The Lucky Ones

“A compelling story about racism, poverty, and the power of community to help lift people up. . . . An excellent recommendation.” —Booklist (starred review)

It’s 1967, and eleven-year-old Ellis Earl has big dreams. He’s going to grow up to be a teacher or a lawyer and live in a big house. There’ll always be enough food, and his mama won’t have to run herself ragged looking for work. So Ellis Earl applies himself at school, soaking up the lessons that Mr. Foster teaches—particularly those about famous colored people like Mr. Thurgood Marshall and Miss Marian Wright—and borrowing books like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory from his teacher’s bookshelf. But when Mama tells Ellis Earl that he might need to quit school to help support the family, he wonders if happy endings are only possible in storybooks. Around the historical touchstone of Robert Kennedy’s southern “poverty tour,” award-winning author Linda Williams Jackson pulls from her own childhood in the Mississippi Delta to tell a poignant story with memorable characters. Featuring a discussion guide to inspire meaningful conversation, The Lucky Ones is sure to resonate with readers who have ever felt constricted by their circumstances.