Steve Theunissen

Through Angel's Eyes , written by Steve Theunissen, is told in the voice of an African American thirteen year old girl named Angel Dunbar. The book covers her life in Alabama from January through September 1963. The events during this tumultuous time in history changed this nation and to witness them through Angel's eyes is a unique experience.

Angel's brother, Jimmy, believed in education and non violence. It is through him and her teacher that she began to learn about the civil rights movement. As things began to escalate and change she found herself changing and maturing . The reader watches her struggle to understand racial prejudice. As she matured she realized change is inevitable and she joined in the effort to bring it about peacefully. Unfortunately, she became a victim of police brutality. A school friend was murdered and the young man she fell in love with was brutally attacked. Her reaction to all this would be what will shape her future.

I found reading this book to be an incredible experience. The characters are faced with wrenching personal choices and the author skillfully presents them. This was a sensitive time in history and Mr. Theunissen writes with sensitivity. I highly recommend reading this book.

I received this book this book at no charge through Library Thing and the opinions expressed are my own.… (más)

It's hard for me to believe that this is a work of fiction. Having grown up in the north and having NO prejudices, I was shocked to learn how poorly blacks were treated. I learned the N word, when I was in grade school and was called an N lover, because I had many black friends. I recall going to Florida when I was very young, and wanting to drink from the "colored" water fountain, because I wanted to drink colored water. My mother explained things to me, and in protest, I drank from it. I was 5. Later in life, I worked with a woman that marched in Selma. I wish I could have, also, but was too young.
When I started to read the book, I knew I would hate what was going on, and I was right. I have no tolerance for that sort of thing. Great novel, fiction and fact!… (más)

Wow...simply wow! I loved this book. The characters of Angel, Jimmy, Ronny along with many others brought this story to life like I have never read before. Steve Theunissen brilliantly deals with some very tought issues of race, racism, violence, non-violence, bigotry, forgiveness, and social change without offended either race. This was so well done that I just had to share this wonderful find with Dr. Church, professor of African American Literature at MWSU, as well as personal friend who is the grandmother of bi-racial children, and the Civics teacher at our local high school. I think this is a book that should be in every home and library! I am giving this a bright 5 stars...and hope to see a follow up novel as I want more "Through Angel's Eyes!"

My rating system is as follows:

5 stars - Excellent, Worth Every Penny, Made It Into My Personal Library!
4 stars - Great book, but not a classic.
3 stars - Good overall, generally well written.
2 stars - Would not recommend based on personal criteria.
1 star - Difficult to read, hard to finish, or didn't finish. Wouldn't recommend purchasing or reading.

In accordance with the FTC Guidelines for blogging and endorsements, you should assume that every book I review was provided to me by the publisher, media group or the author for free and no financial payments were received, unless specified otherwise.… (más)