Walls of Glass

By: J.W. Elliot

Narrated by: Benjamin Fife

Length: 4 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

One crack and the walls will shatter.

When you’re the new white kid in an Oklahoma town hemorrhaging with racial and class divisions, accidentally taking the wallet from a dead black man isn’t a simple matter. James embarks on a tortuous journey to navigate tensions in the town while trying to correct the mistake he never should have made. His efforts are hampered by his inability to understand racial prejudice and by those who refuse to let him cross entrenched racial and class barriers. When James’s only friend his age, an African-American girl, is targeted by both the white and the black kids, James is forced to confront the darkness lurking within his own soul.

©2019 James Wadsworth (P)2020 James Wadsworth

Very compelling narrative

I listened to the audobook version of this story; I must say I enjoyed both the book and the performance of Benjamin Fife.
The book itself addresses some subjects of racism and discrimination from the perspective of someone who is discovering what they are for the first time. I can see this book as a great introductory to such topics.

So Fitting for Today - A Must Read

In such a racially charged environment right now this is a fantastic read! My local middle schools have been having the kids read The Outsiders, I really think this is a perfect book to use to bring up racial discrimination and have real discussions about it. The book is so well written and narrated that couldn't put it down and I ended up finishing it in one day. I love how it shows a bit of both sides and really points it's finger at many of the areas that need to be addressed. I am definitely going to have my kids read it too. There is a bit of graphic violence (the worst of it around the discovery of the body) and the use of the n word happened I think once. As a parent I would say 6th grade and up level read, adults will enjoy it too.

—I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

EXCELLENT READ!

I really enjoyed it! The narration was great and kept me entertained! The author did an excellent job with the character builds and plot! I look forward to reading more books by this author! I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Raw and Honest

This story examines racism through the lens of a twelve-year-old white boy names James. For the whole of childhood, he never once encountered racism because the area he lived in was mostly, if not all, white. But this all changed when he moves from Idaho to Oklahoma and sees for the first time hatred and prejudice diving the entire school population across races. He doesn't understand it, and he begins to examine the issue through his art and through the friendship he forges with Mae and her granddaughter Belinda. Then, he experiences exactly what happens when, on the cusp of the 1981 lynching of Michael Donald in Mobile, Alabama, a person "betrays" their race.

Throughout the story, James journeys through a number of emotional battles in this coming-of-age novel, as he wrestles with the issues presented to him in society, and learns to confront the racism that is his through socialization. Though at times, I thought James' ignorance of things like segregation was slightly unbelievable, the reader will find in James a character who is empathetic and relatable in this very real struggle that we still deal with today.

I can see this story being read alongside books like Dear Martin or the Hate U Give, as it adds to the ongoing discussion about race and confronting racism and injustice.

Also, the narrator, Benjamine Fife, does a find job of brining this story to life.

An excellent story.

An excellent story of a boy, James, in the 80's, in the south, struggling to fit into a new school. The blacks. The whites. The rich. The poor. Aren't we all the same? He's naive, but learning.
Good narration. Good plot and characters. Well told.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book from Story Origin.

A Great Listen

James has a knack for finding trouble as most 12 year old boys do, but once he moves to Oklahoma, he even surprises himself. Though James believes his brain doesn't function quite right because of his age, at times he's far wiser then a lot of adults around him even though he's made some bad decisions. A well written book, based in 1980 dealing with prejudice: white, black, poor , rich. The characters were very interesting and the story entertained as it taught. An excellent combination of author and narrator. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request, and have voluntarily left this review.

Excellent story for kids & adults

A book for these times for children and their parents preferably read as a family and then discussed. The only character in the book that didn’t have a dark side was the dog that revealed on his own way what non discrimination looks like. Narration was excellent as well.

loved it!

a sweet, and heart-breaking at times, story about a boy how didn't understand the difference between colors.
the naive and kind-hearted teenager was a great character.
the narrator did a great job as well.
I loved this story!
I received a free review copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

An absolute must listen!!!

James and his family have moved from Idaho to Oklahoma, and James is not prepared for the racial tensions of the city in which he now lives. Not long after the move, James finds a wallet with a torn license and takes it home. Feeling bad about taking the wallet, he wants to try and return it, but when he goes back to where he found it, he instead finds a dead body, which derails his plans.

As James continues to try and find a way to correct his mistake of taking the wallet, he becomes involved - unintentionally - in the racial tensions of the city.

I will admit that I was a bit apprehensive about this book, because of the heavy issues it deals with. Once I started, though, I couldn't stop, and I finished the book in a single sitting - staying up into the wee hours of the morning to do so. The author did such a wonderful job of portraying the characters and the difficulties that James faces. James's characterization, his struggles with understanding the racial tensions, his attempts to navigate this new world that he doesn't understand - all of them had me feeling feelings so powerful that I had to just sit with my thoughts for a few hours in order to understand them.

This is a powerful book and one that many can learn from should they choose to. I also worry that, because of the issues it raises instead of shying away from, this is a book that will be targeted by the increasing book bans that are going after any book that sheds light on the tough issues and causes the readers to face those issues head-on. I hope that it is not, as this is a book that deserves to be read by everyone.

For this book, I listened to the audiobook - narrated by Benjamin Fife - who did an absolutely fabulous job. His performance really added gravitas to the entire book, and I think listening to this book made it that much more powerful. If you listen to audiobooks, consider giving this one a listen. It's worth it.

Fantastic must read

This is the first book i have read/listened to by this author and I would gladly listen to another. I enjoyed this easy listen, well written book. It is definitely suitable for teens and I think even pre-teens. It gently explains racism through conversations between the main character, a young white boy, and an older black woman. He is suffering bullying from “new kid in town” and sees but does not understand the racism he also witnesses. She is a grandmother, a teacher and was a part of the black rights movement. Her insight gently explains the answers to the questions he poses to her. The racism is not just black against white, but the other way around as well and the bullying is typical and unfortunately both are still so prevalent.

This is the sixth book I have listened to by this narrator ( Benjamin Fife ) and I would definitely listen to another. He does a great job giving life to all these characters. He does the kid’s and adult’s (male and female) voices with appropriate expression. His style let me forget I was being read a story.

There are no explicit sex scenes, excessive violence or swearing. Fully appropriate for preteens to adult.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and voluntarily left this unbiased review.
Please feel free to comment on whether you found my review helpful.

Story 5/5
Narration 5/5