The realistic range of prejudices that it exposes and treats with its simple remedies of constructive contact and labor with nature makes Seedfolks excellent for raising one's social consciousness. Except that he builds his character portrayals upon cultural, as well as personal, backgrounds, neither of which would be flawless, Fleischman can subvert old stereotypes without feeding new ones. For example, does Virgil's father exemplify the stereotype that many northern urbanites harbor about the West Indian businessman? Noting the earnestness of the father's effort with his dream crop and the poor results that he gets from these exertions alone, we can see his indifference to the pregnant teens' squash to have gotten its just deserts. Seeing his pain, however, readers wish him better luck thereafter.

Partly by bringing to the foreground desires and motives that the stereotypes ignore, Fleischman provides for the stereotypes to be overcome. Amir...