Betty Before X

by Ilyasah Shabazz
Lexile:  810
Genre:  Historical Fiction

11 year old Betty has never really felt at home.  She wants to believe that her mother loves her, but her actions don't always show it.  She was raised by her aunt until her death and is then sent to live with Ollie Mae, the mother she doesn't really remember.  She tries hard to be the good daughter and sister that her mother expects her to be, but in Detroit in 1945, things are changing.  Betty and her friends want to join the Housewives' League, an organization that supports black-owned businesses.  But not everyone in her town feels the same way and friendships and family relationships will suffer if Betty decides to stand up for what she believes in.

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