The Sky is Gray - Precis

James, an eight-year-old boy, lives in the outskirts of Bayonne in a farming community with his mother, auntie, and siblings. His father has been drafted into the war, World War II, so his mother has to try to support the family by working in the fields. His mother tries to teach him to fight starvation, cold, and hardship with pride.

James has a very bad tooth ache, but he does not tell his mother because she would say he was acting like a crybaby. His mother finds out about the tooth and has just enough money for the trip to Bayonne and back, to get the tooth pulled, and some salt meat.

While James and his mother wait for the bus, James starts to think about how much he loves his mother. He wants to tell her and hug her but he knows she would see that as a sign of weakness. He remembers once that his mother wanted him to kill two blackbirds

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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 603
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)