As good as the author's award-winning CROSSING JORDAN, this book explores such serious issues as friendship, responsibility, and heroism then laces them with adventure and laugh-out-loud funny lines. The story is absorbing, and the characters will leave you hoping for a sequel.

"Freedom dreams, they was always hid in plain sight for anyone who knew how to look and how to listen." (Fogelin, pg.36). Cass, the main character in Adrian Fogelin's Crossing Jordan, frees her mind of prejudice by ignoring a fence that separates her from Jemmie, the young African-American girl who moves in next door. Although hesitant about befriending a black girl, Cass shares mutual interests with Jemmie, and soon a strong bond between the girls emerges. Cass's family, especially her father, deplores blacks, and projects his hatred openly to the rest of the family. In the beginning of the book, Cass also holds negative ideas about African-Americans, but changes as she surrounds herself with Jemmie, and Jemmie's family. The Cognitive dissonance theory provides a platform for understanding the psychological dynamics that Cass encounters when confronted with cultural biases. Defined, cognitive dissonance "is said to be a state of psychological discomfort or tension which motivates efforts to achieve consonance." (Woodward & Denton, pg.160). This occurs when an inconsistency exists between a person's actions and acquired knowledge. There are two ways to reduce dissonance; a person must either change his beliefs or alter his behavior. The dissonance Cass experiences is a direct result from her beliefs instilled by her father, and the increasing amount of time she enjoys spending with Jemmie. She admires Jemmie's running ability, and reading skills, but still sees Jemmie as black girl, and retains stereotypes that blacks steal and lie. When Jemmie is accused of stealing candy at the local grocery store, Cass says, "maybe she did do it, Daddy always said for black people, stealing's as easy as breathing." (Fogelin, pg.45). She defends Jemmie, and tells Andy, the store clerk, "Jemmie is my friend, she doesn't have a thing that belongs to you." However, Cass is uncertain about Jemmie's innocence. She says, "I turned her pockets inside out to show the clerk he was wrong, but as I did it I felt ashamed. I wasn't any better than Andy. I knew Jemmie, and I still hadn't been sure." (Fogelin, pg.46). As the two girls are retelling the story to Nana Grace, Jemmie's grandmother, Cass says, "My smile felt pasted on. If Nana Grace could see into my heart, she would know that when Andy accused Jemmie of stealing I hadn't really trusted her. I had to check her pockets to be sure." (Fogelin, pg.50.) What Cass experiences is known as Post-decision dissonance. This occurs when an important decision is re-evaluated, because the significance is such that a person will look for alternative options in order to achieve consonance. The stealing incident is the turning point in the book, immediately after Cass changes her beliefs about African-Americans. This leads to her state of consonance. Previous to this experience, Cass's actions and knowledge, conflict. Before the grocery store scene Cass says, "I thought maybe I'd give Jemmie my magazines to read when I was done, as long as she promised to give them back." Even when Jemmie's family first moves in, Cass refers to them as "those people", and assumes the absence of Jemmie's father meant he was just another "black" man running around on his wife, and abandoning his family. As time passes, loving and respecting Jemmie and her family change Cass's beliefs regarding African-Americans. Cass can now spend time with Jemmie with no discrepancy between her actions and knowledge, because her newfound knowledge dramatically changes her beliefs. Cass also reduces dissonance by changing her actions. Initially, Cass is reluctant to be-friend a black girl. Instead of walking together to the racetrack, Cass meets her there, and tells Jemmie to leave a few minutes ahead of her. Cass tells Jemmie, "you can't come over here", (Fogelin, pg28.) referring to her house, and only communicates to her through a hole in the fence. As their friendship deepens, Cass lets Jemmie come to her house, even with the fear of her father still in place. By the end of the book, Jemmie asks Cass "will things be different when school starts, will we still be friends?, you know kids are gonna say stuff about us." Cass, without hesitation, replies, "of course we'll be friends, we're not gonna let anything stop us." (Fogelin, pg.93). Cass finally reaches a state of consonance by changing both her beliefs and her actions as the story concludes." The Cognitive dissonance theory provides a clear explanation for the resolution of Cass's uncertainty. Simply stated, a person remains unsatisfied in a state of confusion, and will naturally either ignore the problem, or alter a belief, which will lead to a behavioral change. Cass's friendship with Jemmie overpowers her initial bigotry, and allows for her extreme shift in beliefs and behavior by the end of the book.

Fogelin, Adrien. Crossing Jordan. Atlanta, Georgia: Peachtree Publishers, 2000. Woodward, Gary, and Robert Denton. Persuasion and Influence in American Life. Prospect Heights, Illinois: Waveland Press, 2000.

Cass Bodine is having a lousy summer,until new neighbors move in next door.Her father had heard that these new neighbors were African-Americans, and because of his predjudice immediatly puts up a fence.when the new neighbors move in and see that a fence has been put up, they quickly dislike their new neighbors' from their ignorance. As Cass Bodine watches her new neighbors through a knothole in the fence, she is spotted by Jemmie Lewis. Seeing her long legs and build Cass challenges her to a race and the girls quickly become best friends in secret.Brought together by their love of reading the book Jane Eyre and running entertains the girls. But when their families find out, they forbid the girls from seeing eachother. Read Crossing Jordan and find out how an almost fatal accident brings the families together and what great accomplishment Cass and Jemmie make together. Crossing Jordan Is a fantastic book!I highly recommened it!

Crossing Jordan is a powerful story of friendship between Cassie Bodine, a Caucasian girl, and Jemmie Lewis, an African American girl. They are drawn together by their competiveness in running and a love of reading. From the beginning Cassie and Jemmie's friendship is beset by the prejudice, pride ,and cultural beliefs of their parents. Once it is revealed that the girls are friends , they are forbidden to see each other. Through a turn of life-threatening events, and struggle the parents learn that long held notions of people are insignifigant in a time of need. As a librarian, and mother of a ten-year-old, I'm always looking for good books to read with my daughter. We liked this book because the characters are vivid and lively. At the same time, the book used classical literature in a way that made it fun. As a parent , I feel this book is a must read because it provides a positive platform for the discussion of prejudice, ethnicity, and friendship.