56 pages • 1 hour read
Bethany C. MorrowA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Author Bethany Morrow writes in the Acknowledgements that “A Song Below Water is about the lifesaving power of Black sisterhood” (244), and that Black rights were a major influence on the novel. The novel is grounded in real-life racism. In recent history in the United States, society has started major movements for Black rights such as Black Lives Matter. The organization “#BlackLivesMatter was founded in 2013 in response to the acquittal of Trayvon Martin’s murderer” (“About.” Black Lives Matter). On February 26, 2012, Martin’s murder made national news, as he was a 17-year-old Black teen shot by an older man. The murderer, George Zimmerman, “a 28-year-old man of mixed race who identifies as Hispanic,” was a “neighborhood watch coordinator for the gated community where Martin was visiting relatives at the time of the shooting” (Francescani, Chris. “George Zimmerman: Prelude to a shooting.” Reuters, 22 April 2012). It’s reported that Zimmerman “became suspicious” of Martin and called police. Before officers arrived, Zimmerman was “injured during a physical altercation between the two and shot Martin with a pistol he was licensed to carry” (Francescani, Chris). Though protestors fought for justice for Martin, Zimmerman was found not guilty due to self-defense.