Attorneys of Dallas

Tallgrass

Description

Reviews

Rating: 2 / 5
Date: 2010-04-18
Summary: "Great subject matter, disappointing book"

A friend bought Tallgrass for me in part because it has been compared to my favorite book of all time, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. The comparison is due in part to both narrators being young girls (thirteen-year-old Rennie Stroud and almost-six-year-old Scout Finch, respectively) as the stories begin. I knew it would be nearly impossible for any book to live up to my expectations after such a comparison, but I was still disappointed. The characters weren't fully developed, and the writing style wasn't very engaging. I also felt that certain events and characters were too similar to those in To Kill a Mockingbird, which is set during the Depression in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama with racial tensions as the backdrop. First, a small detail that bothered me was that the sheriff's first name in Tallgrass is Hem, while in To Kill a Mockingbird it is Heck. Second, in Tallgrass, Rennie Stroud's father, Loyal Stroud, is more tolerant than most people in the community, as is Scout's father, Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird. Third, there is a nighttime confrontation between a band of angry farmers in search of the "Jap" they are sure murdered a young Ellis girl and guards at Tallgrass. Rennie's mother, Mary Stroud, diffuses the situation by talking to the farmers about everyday matters, such as the health of one of the farmer's wives. That scene is similar to the one in To Kill a Mockingbird in which Scout's disarming chatter calms the angry farmers who confront Atticus in front of the jail where Tom Robinson, an African American accused of raping a white girl, is being held pending trial.

Not surprisingly, I wouldn't recommend this book. In addition to To Kill a Mockingbird, I would recommend Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson as an alternative. Like Tallgrass, the latter focuses on Japanese Americans, but takes place during the 1950's and goes back and forth in time. Both books are mesmerizing in the way they draw you into the stories with vivid descriptions of time, place, and characters. Tallgrass had the potential to be an engaging, thought-provoking book, but fell short.

---

Rating: 4 / 5
Date: 2010-02-11
Summary: "Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas"

Very good insight into the plight of Japanese Americans during WWII. Well written. Keeps your interest.

---

Rating: 4 / 5
Date: 2010-02-04
Summary: "Haunted Memories"

TALLGRASS by Sandra Dallas is about a young girl who grows to adulthood living on a farm next door to a Japanese interment camp during WWII.
Rennie Stroud learns many things about herself, her family, neighbors, and friends, which she struggles to understand.
The writing is smooth and well-paced for the mood of the time period, but one memory bothered this reader. I had recently reread Harper Lee's classic TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD and the similarities with character names, attitudes, actions, and scenes was evident from the first few pages. For this reader it was too obvious to be an accident and it ruined what was otherwise an excellent story.
Nash Black, author of Indie finalists WRITING AS A SMALL BUSINESS and HAINTS.

---

Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2009-11-29
Summary: "Great Book"

This is one of the best books I have ever read. I have read every thing I can find of Sandra Dallas and still looking for more. l ove Love Love her books

---

Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2009-11-15
Summary: "Ecxellent Reading"

Tallgrass is a wonderful, sad, shameful, emotional experience of human nature. I highly recommend Tallgrass by a writer who has matured greatly in the last few years.