Amy Hill Hearth, Author

A Talk with Amy Hill Hearth about her children's book,
"The Delany Sisters Reach High"

Copyright 2003 Amy Hill Hearth


Q. Why a children's book on the Delany Sisters?
A. I first thought of it several years before they died and the sisters loved the idea, but we never got around to it. Also, I've been asked many, many times to write it by countless people, especially grade-school teachers and parents of young children.
Q. Why is that?
A. Apparently, there is a great need for books that are historically significant, nonfiction books for children. Teachers and parents want real-Iife role models for children. They want true stories. They want to counteract the culture of negativity in which we live. They want to inspire children to read.
Q. Are the Delany Sisters 'heroes '?
A. Sure. They are everyday heroes. They are the type of people who form the backbone of America. They came from a loving, wholesome environment where family, church, school, and community defined their lives. Materialism was not part of that picture. They strived to overcome obstacles and succeeded through honorable means. They represent the best that America has to offer in a way that anyone can aspire to.
Q. Why do you think that people find the Delany Sisters so appealing?
A. I think it's because they were so genuine. In a world where everything seems so contrived, the sisters were refreshingly candid.
Q. You focused on their relationship as sisters in "Having Our Say " and again in "The Delany Sisters Reach High." Why is that?
A. It was an enormous part of who they were. I remember calling my own sister on the day I met the Delany Sisters, and I said, "You can't believe these two sisters I met! They are both over 100 years old and they are still having the same quarrels they had when they were six and eight years old!" I thought it was very charming and funny.
Q. Do you think this book will appeal to both white and black people in the same way that "Having Our Say" does?
Q. What is your favorite moment in your book?
A. The scene where Sadie and Bessie are in Pullen Park in Raleigh, N.C. one Sunday afternoon and they encountered Jim Crow laws for the first time that day. They discovered that the public well has been divided into a "white" and "colored" section by a sign. And Bessie defiantly takes the dipper and takes some "white" water. It's a powerful moment.
Q. You grew up in the South. Do you remember Jim Crow laws?
A. I was a Northern kid whose family moved to Columbia, South Carolina, when I was in the first grade. We lived there for six years. The schools were segregated and so of course as a white child that meant I attended a "white" school. In fourth grade, I got in trouble for reading a book on Harriett Tubman, the heroic slave who escaped and then returned to the South again and again to lead other slaves to freedom. I wrote a book report and the teacher kept me after class. I
had always been an " A" student. She said she would either fail me or I would have to do a book report on a different book. The book on Harriett Tubman was "not
acceptable" because she was a black person. I was shocked and angry.
Q. What happened?
A. My mother objected. I got my "A," and Harriett Tubman remains one of my greatest heroes.
Q. Are you more like "Queen Bess " or "Sweet Sadie "?
A. Well, I think you can see by the Harriett Tubman episode in my childhood that I am defiant by nature. I come across as very pleasant and easy-going, but I hate injustice and I will fight back. Therefore, I am much more like Bessie. I wish I was more like Sadie.
Q. What was the hardest part of creating this book?
A. Frankly, there was no "hard" part. It was sheer joy. The sisters were the best friends I ever had, and I miss them. I felt close to them while working on
this book. I only wish they were here to see it.