Hamish's Adolescent Novel 4/5

Mary Jane

Written by Dorothy Sterling, Mary Jane is a short novel that revolves around a high school girl named Mary Jane. Mary is a Negro child who is about to be the first ever Negro student to attend the junior high school called Wilson High. She has been encouraged to attend Wilson High, and will be one of two non-white students for a newly integrated school. Mary finds herself out of her comfort zone as for her entire life up to this point she has been sheltered from the world of racism, prejudice and judgemental people.  She becomes an ambassador for the school which she resents at first, but gradually becomes content with the position, where she forms a sound relationship with her fellow peers over time when they view her abilities and see her skills and intellect in action.

This book was published in 1959, and highlights the current cultural implications of this era in relation to the acceptance of Negro citizens in a predominantly white society. Even though in this story Mary Jane came from a well-educated and successful family, she was still ridiculed and became the victim of racial remarks and physical behaviour. From this young adolescent novel, the author is conveying across to the adolescent reader perceptions, feelings, and emotions from a highly subjective point of view which is constructed by Sterling, allowing for the reader to engage in deeper thinking about how different coloured people were miss treated in the past.

This novel is predominately written in third person narration throughout the entire story, and focuses on the viewpoints of Mary Jane, and some of the characters she closely associates with like her grandpa.

Mary Jane would best suit a upper primary/middle year level, where students have developed critical literacy skills. This novel could be integrated into a history lesson when introducing to students the topic of racism.