My Mother the Cheerleader by Robert Sharenow

This is a book club selection for January. As I said below, this book has a deceptive title. One might think that the narrator's mother is a sports cheerleader or something. In fact, that is far from the case.

Set in 1960 New Orleans, Louise Collins lives in the 9th Ward of the city...where Ruby Bridges becomes the first African-American child to attend the formerly all white William Frantz Elementary school.

Like many other parents, Louise’s mother pulls her daughter out of school. And, like many other mothers, she also joins the Cheerleaders – a group of local women who gather every school day to taunt the 6-year-old Ruby, screaming obscenities and racial slurs as she walks into the school.

Louise spends her time working at home in the boardinghouse her mother “runs”, serving their cantankerous elderly boarder, helping their housekeeper, reading her favorite novels and spying on people.

When Morgan Miller comes to stay at Rooms on Desire, Louise feels there is something different – something mysterious – about this man, and she is determined to find out what it is.

And that is about as far as I’ve read.