One of Pat Conroy's early...
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One of Pat Conroy's early books, The Water is Wide, tells the story of a young schoolteacher assigned to work on one of the barrier islands of South Carolina. The children in the school are African-American descendants of slaves who labored serving the plantations that raised sea-island cotton during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The teacher is fresh-out-of-school and filled with idealistic plans for enriching the lives of his students. Quickly, it becomes apparent through the resources available and attitude of the administration, that these children enjoy, at best, second-class status among the children served by the county schools. Mainland children are privy to opportunities denied the islanders. In a bold decision, the teacher decides to take the children to the mainland for "trick or treating" on Halloween. This action quickly places the teacher at odds with the school administrators who prefer that these children to remain invisible. His decision comes at a cost of placing his teaching job in jeopardy to provide enrichment for his students.
