The Other Side of Freedom

By Cynthia T Toney

Description:

When the reward is the most costly sacrifice of all ...In a southern farming community in 1925, thirteen-year-old Salvatore and his Italian immigrant father become involved against their will in a crime that results in the murder of an innocent man and family friend. Will Sal keep the secrets about that night as his father asks, or risk everything he and his family cherish in their new homeland, including their lives? Amidst bigotry, bootlegging, police corruption, and gangland threats, Sal must discover whom he can trust in order to protect himself and his family and win back his father's freedom. Sal's family, their African-American farmhand, and the girl who is Sal's best friend find their lives forever changed as dreams are shattered and attitudes challenged in a small community called Freedom.

Book Takeaway:

A boy becomes a young man by learning and accepting the costs of acquiring and maintaining freedom while choosing to protect his family and community.

Why the author wrote this book:

To express my love and respect for Italian immigrants like my own ancestors and to depict a period in history within a setting not well known.