Half-Truths by Carol Baldwin: Truth and Prejudice

“Good reporters go beyond just stating the facts.
They dig for the truth.”
– Half-Truths, Carol Baldwin

In Carol Baldwin’s upcoming novel Half-Truths, a teenage girl with dreams of being a journalist grapples with truth and prejudice. This YA historical fiction novel takes place in the South in the 1950’s. With segregation at its height, and the KKK constantly threatening people she cares about, Katie Dinsmore struggles to find the truth and to speak up for what’s right. As she pursues her dream of writing, Katie finds herself in the thick of long-buried family secrets and social injustice overshadowing her community. Will she have the courage to dig deeper into her questions and to voice the answers when she finds them?

About the Book:

Half-Truths is a character-driven, beautifully told coming-of-age novel. Throughout the story, Katie wrestles with learning more about the world and finding her place in it. She struggles with pursuing her goals, meeting her grandmother’s expectations, fitting in with her peers, and building relationships with the people she admires. As she tries to unravel the mystery in her own backyard, she must also unravel who she wants to be from the myriad of voices pulling her in different directions.

This well-crafted narrative shows the importance of seeking what’s right instead of accepting what’s easy. Carol Baldwin tackles powerful topics that matter just as much today as they did for her characters in the 1950’s.

Truth and Prejudice in Half-Truths

Half-Truths explores several key themes that stuck with me as I read and even after I put it down.

The Value of Questions

Baldwin shows her readers the value of asking questions and pursuing the answers. During the whole of the story, Katie constantly observes her community and questions what she sees. She refuses to accept the surface answers and digs deeper to find out what lies beneath. Even though there are times she fumbles, Katie never stops trying to learn more about the people and events around her. She spends time reflecting, reading, and talking to people with more experience than herself.

The Power of Truth

As one might guess from the title, Half-Truths deals constantly with the nature of truth. Baldwin shows how lies and silenced voices create divides between families and communities. Her characters wrestle with deciding what stories should be shared far and wide, and which should be spoken just with those closest to us. Katie especially grows throughout the narrative in communicating honestly to bridge the gap between her and others.

The Danger of Prejudice

One of the most powerful topics that Carol Baldwin addresses is that of prejudice. 

From the very beginning of the story, Katie recognizes the wrongness of the hatred her black neighbors face from the KKK and their evil actions. Yet, we see Katie struggle with the more commonplace inequality that was so accepted in her time. We watch Katie grow from accepting that schools are segregated to realizing the injustice of withholding opportunities from others. We see her grapple with her own prejudices that come to light as she builds new friendships. When she tries to speak out against city actions that harm her black neighbors, she discovers how little she truly knows about their experiences.

These moments in the story are important, because they ring true. All too often, we see ourselves as empathizing with people who are different from, yet we still have unconscious biases about them. We want to show love and kindness toward others, but sometimes we don’t recognize the false assumptions we bring to the table. 

One of the most valuable lessons Katie learns in the story, and one of the reminders I took away from it, is how to listen. Katie learns how to listen and look for the whole truth, about people and situations, setting aside her assumptions and seeking the whole story. She learns to go deeper and truly connect with the people she cares about. 

In the same way, if truly want to love the people around us, we have to start by being willing to listen. When we meet people of different backgrounds, cultures, and belief systems, we need to be careful to not assume we know their stories before they have the chance to tell them.

Final Thoughts:

Half-Truths is a great novel for teens interested in history, writing, or family mysteries. Full of relatable characters and thought-provoking themes, Half-Truths offers a great read to share.