Hush

Content Warning: This section contains mentions of racial violence.

Hush is written by acclaimed American writer Jacqueline Woodson. Woodson’s work includes books that span different age groups, from children to adults; her middle grade work is especially acclaimed, with her memoir Brown Girl Dreaming (2014), a novel in verse, winning the National Book Award. Hush is also a middle grade novel narrated by a young protagonist, Toswiah Green.

Hush is contemporary realistic fiction. It revolves around Toswiah’s family being forced to enter the Witness Protection Program, following her father’s decision to testify against his former colleagues, policemen who were involved in shooting and killing a Black teenager. This decision uproots the entire family, as they are forced to relocate and take on new identities. America’s history of police brutality and racial bias is an important part of the story’s background. Although penned in 2002, the novel’s social issues have existed long before its publication, and continue to persist within American society.

America’s history of police brutality extends as far back as the late 19th century (Police Brutality in the United States,). This stems from American policemen being conditioned by “danger imperative”—“a cultural frame that emphasizes violence and the need for officer safety” over trusting and protecting civilians (American Policing and the Danger Imperative,). Officers are conditioned to anticipate threats among civilians; they are primed to act preemptive self-defense, often with violence.

While individuals of all communities have been on the receiving end of police brutality, studies show that African Americans experience a disproportionate amount of misconduct. This is theorized to be the result of systemic racism built into the American police and criminal justice systems. The latter, especially, was established during the Jim Crow era, a time in the country’s history when overt racism prevailed. This racism has inadvertently influenced perspectives and practices within the system (Systemic Racism,). In Hush, Jonathan Green describes Officers Randall and Dennis instinctively shooting young Raymond Taylor, even with his arms raised. The sight of a Black boy is enough to trigger alarm in the white officers, in accordance with their conditioning by the “danger imperative.” In other words, the very foundation of police training and criminal law is grounded in bias.

Jonathan’s decision to hold his fellow officers accountable is framed as unusual, as there exists a “thin blue line,” an unspoken sense of loyalty among police: “reporting excessive force or the use of racial slurs by a colleague is an act of treason” (What the Police Really Believe,). Jonathan’s being a Black police officer adds another layer to his conflict; he acts out of justice, defending a Black boy who was wrongfully killed, and is punished for it (as if him being a fellow officer no longer matters to his colleagues). Toswiah calls the “thin blue line” the “Blue Wall of Silence,” as speaking up leads to her father being ostracized and threatened with violence. This animosity by other officers (and likely police supporters) is what necessitates the Greens’ entry into the Witness Protection Program, setting up the novel’s conflict.