Tough, tough, tough read...

I couldn't wait for The Journey of Little Charlie to come out.  I bought it right away and listened to it yesterday.  Christopher Paul Curtis is an incredible author.  Although my expectations were very high, the book exceeded them and as time passes since I finished it last night, my respect and high praise for this book just grows and grows. 
It haunts me and I think it will for a long time.
Let's face it, any book that deals with the evils of slavery is going to be a hard one.  But a necessary one. 
I hated Little Charlie, I hated his mother, I hated Cap' n Buck.  I have hope for Little Charlie, yes, but I still hated him.  And I know he just knew what he knew.  But how could one NOT know that what he believed about slavery was wrong?  How?
Are there things that I think are okay but I am as blind as Little Charlie?  This haunts me. 
Exceptional book.