Chapters 8-11 Summary and Analysis

It is a monumental evening in the Pattillo home when Grandma India allows the family to watch President Eisenhower on television while having dinner. The 101st Airborne Division arrives in Little Rock to ensure that the integration will take place without violence. Governor Faubus follows the President's speech with one of his own, declaring, "We are now in occupied territory. In the name of God, whom we all revere, in the name of liberty we hold so dear, in the name of decency, which we all cherish, what's happening in America?" Mother Lois applauds the President's actions and shouts at the television that the President has called the Governor's bluff. What will the Governor do now?

That evening after everyone falls asleep, the doorbell rings. Everyone is instantly afraid. The men at the door identify themselves as messengers from...