I liked this book, but definitely preferred the first two the most in the series. I did like how Clem learned ro face his fears and also seeing his perspective with his friendship with Langston from the first book.

Reminiscent of The Watsons Go to Burmingham in tone. It's more snapshots than a full sequential plot. It's not especially intense, though it's noteworthy in it's exploration of gender roles and masculinity than of racism.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* This is the first book from the series i have read, found out it was part of a series after i finished it lol but it was a really good and i plan on reading the entire series

Interesting YA historical fiction. I loved the writing and the voices of the characters. Clem is intriguing as he navigates his world in the coming of age story. You can feel the strong family emotions and bonds that surround his inner world and how that’s becomes a support for Clem to stretch his wings.

Thank you NetGalley for an audio-ARC of Being Clem by Lesa Cline-Ransom.
Although this is the final book of the trilogy, it is the first I've read. It can easily stand alone, but has made me want to read the other two books. A historical fiction about war and racial tensions during the 1940s. The author's note at the end added depth to the story. The narrator, Dion Graham, switches easily between female and male voices and adds tone, articulation, and good pacing. Graham was easy to follow and made me feel as if I were part of the story.

I am sad to hear this was the end of the series. All of these boys found a place in my heart for different reasons. Having started with Finding Langston, I was able as a teacher to bring this history to my students who were still able to find a connection with Clem. Siblings, loss of a parent and facing ones fears are still present for my students. Mrs. Cline-Ransome again has brought her story to life. I appreciated the author's note to give more information about the Port Chicago Disaster. Last year my students were excited for the sequels and will be coming to my room to see when they are available.

When I read Being Clem, I did not realize this was book 3 in the Finding Langston series. I loved Finding Langston, but somehow missed Leaving Lymon (am already taking steps to rectify that). My omission did not matter one whit. Being Clem can certainly stand alone on its own merits. Dionne Graham’s narration of the audiobook is spot on. I could listen to his smooth, velvety voice all day. I easily differentiated among the characters. Graham’s range of emotions is amazing. Clem grows as a character, and Graham’s voice reflects that growth.

Clem is nine when his father dies in the Port Chicago explosion. His coming of age over the next four years reflects the time: school bullying, racism, and bias. His relationships with his mom, sisters, friends, and extended family felt so real. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will purchase both the audio and a hard copy for my school library.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for allowing me access to the audio book version of this book.

This story centers around Clem, an African-American boy growing up in Chicago with his mother and two sisters. Throughout the book, you get to witness as Clem faces typical coming-of-age struggles. All along the way, you will find yourself rooting for Clem to make the right decisions and come out on top. I found Clem to be very likeable, and I especially enjoyed his relationship with his sisters. Their back and forth banter came through as genuine and made me chuckle a couple of times.

The author has managed to skillfully intertwine pieces of Black History and the struggles of African-Americans throughout the story in a way that adds to the narrative and gives the reader more to learn about. From the teacher standpoint, I can easily see this book being used to spark discussion and/or research about various topics such as the Great Migration and the treatment of Blacks in the military. Her Author's Note is a great place to begin to learn more.

Although this book is the third book of a trilogy, it does well as a stand-alone as well. However, having gotten to meet Langston and Lymon in this book, I'm now eager to learn their stories by reading the other books in the series. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and will be recommending it to students and teachers every chance I get.

That said, I'd like to add a few things about the audio recording. The narrator has a great voice and is very easy to listen to, but his inflections often didn't seem quite right and that caused me to become distracted many times. Also, there are some fixes (at least three) that need to be made to the editing because a phrase was repeated, a line of dialogue was missed, etc. I hope these can be corrected before the audio book is released to the public.

I absolutely loved this companion to Finding Langston and Leaving Lymon. I listened to all 3 of these books on audio and the narration by Dion Graham is exquisite and definitely adds to the reading experience.

In comparison to the other 2 books in this companion series, this one didn't have as linear of a plot. It tended to wander a little from school, to time with his cousins, to family life, to time with his aunts in DC, to his interest in swimming, to time at the library, to his identity in relation to his father. There was quite a bit going on for such a short book.

No doubt this was still a 5 star read for me. The love I have for each of the boys in this series speaks volumes for Lisa Cline-Ransome's ability to write amazing characters in very short books. I'm still holding out hope the author will write a book centered on Errol because I would love to hear his story too.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for the advanced audio copy of Being Clem to review.

I really enjoyed this story and the voice actor who read it. It is, apparently, part of a trilogy and this taste of the series was enough to make me want to look for the others.

I would have liked a little more history about the Port Chicago disaster, so appreciated the author’s note at the end. But, regardless, I cheered for Clem and his family and my heart hurt thinking of all of their disappointments and sadness. Clem reminded me so much of many of my students, and I think this will be a great addition to a class library.

Besides the dearth of info about the deadly tragedy that propels this novel, the other thing it’s missing is depth. I felt like lots of topics were mentioned (domestic violence, bullying, racism) they were skimmed over in exchange for more characterization of Clem. I would have liked to see them addressed and examined a bit more.
The nice thing about this novel is that I can imagine additional stories about many nor the other characters. I’d love to hear more about Clem’s sisters and mom and his friends and neighbors. The addition of a “mentor” at the end made me curious about whether, perhaps, it was leading to a spin-off.

Being Clem is the third book in a trilogy, it is the first book of said trilogy that I have read and it worked completely as a stand alone.

Being Clem is a great coming of age (up to middle school) story for young Clem starting with the loss of his father at Port Chicago. He lives in Chicago with his now widowed mother and two older sisters. We follow him from elementary to middle school. We see him find his interests, overcome his fears and start to learn more about the world than just being book smart.

I would recommend this to fans of middle grade reads especially those who like a bit of history. I do wish there were more about Port Chicago history in general but did enjoy the tidbits I learned throughout.

Thanks to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for a free ALC of this book!

Clem's father has just died in the Port Chicago explosion of 1944. Now his mother must find work. She is an educated Black woman, but the only job she can find is working long hours as a maid for a white family. Clem is terrified of water, but he desperately wants to be a swimmer like his father was. While the family tries to navigate their new life without Clem's dad, Clem also has to figure out how to deal with changing friendships. While I liked this book, I wanted more. I loved the author's notes about the Port Chicago disaster at the end of the book, but I wish more facts would have been included in the text. Still, this book and the rest of the series would be great additions to any middle grade or junior high classroom.