Riot

by Walter Dean Myers Narrated by Various

Overview

During a long, hot July in 1863, the worst race riots the United States has ever seen erupt in New York City. Earlier that year, desperate for more Union soldiers, President Abraham Lincoln instituted a draft-a draft that would allow the wealthy to escape serving in the army by paying a $300 waiver, more than a year's income for the recent immigrant Irish. And on July 11, as the first drawing takes place in Lower Manhattan, the city of New York explodes in rage and fire. Stores are looted, buildings set on fire, and black Americans are attacked, beaten, and murdered. The police cannot hold out against the rioters, and finally, battle-hardened soldiers are ordered back from the fields of Gettysburg to put down the insurrection, which they do-brutally.

Fifteen-year-old Claire, the beloved daughter of a black father and Irish mother, finds herself torn between the two warring sides. Faced with the breakdown of the city-the home-she has loved, Claire must discover the strength and resilience to address the new world in which she finds herself, and to begin the hard journey of remaking herself and her identity.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

Written in screenplay format like his Printz Award–winning Monster, Myers's historical novel is set in 1863 New York City during the Civil War draft riots, which began as a protest against conscription and resulted in a clash between the city's Irish and African-American populations. The streets are no longer safe for 15-year-old Claire, whose parents (her father is black, her mother Irish) run the Peacock Inn restaurant/tavern. “I don't see why you have to be a black person or a white person,” Claire says, after being cautioned to stay inside. “Why can't you just be a person?” But when the Colored Orphan Asylum is looted and burned, Claire feels an obligation to help. Myers writes poignant dialogue, laying bare the prejudices of the period, while exploring Claire's emotional transition out of childhood. Stage directions (“CLOSE-UP of MAEVE. Her face is a picture of incredible anger as she screams at the POLICE”) pull readers into both the setting and characters, though the transitions between scenes are occasionally jarring. Readers should find this story moving—a direct result of Myers's empathetic portrayal of those on both sides. Ages 12–up. (Sept.)

School Library Journal

Gr 6–8—Walter Dean Myers brings an obscure piece of history to light in this novel (Egmontusa, 2009). The year is 1863 and the United States is torn apart by the Civil War. The battle at Gettysburg has left citizens horrified, and the survival of the nation is still in doubt. New York City's large immigrant population—mostly Irish—believe that, with the Emancipation Proclamation freeing the slaves, their jobs will be taken over by blacks making their way North. When Abraham Lincoln institutes the first draft, allowing the wealthy to pay $300 to escape service, this is the excuse that the city needs to erupt in violence. The story, told from multiple viewpoints in this full-cast production, centers upon Claire, a 15-year-old half Irish, half black girl who is baffled by the hatred that surrounds her. For several days in July, looting, destruction, and retaliation against blacks occur until Federal troops are called in to bring the insurrection to a bloody close. Myers formatted the book as a screenplay similar to his award-winning story Monster (Armistad, 1999; Listening Library, 2007). Listeners may be baffled by the stage directions (i.e., camera pans, cut to, etc.) which distract from the tale. This compelling story of the New York draft riots is more satisfying in print format.—Tricia Melgaard, Centennial Middle School, Broken Arrow, OK

Kirkus Reviews

In a screenplay format similar to his groundbreaking Monster (2000), Myers tells the story of the Civil War Draft Riots in New York City. Aerial camera shots-zooming in, panning away-take viewers from present-day Manhattan through history, settling in on July 13, 1863, effectively establishing the context for the play. Fifteen-year-old Claire Johnson, daughter of an Irish mother and African-American father, could pass as white but chooses not to, but her identity crisis mirrors the upheaval the city faces as Irish mobs-angry at the federal government's Civil War draft, blacks they see as taking their jobs and wealthy "swells" who can buy their way out of the war-attack blacks in the streets, loot stores and provoke soldiers into firing into crowds. The large cast of characters gives voice to the various players in the historical event, including Walt Whitman, whose words add philosophical depth to the story. Another innovative work by an author constantly stretching the boundaries of what fiction can be, and a natural for readers' theater in the classroom. (Historical fiction. 11 & up)

From the Publisher

"Myers crafts a sympathetic cast, which is excellent fodder for conversations about race and class, and the book is also a choice pick for reluctant readers who will relish both format and pacing. Once again, this master storyteller has delivered." —starred, School Library Journal

DECEMBER 2009 - AudioFile

Walter Dean Myers bases his story on a pivotal moment in U.S. history, the infamous draft riots of New York City in July 1863. Working-class men rose up against being conscripted to fight the Civil War when the wealthy, by law, could buy themselves out with a $300 Commutation Fee. In the ensuing violence, ongoing tensions came to a head. More than a dozen narrators tell the story of a girl whose Irish mother and black father run a hotel during this time. As violence rages, young Claire questions why the color of someone’s skin matters so much. Myers uses a screenplay device to give scope to the story. The narrators’ segues between narrative and screenplay are a bit abrupt, but this doesn’t mar the listener’s overall enjoyment. The tightly written book is followed by a time line that summarizes events of the day, as well as an interview with the author. Myers’s story brings to light an important part of American history during the Civil War. M.B. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940171994068
Publisher:	Penguin Random House
Publication date:	09/22/2009
Edition description:	Unabridged

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