Fire in Their Eyes — Edward George Udell

Fire in Their Eyes is the first in a series of books (Eyes of Fire Series) featuring the dynamic lives of African Americans who moved from the South to the North to the East and West, with some books including Africa, Trinidad, Israel, and Jamaica. The series includes African Americans who were also part-Native American and follows their journeys back and forth in flashbacks from slavery to bought wives, and includes those with ancestral ties to the West Indies, Africa, Israel, and over several states in America. The first book, Fire In Their Eyes, relates the stories and secrets of a grandson, a mother, and a grandfather who attain a measure of success as they deal with racial challenges from the early 20th century to the 1960s. Their flashbacks helps readers understand why the younger grandson has trouble dealing with racial issues since he is "one of the good ones." The spotlight is on how previous African American generations dealt with racial challenges and why some moved from Texas and Oklahoma out to California, the so-called "State of Opportunity," and back to the South. The readers get inside the minds of the grandfather and mother as they struggle with how far to help the grandson fight back against racial discrimination with a family secret of a power. The story follows the young boy, first in an all-white rural school in California, and later in towns and cities where the discrimination is more subversive. By sharing their flashbacks, the readers see how older generations help younger people by acting as mentors of a better way in dealing with unkind people.