The House on Rondo
University of Minnesota Press (Verlag)
978-1-5179-1930-6 (ISBN)
When thirteen-year-old Zenobia has to leave her friends and spend the summer at Grandma’s while Mama recovers from a stroke, life seems so unfair. But then the eviction letters start arriving throughout her grandparents’ neighborhood, and white men chalk arrows to mark the gas and water lines, and a new world of unfairness unfolds before her. It’s 1963, and Zenobia’s grandparents’ house on Rondo Avenue in Saint Paul-like all the homes in this thriving Black community-is targeted for demolition to make way for the new Interstate Highway 94.
As Zenobia gradually learns about what’s planned for the Rondo neighborhood and what this means for everyone who lives there, she discovers how her story is intertwined with the history of her family, all the way back to Great Grandma Zenobia and the secrets Grandma Essie held close about the reason for her light skin. With the destruction of the neighborhood looming, Zenobia takes a stand on behalf of her community, joining her no-nonsense neighbor, onetime cowgirl Mrs. Ruby Pearl, in a protest and ultimately getting arrested. Though Zenobia is grounded for a month, her punishment seems of little consequence in comparison to what is happening all around her. Even though the demolition continues, she is proud to discover the power and connection in protesting injustice.
The House on Rondo captures the heartbreak, resistance, and resilience that marks a community sacrificed in the name of progress-a “progress” that never seems to favor Black families and neighborhoods and that haunts cities like Saint Paul to this day. As Zenobia learns what can be destroyed and what cannot, her story teaches us that joy, community, and love persist, even amid violence and loss.
Debra J Stone writes essays, poetry, and fiction. She received a 2023–25 Jerome Hill Artist Fellowship in Literature and the 2023 Loft Mirrors and Windows Fellowship for writing books for BIPOC children and young adults. She lives in Minneapolis with her husband and her Australian cattle dog, Ruby. Find her online at debrajeannestone.com or on Instagram @debra2036.
Contents
Zenobia
Josephine Price
Driving to Saint Paul
Grandma Essie’s House
Horace Miller, Senior
King of the Hill
Margaret Smith
Biloxi, Mississippi, to Saint Paul, Minnesota
In Trouble
The Letter
Grandpa Joe and Zenobia
The Spirit Child
Writing Letters
Great-Grandma Zenobia Comes to Saint Paul
Grandma Essie’s Pact of Silence
Grandpa Joe at the Saint Paul Banks and Savings and Loans
Mrs. Ruby Pearl
The Sit-in
Zenobia in Trouble
News from Ruthann
Margaret and Betty
Going to the Library
The House at 841 Rondo Avenue
Ada Milton
The Party
Chocolate Annie Oakley
It Was Time to Do Better
Author’s Note
Acknowledgments
References
| Erscheinungsdatum | 08.10.2025 |
|---|---|
| Zusatzinfo | 9 black and white illustrations |
| Verlagsort | Minnesota |
| Sprache | englisch |
| Maße | 140 x 216 mm |
| Gewicht | 142 g |
| Themenwelt | Kinder- / Jugendbuch ► Sachbücher ► Religion / Philosophie / Psychologie |
| Sozialwissenschaften ► Ethnologie | |
| Sozialwissenschaften ► Soziologie | |
| ISBN-10 | 1-5179-1930-4 / 1517919304 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1-5179-1930-6 / 9781517919306 |
| Zustand | Neuware |
| Informationen gemäß Produktsicherheitsverordnung (GPSR) | |
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