The Dry Grass of August

The Dry Grass of August is a 2011 novel by Anna Jean Mayhew, her debut novel. It has been described as a young adult novel, but its explicit and sometimes violent portrayals of racism have made some critics question its suitability for younger readers. The novel is told from the point of view of thirteen-year-old June “Jubie” Bentley Watts, a young white girl from Charlotte North Carolina whose vacation trip with her family in the summer of 1954 goes unthinkably wrong. The bulk of the novel takes place in August 1954, but there are several flashbacks during which Jubie describes her family's life prior to moving to their most recent home on Queen's Road West in Charlotte.

As the novel opens, Jubie is packed tight into the family Packard with her mother, Paula Watts; three siblings, older sister, Estelle “Stell” Annette Watts, seven-year-old Carolina “Puddin” Watts, and two-year-old David “Davie” William Watts; and the family's black maid, Mary Luther. The family is on the way to visit, first, Uncle Taylor Bentley, who lives in Pensacola, FL, and then to meet up with Jubie's father, William “Bill” Watts, at Pawleys Island. The recent Brown vs. The Board of Education verdict, which ruled that racially segregated schools are illegal, weighs heavily in the air.

In the past, Bill and Paula were a happy couple. But Bill began to slip into alcoholism, and ends up involved in illegal activity. Bill also belongs to the White Businessman's Association, a group dedicated to preventing black Americans from voting. Further family dysfunction: Stell is easily Bill's favorite child, and equally dotes on her and takes out his anger on Jubie. Jubie's greatest ally comes in the form of their maid, Mary, who Jubie has a closer relationship with than either of her parents. Paula, for her part, increasingly seems disinterested in her family, filling her time with parties and frivolities.



Jubie is an observant and sensitive girl, and as the family travels south, she notices several things about Mary's situation that makes her uncomfortable. There are rumors of KKK activity. The further she goes, the more she sees signs, in reaction to Brown vs The Board of Education, extolling the virtues of segregation – something Jubie had never witnessed in North Carolina. Jubie also becomes painfully aware of the fact when the family overnights at motels. Mary is usually forced to fend for herself since they won't accept colored lodgers. On one occasion, in Wickens, Georgia, the family is able to convince a motel manager to let Mary stay in a small drafty cabin with broken furniture overnight.

Jubie reflects on the family's former simple, peaceful life prior to living on Queen's Road West, when they lived in a small cabin on Shumont Mountain. Her parents hadn't fought then, and were very clearly in love. It was during this time that Mary had first come to work for the family. Jubie was five at the time and had never seen a colored person before. After the move to Queen's Road, Jubie's mother became distant, and Mary was forced to pick up an increasing amount of slack as both homemaker and primary emotional support for the children. But Mary rarely received due praise for her work. In particular, Jubie recalls an incident from the previous Christmas concerning her cousin Carly. Otherwise a very well-mannered young man, Carly had treated Mary as if she were barely human. Jubie had considered saying something to him, but felt that she couldn't because Carly was so much older than her.

When the Watts finally reach Pensacola, they are introduced to many of Uncle Taylor's friends, including a “yankee” named Kay Macy Cooper who never talks down to Mary, and calls her “Mrs. Luther,” – a courtesy for which she is ridiculed by others. One day, while some of the family, including Paula, goes to visit the military base where Uncle Taylor works, Mary takes the Watts children to see a traveling carnival. There, Mary recognizes a young black runaway named Leesum, who she convinces to return to his family. Jubie is surprised by how attracted she is to Leesum, but knows that because of their racial difference romance will never be an option. They become friends, however.



The Florida vacation is a great one overall; Jubie's mother especially seems to be having a good time. While spending time with her rather unhappy cousin Sarah, however, Jubie learns that Sarah's parents have divorced because Uncle Taylor and Paula had an affair last year. Paula still has feelings for Uncle Taylor, it seems, and is loath to leave Pensacola for Pawleys Island, where they will meet up with Bill.

Once the family leaves for Pawleys Island, it becomes clear that something is disturbing Paula. The Watts girls finally learn the truth: their father, too, has had an affair, and the marriage between their parents is in even worse shape than they'd assumed. But they continue towards Pawleys Island, where they are to meet up with Bill. On the way, they are hit by another car, and the Packard is damaged, although no one is badly injured. Although not happy to have to do so, Paula calls Bill to come supervise the repairs.

It is not long after this that, in a shocking scene, the maid Mary is beaten, raped, and killed. Jubie steals the family car to attend Mary's funeral; she is the only white person there, and the only one of her family to attend. The church vows to discover Mary's killer (which they later do). In the wake of Mary's death, things continue to fall apart for the Watts. Bill and his brother's illegal activity leads to the death of a young boy, which causes Bill's distraught brother to kill himself. Bill and Paula finally split for good, and Bill leaves the family.



The title of Mayhew's novel, The Dry Grass of August, seems to refer to the similarity between the fire hazard posed by dry grass in August, and the ready-to-combust social tension surrounding the issue of desegregation in America in 1959. The metaphor is also an apt description of Jubie's family situation, given her parents' unstable marriage, and her father's crumbling business. And indeed, at the end of the novel, although everything seems to lie in shambles, like a field after a fire, there is at least the promise of new growth.