“Things Too Huge to Fix by Saying Sorry” written by Susan Vaught is a novel based historical and realistic events.The main hero of this book is Deni Beans, 12 years old girl, whose mother is white and father is African American. They take care of their grandmother, because she is very sick from Alzheimer’s disease. Deni’s mysteries and adventure started, when her grandma told her granddaughter to find a secret key and an envelope that she hid a long time ago. During this investigation, Deni and her best friends (Indri and Mac) try to find out what happen with the friendship between their grandmas who were two best friends from different races (Mrs Beans and  Mrs. Avadelle Richardson). This conflict led to the children’s secret investigation about their family’s past. Also, during this adventure the young investigators discover the real history of the Meredith Riot which was over the desegregation of the University of Mississippi in the 1960s.

The book has very sad and unexpected ending with many twists,and turns along the way. This book can be hard to read, because of how it is written. Most chapter begin with an excerpt from one character’s book. Some chapters include passages from another character’s diary.  Both excerpts and diary passages are from different perspectives on the historical context and occurrences that led up to the Meredith Riots. Meanwhile, the story also takes place in modern times with the grandchildren who are investigating a family feud from the past. The characters’ stories interlace to create a complex novel for historical perspective on racial tension and desegregation in the south.

I recommend this book for middle school students who enjoy learning about civil rights and African American history.