Clean Getaway

Much of this novel centers around the persistence of racism in the United States throughout its history. G’ma serves as Scoob’s guide, explaining what happened to Medgar Evers, the four little girls killed in the bombing of a church in Birmingham, and Martin Luther King Jr. In the time of the Jim Crow South, which lasted from approximately 1877 to the mid-1960s, African Americans were heavily persecuted and often the victims of hate crimes at the hands of white Americans who believed in segregation and that they were superior to African Americans.

As a result, it was often difficult for travelers moving through the South. African Americans could be hurt or killed in certain places—called “Sundown Towns”—because racism was so prevalent. Law enforcement would often turn a blind eye to such crimes. Out of this context, the Green Book was born. Its full title is The Negro Motorist Green Book, and it served as a guide for African American travelers on places to stay, eat, sleep, drink, and get gas throughout the country that would be friendly and help them to avoid the racial prejudice still prevalent in the United States. It was published by Victor H. Green from 1936 to 1966.

G’ma also details for Scoob the difficulties interracial couples faced during this era, noting that being together was dangerous for both herself and for her husband, but especially for him because he was Black. She explains that the reason they returned to Atlanta after discovering she was pregnant was because they weren’t sure if they’d be able to find a doctor who would treat her since she was married to a Black man and carrying his child. She also mentions Loving v. Virginia, 1967 Supreme Court case that overturned anti-miscegenation laws—statues that made it illegal for persons of different races to marry.

Scoob also realizes that while laws like the Civil Rights Act of 1965 and cases like Loving v. Virginia have done much to protect the rights of African Americans, racism is still very present. He has experienced it in witnessing the dirty looks from gas station attendants and waitresses while he’s with G’ma, and throughout the novel, he compares his experience with what he is learning about the country’s past.