Being Clem

Starred review from July 1, 2021

Gr 3-7-This third and final novel in the "Finding Langston" trilogy continues the historical fiction narrative of three boys during World War II. Set in Chicago, this installment follows Clemson Thurber, Jr, who along with his mother and two sisters, navigates life after the Port Chicago Disaster in San Francisco. The catastrophe killed 320 Navy sailors, including Clem's father. Although Clem doesn't remember much about his father, who was a career sailor, he feels obligated to live up to his legacy. He was a strong man and a robust swimmer, whereas Clem is afraid to even get into the water. Clem is very intelligent, even skipping a grade, but his identity is tied to making his family proud. He begins a friendship with Lymon, a new kid who isn't afraid of anything. As Lymon gets a bit too carried away with his bullying and picks on another new kid, Langston, Clem is forced to choose between his old friend and this new boy who seems to understand him more than anyone else. Cline-Ransome skillfully brings the era of 1944 middle America to life, giving readers a glimpse of an often neglected part of history-growing up Black through the segregation and discrimination in the North during this time period. Cline-Ransome's Clem faces these challenges while, struggling to find his own path and reconcile his need to live up to his father's legacy. Readers will identify with Clem's struggles and come to like him for the exceptional young man he is: a devoted son and brother, and a true friend. VERDICT Exceptional characters and the chance to explore the previous volumes will leave readers wanting more. The historical aspect of the novel encourages further exploration of the era and a greater understanding of race in America during this time. This whole series deserves a place on library shelves everywhere.-Carol Connor, Cincinnati Pub. Schs., OH

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from July 1, 2021
Grades 4-6 *Starred Review* Clem, whose parents moved to Chicago during the Great Migration, lives with his mother and two older sisters. He barely remembers his father, who enlisted in the Navy when Clem was five and died in the Port Chicago disaster several years later. The novel opens in 1944, when the family learns of their devastating loss, and traces Clem's experiences over the next three years. Small but bright, Clem aspires to follow in his father's footsteps as a brave man and an excellent swimmer, despite occasional setbacks at school and in the swimming pool, where his fears initially overwhelm his hopes of learning to swim. As he gradually gains understanding and takes on more responsibilities, he grows in confidence as well. This is the final book in the interwoven trilogy that began with Finding Langston (2018) and continued in Leaving Lymon (2020), and the narrative includes certain incidents from those books, retelling them from Clem's viewpoint. In addition to exploring Clem's relationships with his friends, Cline-Ransome offers unusually perceptive portrayals of his family members, their interactions, and their strong, ongoing, but largely unspoken grief. Clem's engaging first-person story, written with simplicity and emotional clarity, provides a rewarding conclusion to this historical fiction trilogy.

COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from July 1, 2021
In the final installment of the trilogy (Finding Langston, rev. 9/18; Leaving Lymon, rev. 3/20), we are (re)introduced to Chicago-born Clemson Thurber Junior. Too young to remember his father, Clem has heard all the stories about him, the brave Navy man and amazing swimmer who, as the book opens, becomes a tragic casualty of the 1944 Port Chicago Disaster. As one of the smallest kids in his fourth-grade class and deathly afraid of water, Clem knows he's not a worthy namesake. Not that there's much opportunity to prove his courage and independence -- problems with a bully are solved when Clem finds himself on the good side of Lymon, the toughest kid in school. But when, in seventh grade, new student Langston arrives and is bullied by Lymon for his "country" ways, Clem finally asserts himself, with welcome results. His friendship with Langston leads him to attend a high-school swim meet, providing the opportunity to decide if he can overcome his fears -- and just what kind of brave he can be. Cline-Ransome's mastery of first-person narration and her gift for dialogue present a close-up look at Chicago's African American community in the 1940s. An author's note provides additional information about the Port Chicago Disaster, the Chicago Defender newspaper, the Bud Billiken Parade, and the winning DuSable High School swim team. While readers will miss this group of Cline-Ransome's memorable characters, Clem's story is a satisfying end to the series. Eboni Njoku

