Books like Uncle Jed's Barbershop

Summary/A Thoughtful Review:In the last line of Margaree King Mitchell’s text she writes: “He taught me to dream, too.” These few words summarize the story Mitchell has written that tells of the love and determination of one man, Jedediah Johnson. Told though the eyes of Sarah Jean, his great niece, we meet a man with a dream: to open his own barbershop with “fancy equipment…sinks so shiny they sparkle…floors so clean you could see yourself…and outside was going to be a big, tall red-and-white barber pole.” At this time in history, however, multiple obstacles stood in his way including, a lack of money, illness in the family, segregation, and the Great Depression. Uncle Jed did not let go of his dream…”he kept going around to his customers cutting their hair, even though they couldn’t pay him…they shared with him whatever they had…and when they were able to pay again, they did.” After saving for quite some time, Uncle Jed was able to open his dream shop on his seventy-ninth birthday! Throughout the text, the historical references are explicit, creating a strong setting on which the rest of the story firmly stands. Mitchell includes appropriate explanations about specific historical events and vocabulary such as sharecropping, “that meant they lived in a shack and worked somebody else’s land in exchange for a share of the crop”, segregation, “they kept blacks and whites separate…there were separate public restrooms, separate water fountains, separate schools,” and the Great Depression, “the bank was failing where they had their money. Uncle Jed had over three thousand dollars in the bank, and it was gone.” Although this was a time for much hardship and frustration, Mitchell shares a story of optimism and success, proving that “if you can dream it, you can do it!” –Walt Disney