A black debate team competes with white schools during civil unrest in America. It is the mid-1930s and Professor Tolson assembles a black debate team at Wiley College. He trains them with the goal that they compete with white debate teams across the country to prove that they are just as good, maybe even better. The team is composed of Samantha, James (the youngest member and the son of another Wiley professor), Henry, and Hamilton. As the team competes across the country, they experience first-hand the injustice and terror of racism. They witness a lynch mob murder a black man and are deeply bothered by the incident. Prof. Tolson, who secretly engages in political activity deemed illegal in those days, also faces adversity. Despite such trials, the team fares well, to the point of being asked to compete against the leading team in the country, Harvard University. At the debate, James, initially a researcher, is given the chance to debate with Samantha, eventually winning the contest. The team then continues their winning streak for the next ten years.
Click here to see the rest of this review...
Best part of story, including ending:
It's a harsh look at civil unrest in America in the 1930s, and it's appalling to watch that atrocious things such as lynching were commonplace during those years.
Best scene in story:
It would have to be the Harvard debate, and we see young James step up to the plate.
Opinion about the main character:
Professor Tolson is a good leader who inspires his students to live up to their potential. It's always refreshing to see characters like him who want to change the world, and they actually go out to do it.
