Review: Thought-Provoking Period Piece on the Civil Rights Movement
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 7, 2014
While the role of sympathetic whites in the civil rights movement is diminished in some works, Ronald Argo makes it the key focus in The Sum of His Worth. Argo provocatively captures the manner in which his main character is sucked into the conflict by having him experience a sudden and traumatic epiphany when he witnesses the cruel treatment of blacks by the KKK with his own two eyes.Not only has Argo managed to write a period piece that feels truly authentic (it helps that he grew up in Alabama, where the novel is set), but he has managed to capture an aspect of the human mind that some may find highly relatable. Sonny has an idea of what is going on around him, yet does not truly begin to get involved until he has seen it for himself. This appears to relate quite well to the modern era of apathetic youth. From another viewpoint, it simply shows a boy becoming a man as he bears witness to an event that no young boy should have to see. This portrayal is made even more realistic by the fact that Sonny still has many of the same concerns common amongst teenage boys (i.e. sex).Sonny’s understanding of the climate of racism and hatred grows throughout the novel, as he begins to receive more and more of the same unjust treatment doled out against those whom he is defending. Novels dealing with the subject of racism always run the risk of becoming heavy-handed. As with Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird,” Argo avoids becoming overly preachy by occasionally stepping outside the subject of racism and concentrating on the cultivation of three-dimensional characters. This makes the book’s message easier to digest, while also creating a more entertaining read.