Whistling Past The Graveyard by Susan Crandall.

I received a free copy of this e-book from the publishers in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this story, I was transported to the early sixties, to a time when segregation and racial hatred was at a high point
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The story of nine year old Starla, who feels so put out by her Mamie that she runs away from home with the intention of going to Nashville to be with her Momma is very touching.  On the way she meets Eula, a coloured woman travelling with a white baby.  When Eula takes her back to her house for the night, well, that's when things take a turn for the worse.

Starla learns the hard way that life isn't as easy for everyone, herself included but she soon learns how hard it is for a coloured person to get about.

The way this book has been written is so touching and handles difficult and delicate subjects with a very caring approach that it had me in tears at times.

I loved the dynamics between Starla and Eula.  How Eula taught her about how people have different gifts and how to find out what her own gifts are.

Mrs Cyrena is a wonderful character, the way she cared for Eula and Starla when no-one else would, how she helped Eula to earn money when she couldn't go out on the streets after her run-in with the Jenkins boys and letting them stay in her house.  When she paid for the tickets and explained to Starla that she and Eula would have to act as though they were strangers on the bus taught Starla that racism works both ways.
Starla learnt that what she had been taught by her Mamie wasn't how the world worked.  Mamie told her that everyone was happy with the segregation but she learned on her journey that that wasn't true.

From the very first page, I had vivid images and voices in my head.  I could picture Starla with her bright red hair and Eula with her grip in hand and baby James strapped to her chest.  I saw her parents and friends, her Mamie telling her off and putting her on restriction for no good reason.  I could even smell the pies that Eula baked.  I could quite easily see this being made into a movie.