LSSL 5360: Module 5 -- Historical Fiction

Paperboy

By Vince Vawter

1)    BIBLIOGRAPHY

Vawter, V. (2015). Paperboy. New York: Random House USA Inc.

2)    PLOT SUMMARY

Little Man lives with his parents and his black nanny Mam.  He has had a stutter all his life, and Mam is really the only one who understands him.  His parents, especially his father, try to help him out in a way they can and accommodate him to make his life easier.  He’s just finished the sixth grade, and its summertime in Memphis.  His best friend, Rat, is visiting his grandparent’s farm in July, and Little Man offers to run his paper route while he’s gone.  He knows that it will be a challenge for him, especially collecting the money on Friday, but he believes it will be beneficial in trying to overcome his stutter.  On the route, he meets Mr. Spiro who turns out to be the only person besides Mam that didn’t beat around the bush with him and treated him normal.  Every week he looks forward to his conversation with Mr. Spiro, and the piece of dollar with a word that he gives him.  Little Man has a lot to ponder after each visit and is interested in the vast possibilities that books hold.  The four words Mr. Spiro gives him are student, servant, seller, and seeker.  That summer he does run into trouble with Ara T the neighborhood junkman.  First Ara T refuses to give his knife back to him, and Mam tells him to stay away from Ara T.  Little Man wants his knife back though, and breaks into Ara T’s shed.  He gets mad and retaliates against Little Man when he leaves a ladder propped up against his window.  Ara T steals his money, billfold, watch, a picture of Ma and Little Man, and the pieces of dollar that Mr. Spiro gave him.  Little Man immediately tells Mam, and she heads out to confront Ara T.  Little Man ends up following her and coming to her rescue when Ara T is choking her.  Little Man threw a bottle at his head which infuriates Ara T, and he goes after Little Man.  Mam reaches into Ara T’s coat, finds Little Man’s knife, and stabs Ara T in the arm.  They manage to get away safely with the help of Big Sack, and get all of Little Man’s things back.  The next day Mam shares everything about her past with Ara T, but makes Little Man promise never to speak of it again.  He typed it out on his typewriter, and then buried it in the backyard where not even the Hounds of Hell could find it.

3)    CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Paperboy is written during 1959 when segregation was still part of the United States.  Vawter includes several instances of segregation such as, where Mam was allowed to sit on the bus, being able to take a picture with someone of a different race, and how the police didn’t much mind when comes to somebody like Ara T.  These instances are seen from the viewpoint of Little Man, and it’s hard for him to understand because he loves Mam like a family member.  At the end of the book his mother and Rat’s mother are talking about how schools will be integrated soon, and Little Man doesn’t see a problem with it.  Others around him at the time were against it, and some like Rat’s mother would move to areas where their children would only go to school with other white children.  Vawter does an incredible job with the setting, and depicting how life was during the late stages of segregation.  Through Little Man’s eyes you can see that there is hope for the future, and that integration won’t always be greeted with negativity.  In an author’s note, Vawter writes that this is part memoir, part fiction since he grew up with a stutter and still manages it to this day.  During the late 1950s, modern speech therapy techniques were just being created, and great strides have been made since then.  Little Man is relatable to readers, and conveys that stuttering has been around for years.  The theme or lesson that Vawter wants readers to see is that life for Little Man was much more than just his stutter, and if you open yourself to new opportunities you don’t know what you might discover.  Vawter includes two phenomenal secondary characters, Mam and Mr. Spiro.  Both characters allow Little Man to take his time with his stutter, always answer his questions, and don’t beat around the bush with him.  Vawter sheds light on a plight that many people deal with, and that’ there is more to life than our difficulties or insecurities. 

4)    REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Kirkus’ Review:  “Debut author Vawter depicts a harshly segregated 1959 Memphis, and since the tale is highly autobiographical, he captures a full and realistic flavor of the time.  Carefully crafted language, authenticity of setting and quirky characters that ring fully true all combine to make this a worthwhile read. Although Little Man’s stutter holds up dialogue, that annoyance also powerfully reflects its stultifying impact on his life.”  (Reviewed 3/13/13)

Publisher Weekly’s Review:  “Vincent is an excellent listener and a keen observer, and the summer of 1959 presents him with the challenge of taking over a friend’s paper route in segregated Memphis. He engages with several neighborhood customers and characters while on the job, gaining new awareness of varied adult worlds, racial tension, and inequality, as well as getting into some dangerous situations.”  (Reviewed 3/18/13)

5)    CONNECTIONS

o   This is a great book to have students:

§  Write a narrative of a time they felt overwhelmed by something like Little Man did.

§  Write about someone who has made a difference in their lives.

o   This is a great book if you are teaching about:

§  Segregation

§  Integration of schools

§  Jim Crow Laws

o   Other books with similar stories:

Timberlake, Amy.  ONE CAME HOME  ISBN 9780375869259

Wiles, Deborah.  REVOLUTION  ISBN 9780545106078

Erskine, Kathryn.  SEEING RED  ISBN 9780545464406