighty Miss Malone

One of my tutoring students bought this book for me because her 4th grade teacher read it to the class, and she loved it. Now the book has one more fan: me! We each had our own copy of the book and set reading goals for each lesson. My student couldn't wait to share her thoughts with me and even put sticky notes to mark places where she wanted to share her thoughts about a particular part. This book was clearly above her reading level, but she rose to the occasion because the story is that good!

My twenty years of teaching gave me an immediate connection with Mrs. Karen Needham, Deza's school teacher. After strategically assigning Deza's last essay of the year an A- rather than the typical A+, this wise and caring teacher was comforting the distraught student and said, "Deza, I have been teaching longer than you could imagine, and I've always had the dream any teacher worth her salt has. I had thought, prior to this year, that I would have to be satisfied in coming close to the dream once, before, alas, `the best-laid schemes of mice and men gang aft a-gley . . . ` The dream is the gift of having one student, just one, who is capable of making a real contribution. One child who'd have no choice but to make a difference for our people. Out of the thousands of students I've had in the thousands of years I've been teaching, I've suspected for quite a while how the child I've been waiting for is. . . . Miss Malone, you are that child"(p. 37).

As I read this this powerful depression-era historical fiction narrative, I came to agree with Mrs. Karen Needham. Deza [pronounced Dez-uh] is a book character who is capable of making a real contribution as she helps us "look at things with different eyes, even things we've seen a million times before" (p. 58).

Thank you, Christopher Paul Curtis, for bringing back Deza Malone.

The Mighty Miss Malone, by Christopher Paul-Curtis is a great, very detailed, and suspenseful story. One thing I really like about it is you get to know the characters really well as you go through this awesome adventure with Deza Malone the young, smart, and battling girl. Also, it’s very exciting while at the same time, everything makes sense. To top it off, the ending doesn’t leave you hanging! Over-all great story, I strongly suggest you read it.

This book is so much more than the typical, educational period piece. It's about fierce determination and loyalty to family. It's about generosity and community and learning from your elders. It's lovely and inspiring. Perfect for all ages.

This is wonderful story about a family and their hardships throughout the depression. The depression was a tremendous hardship for many, but for this African American family, it was devastating. I loved how the author described the impact of the loss of joe Louis in the Louis smelling fight of 1936. I knew the name joe louis, but didn't appreciate the history until reading this book. I was actually inspired to read more history about joe Louis and his career and I hate boxing!

What do the Depression, hobos, love and family have to do with people in this twenty-first century? Curtis' story telling describes an unfamiliar world with true-to-life characters that are easy to relate to the reader.

The author takes us to another time and place, where hope springs eternal in the heart of a little girl wise beyond her years. She was more than a " credit to her race " and we are all the better for having read her story.

I absolutely hated this book. Deza was so spoiled. There was never a actual plot. It kept on changing. I hate books with easy plots. Whenever there was a problem actually worth solving, a easy solution pops out of the blue. I want to tear the pages out of the book. I would love to tell you more about why it's so terrible, but my fingers hurt. Do not buy this book. If I could, I would rate this book zero stars. I don't feel bad for the author.

Simply a great story -- great narrative voice.

Sad to say, a clever black child in Gary, Indiana circa 2012 would never get to sixth grade with Deza's happy attitude toward education -- she would be put down and bullied for acting white. For shame! The gulf between successful American blacks and impoverished American blacks grows wider every year because "we" prefer a culture of rudeness, blame, nihilism, and illegtimacy.

As the book progresses and the family moves from Gary, IN to Flint, MI, Deza encounters the prejudice of teachers for the first time. She responds by withdrawing in school, but continuing to read for pleasure at the library. This is not the first book to show the entrenched racism surrounding the unions and auto workers in Flint and other heavily unionized northern areas, but it handles the topic gracefully and without too much bitterness. (For more on this, try the book "W.E.B. DuBois: A Reader" W. E. B. Du Bois: A Reader by David L. Lewis or These Hands (Golden Kite Honors (Awards)))

In this book, desperate monetary poverty does not bring moral poverty -- this family remains decent and dignified and determined. The book presents clear messages of family loyalty, with a surprise at the end as the brother develops into a (NO SPOILERS) genuine man.

Christopher Paul Curtis brings to life nearly everything Walter Williams's plain analysis has shown about the decay in black families from the 1930s to the present. Simply brilliant writing brings truths to light and shows how far there is to go to return to the cultural norms even of the Great Depression. Why should over-reliance on government have replaced dignity and decency?

This book and the Bayard Rustin biography by James Haskins are excellent to read together with Williams' "Race and Economics."

Bayard Rustin: Behind the Scenes of the Civil Rights Movement
Race and Economics: How Much Can Be Blamed on Discrimination? (HOOVER INST PRESS PUBLICATION)