Mother Daughter Book Club: The Lions of Little Rock

You know you have a good book when you find yourself imagining a backstory for supplemental characters. The Lions of Little Rock is a well written  book with excellent character development. 

Set in 1958, this historical fiction follows the tale of two math loving friends of different races during the fight for integration in Little Rock public schools. The governor closed schools for a year in an effort to avoid integration after the famous Little Rock Nine and US Marshals were called to keep the peace keepers at Central High School. This school closing accelerated the involvement of parents, who previously had fearfully hid in the shadows with their feelings about segregation.  

This was a great book! I loved the relationship between Marley (the main character) and Liz her fair skinned black friend who gets in trouble for “passing” as white and illegally attending a white school.  The relationship between Marly and her mother, her sister, her oldest friend, her housekeeper, and her father are all explored through the story.  I think this book may send us down a little rabbit hole of learning about integration, and a field trip to Central High in Little Rock over Spring Break!