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.
For Gabriel Haberlin, life seems pretty close to perfect in the small
southern town of Birdsong, USA. But on his twelfth birthday, his point
of view begins to change. It all starts when he comes face-to-face with
one of the worst drivers in town while riding his new bicycle--an
accident that would have been tragic if Mr. Meriwether Hunter hadn't
been around to push him out of harm's way.
After the accident, Gabriel and Meriwether become friends when they both
start working at Gabriel's dad's auto shop, and Meriwether lets a secret
slip: He served in the army's all-black 761st Tank Battalion in World
War II. Soon Gabriel learns why it's so dangerous for Meriwether to talk
about his heroism in front of white people, and Gabriel's eyes are
finally opened to the hard truth about Birdsong--and his understanding
of what it means to be a hero will never be the same.