Elizabeth and Hazel
is a depressing book, in my opinion, and not because of what happened on that
day in 1957. It's depressing because Elizabeth Eckford had a life that stunk.
She was a depressed Black American kid who grew up to be a depressed adult,
made bad choices, and ended up with a sorry life. As for Hazel, the most hated
teenage girl in American history, I don’t think she deserves any derision, and
what I dislike is the way she’s been treated by history. She bullied Elizabeth
Eckford for ten minutes, and it was 60 years ago, when she was a sixteen-year-old
kid. Why should the world be angry at her now? Why should she be known as the
nasty White girl from Little Rock? She was under no moral obligation to
apologize to Elizabeth, and Oprah Winfrey's behavior towards Hazel was just
plain mean. The other members of the Little Rock Nine were equally nasty.
A little background
to the story; Elizabeth Eckford was one of the Little Rock Nine (I’m not going
to explain who/what they were, it’s your job to learn your history!) and she’s
in the famous photo, wearing the sunglasses. The teenage brunette in the light
dress, snarling like a dog, is Hazel Bryant. The ordeal of being followed and
surrounded by hostile hoodlums on the way to the bus stop lasted over an hour.
To Elizabeth, I am sure it seemed like an eternity. But Hazel’s rudeness lasted
a few minutes, at the most. Does she deserve to be vivified by all who study US
history?
This book surprised me in a lot of ways, not the least of
which is David Margolick’s unbiased writing. He doesn’t make Elizabeth Eckford
into a hero, and he doesn’t make Hazel into a model of hate, nor a model of repentance.
From what the story shows, Elizabeth was depressed to begin with, and probably
had severe anxiety. She went to college, dropped out to join the army, served
two years, finished college, and immediately afterward she fell into a 20-year depression. She was on welfare, living in a small house
she bought from her mother, and she had two sons by different men. She chose to
have children when she was in her late 30’s, even though she was unemployed and
friendless, and she chose men who were in and out of jail, because she didn’t
want a man interfering in their lives. What she ended up doing was making two
fatherless boys, one of whom ended up dead. Elizabeth would finally rise up
from her slump in the 1990’s, become a probation officer, and attended the 40th
anniversary celebration of the Little Rock Nine. Bill Clinton was there, and so
was Hazel Bryan Massery, looking to make amends.
When this book
came out seven years ago, I read it eagerly, partly because I always wondered
if Hazel was still horrible. What I’m reading here is that she was anything but
horrible; she a typical 1950’s teenager, had a happy marriage, raised
successful kids, and her life was mostly average. As for her terrible deed, it
consisted of yelling at someone for a few minutes. Does she have to spend
eternity apologizing for it? Over the years she would get in touch with
Elizabeth, and there was even the 1997 reunion on Oprah Winfrey’s show. Oprah
was a bit hostile to Hazel, and so were the rest of the Little Rock Nine. But
the way I see it, Hazel had nothing to apologize for.
What the history
buffs don't get is that the Little Rock Nine didn't become "great"
people; they became average citizens who have jobs, pay taxes, and hopefully
enjoy their lives. History books treat them like big heroes and lionize them
for their bravery, and perhaps they deserve the praise. But there were kids who
were putting up with far worse than they, and never got any recognition. It isn't much different from the
transgender rights movement, which has made stars of people like Kaitlyn Jenner
and Jazz Jennings, both of whom look great on TV. Yet are they truly the
“heroes” that the media has created? Both have the support of their families,
and the support of the media, and the money for the sex change operation, and
they look sexy. Now what about the kid in the Deep South, who comes out of the
closet at the risk of being rejected by her friends? She could be thrown out of the house, kicked
out of her church, beaten up on the way to school. Where is the media support
for that girl? Jazz Jennings, Nicole Mains, Corey Mason, Kim Petras, they’re
all famous transgender teens, lionized by the press, and even in children’s
books. But what risks have they taken? Shouldn’t the hero status go to the kid
who really does have to struggle and overcome? In similar fashion, the national
press gave plenty of support to the Little Rock Nine, although they were not
the only Black children in the USA who faced racism head-on. Those nine kids in Little Rock all had the
support of their families, and despite the attitudes in Little Rock, the
national press were on their side too.
Another comparison I want to make is what I call today’s
“youtube disgrace.” I do not believe that Hazel would have survived had the
incident occurred today. Everyone in the crowd would have a smart phone, and
videos of her would be all over the internet. She’d be dubbed “Hater Hazel” by
the media, then she’d be expelled from school, rejected from every college she
applied to, rejected from every job she applied to, and she’d get death
threats. But look at all the people today who are disgraced on youtube because
of their behavior and lack of foresight; Apartment Patty, Pool Patrol Paula,
Cornerstore Caroline, Permit Patty, Barbecue Becky; they’ve lost their jobs,
been demonized by the media, even thrown under the bus by relatives. I have to
wonder if they will be forgiven? Was it right to fire them from their jobs? I’m
sure millions of others have done worse, only they never got caught on camera.
In a way I think Elizabeth was accountable for her own
failures. Having children was a very stupid thing for her to do, given that she
was depressed and jobless. I can't honestly believe she was unaware of the
hardship faced by fatherless boys with a depressed, unemployed, friendless
mother, who has had no success or happiness in life. Did she think that having
children would be like getting a new dog?
I give this unpleasant story 5 stars because of the author's
great writing. But the story itself is not a happy one.
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