? Four Starred Reviews ?Editors? Choice Book ?The New York TimesJane Addams Children?s Book AwardTop 10 Black History Books for Youth ?BooklistBest Books of the Year ?BooklistBest of 2012 ?Kirkus Revi
Essential reading on American and Black history, race, protest and youth activism
? Four Starred Reviews ?
Editors? Choice Book ?The New York Times
Jane Addams Children?s Book Award
Top 10 Black History Books for Youth ?Booklist
Best Books of the Year ?Booklist
Best of 2012 ?Kirkus Reviews
Best Books 2012 List ?Publishers Weekly
Best Books of the Year ?School Library Journal
Parents? Choice Gold Award
A Junior Library Guild Selection
The inspiring story of the 1963 Birmingham Children?s March, one of the greatest moments in civil rights history, as seen through the eyes of four young people at the center of the action. From award-winning author Cynthia Levinson.
The 1963 Birmingham Children?s March was a turning point in American history. African Americans had had enough of segregation and police brutality, but with their lives and jobs at stake, most adults were hesitant to protest the city?s racist culture. So the fight for civil rights lay in the hands of children like Audrey Hendricks, Wash Booker, James Stewart, and Arnetta Streeter.
We?ve Got a Job tells the little-known story of the 4,000 Black elementary, middle, and high school students who answered Dr. Martin Luther King?s call to ?fill the jails.? Between May 2 and May 11, 1963, these young people voluntarily went to jail, drawing national attention to the cause, helping bring about the repeal of segregation laws, and inspiring thousands of other young people to demand their rights.
Combining extensive research and in-depth interviews with protesters, award-winning author Cynthia Levinson recreates the events of the Birmingham Children?s March from a new and very personal perspective. Archival photography and informational sidebars throughout. Backmatter includes an afterword, author?s note, timeline, map, and bibliography.
?This photo-essay stands out for its engrossing content, excellent composition, and riveting use of primary-source material. Covering the history of the Birmingham Children?s March from inception to full impact, Levinson traces the stories of four young people between the ages of 9 and 15 in 1963?With a helpful list of abbreviations, excellent source notes, photo credits, a fine bibliography, and a comprehensive index, this a great research source, but it?s also just plain thought-provoking reading about a time that was both sobering and stirring.? ?School Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW
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Curriculum Connections: Unique POV, arguments and extreme viewpoints, enhanced visual format and book structures, photos, backmatter
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?This highly readable photo-essay will hold YA readers with its focus on four young people who participated in the Birmingham Children?s March?The format will hook readers with spacious type, boxed quotes, and large black-and-white photos on almost every double-page spread, from the horrifying view of the Klan marching with children to the young protestors waiting to be arrested. A fascinating look at a rarely covered event for both curriculum and personal interest.? ?Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
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?The author takes her inspiring tale of courage in the face of both irrational racial hatred and adult foot-dragging (on both sides) through the ensuing riots and the electrifying September bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church?A moving record of young people rising at a pivotal historical moment, based on original interviews and archival research as well as published sources.? ?Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
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?Yet the most compelling component is Levinson?s dramatic recreation of the courageous children?s crusade and the change it helped bring about in the face of widespread prejudice and brutality. Powerful period photos and topical sidebars heighten the story?s impact.? ?Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
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