(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

July 1, 2021
In the final installment of the trilogy (Finding Langston, rev. 9/18; Leaving Lymon, rev. 3/20), we are (re)introduced to Chicago-born Clemson Thurber Junior. Too young to remember his father, Clem has heard all the stories about him, the brave Navy man and amazing swimmer who, as the book opens, becomes a tragic casualty of the 1944 Port Chicago Disaster. As one of the smallest kids in his fourth-grade class and deathly afraid of water, Clem knows he's not a worthy namesake. Not that there's much opportunity to prove his courage and independence -- problems with a bully are solved when Clem finds himself on the good side of Lymon, the toughest kid in school. But when, in seventh grade, new student Langston arrives and is bullied by Lymon for his "country" ways, Clem finally asserts himself, with welcome results. His friendship with Langston leads him to attend a high-school swim meet, providing the opportunity to decide if he can overcome his fears -- and just what kind of brave he can be. Cline-Ransome's mastery of first-person narration and her gift for dialogue present a close-up look at Chicago's African American community in the 1940s. An author's note provides additional information about the Port Chicago Disaster, the Chicago Defender newspaper, the Bud Billiken Parade, and the winning DuSable High School swim team. While readers will miss this group of Cline-Ransome's memorable characters, Clem's story is a satisfying end to the series. Eboni Njoku

(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Starred review from June 15, 2021
The highly anticipated conclusion to Cline-Ransome's Finding Langston trilogy. Small but smart, Clemson Thurber Jr. has acquired resilience from dealing with his two teenage sisters, who barely tolerate him. Now 9, Clem has lost his father in San Francisco's 1944 Port Chicago Disaster that killed 320 sailors, most of them Black, who were loading ammunition onto ships. Because of Chicago's employment discrimination, Clem's widowed mother works as a domestic to a White family despite her college education. Although Clem believes his mother wants him to follow his Daddy into the Navy, he must face his utter terror of swimming; the water makes him think of his father's death. Clem befriends a music-loving school bully--the eponymous protagonist of Leaving Lymon (2020)--and appreciates the protection that grants, but when "Country Boy" Langston of Finding Langston (2018) becomes Lymon's target, Clem starts doubting the ethics of tormenting nice kids. A fight over a book and the discovery of their mutual love of the library seal Clem and Langston's friendship. A sensitive, bookish budding geographer and cartographer, Clem ultimately honors the moral compass his parents have instilled in him. Like the other two entries, this novel with its parallel narrative addresses tough situations with care, including parental grief and depression, the threat of eviction, domestic abuse, the emotional and physical abuse of children, the impact of racism, and negotiating problematic friendships. A compelling work whose intriguing characters readers will miss when they turn the last page. (author's note) (Historical fiction. 8-12)

COPYRIGHT(2021) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

July 1, 2021
In the final installment of the trilogy (Finding Langston, rev. 9/18; Leaving Lymon, rev. 3/20), we are (re)introduced to Chicago-born Clemson Thurber Junior. Too young to remember his father, Clem has heard all the stories about him, the brave Navy man and amazing swimmer who, as the book opens, becomes a tragic casualty of the 1944 Port Chicago Disaster. As one of the smallest kids in his fourth-grade class and deathly afraid of water, Clem knows he's not a worthy namesake. Not that there's much opportunity to prove his courage and independence -- problems with a bully are solved when Clem finds himself on the good side of Lymon, the toughest kid in school. But when, in seventh grade, new student Langston arrives and is bullied by Lymon for his "country" ways, Clem finally asserts himself, with welcome results. His friendship with Langston leads him to attend a high-school swim meet, providing the opportunity to decide if he can overcome his fears -- and just what kind of brave he can be. Cline-Ransome's mastery of first-person narration and her gift for dialogue present a close-up look at Chicago's African American community in the 1940s. An author's note provides additional information about the Port Chicago Disaster, the Chicago Defender newspaper, the Bud Billiken Parade, and the winning DuSable High School swim team. While readers will miss this group of Cline-Ransome's memorable characters, Clem's story is a satisfying end to the series.

(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)