The Counterculture : Giving Peace a Chance in Turbulent Times.

The Counterculture/ ‘Hippie’/’Yippie’ subculture and there affect on the 1960s and 70s.  Particular emphasis was placed on the antiwar/peace movement during the Vietnam Conflict.

~Peter Breault

• Item 1: Young Adult – Fiction – (ISBN – 13: 978-0-06-020710-6)

Brooks, Bruce. (1986). Midnight hour encores. New York, NY: Harper & Row. 263 p.

Reason/Perspective:  This is one of my older selections dating back to 1986; it was included because I just really liked the premise.  A daughter is raised by her father, when the mother runs away to live the carefree life of a hippie.  Now the child who is becoming a musical ‘genius’ and her father go on a road trip to try and meet the estranged mother.  The twist is that the mother isn’t quite the ‘hippie’ she once was.  My intention was to have at least one text that helped to explain what happened to some of the hippies who ended up just blending back into society. 

• Item 2: Young Adult – Nonfiction – (ISBN – 13: 978-1-59403-082-6)
Collier, Peter. (2006). Destructive generation: second thoughts about the sixties. (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Encounter Books. 414 p.

Reason/Perspective:  To be honest I have seen mixed reviews on this item.  However, for the purpose of differing viewpoints I wanted something about the time period that was very conservative, and portray the exact opposite viewpoints expressed by the hippie subculture.  This was the closest I could find that fit that criteria, and was still written for a young adult audience.

• Item 3: Young Adult/Adult – Nonfiction – (ISBN – 13: 978-0-275-96211-1)

Dickerson, James. (1999). North to Canada: men and women against the Vietnam War. Westport, CT: Praeger. 199 p.

Reason/Perspective:  This item differs in age ranges; the sites Alibris.com and Amazon.com portray this more as a juvenile/young adult item, whereas the vendor site titlewave.com says it is for adults.  It tells the story and the perspective of those that fled the United States and went to Canada to avoid the draft.

• Item 4: Young Adult – Fiction – (ISBN – 13: 978-0-374-46970-2)

Hobbs, Valerie. (2006). Sonny’s War. New York, NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 215 p.

Reason/Perspective:  Told through the perspective of a teen boy named Sonny, and a girl named Cory.  It supposedly deals a great deal with the Vietnam drafts, the peace movements, and the differing opinions within the setting of a small town in America.

• Item 5: Young Adult – Nonfiction – (ISBN – 13: 978-0-313-36572-0

Issitt, Micah. L. (2009).  Hippies: a guide to an American subculture. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. 164 p.

Reason/Perspective: This item may fit more in the category of a reference material for young adults.  However the latter half of this item is supposedly filled with primary resources from the time period from such prominent figures as Abbie Hoffman, Timothy Leary, Joan Baez, and Grace Slick.

• Item 6: Young Adult – Nonfiction – (ISBN – 13: 978-1-888451-78-8)

Kovic, Ron. (2005). Born on the Fourth of July. Brooklyn, New York: Akashic Books. 216 p.

Reason/Perspective: While this item was originally written in 1976 this version has a new introduction where Kovic compares the conflict in Vietnam with the one in Iraq.  In my opinion it is a classic for this particular topic.  It tells the story of a man who goes off to war positive/energetic, becomes paralyzed in combat, returns home where he loses his love of war, and he becomes one of the more instrumental figures in the antiwar movement.

• Item 7: Adult – Nonfiction – (ISBN – 13: 978-0-226-46503-6)

Kusch, Frank. (2008). Battleground Chicago: the police and the 1968 Democratic National Convention. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. 206 p.

Reason/Perspective:  This is the one major item that is probably more adult than young adult.  I questioned its inclusion but its viewpoint in my opinion was too valuable for exclusion.  It is supposedly written from the viewpoint of the police who had to deal with the events of the 1968 Democratic National Convention and the riot/protests that ensued because of the involvement of the Yippies/Hippies.

• Item 8:  Young Adult – Fiction – (ISBN - 13: 978-0-618-11134-3)

Murphy, Claire Rudolf. (2002). Free Radical. Boston, MA: Clarion Books. 198 p.

Reason/Perspective:  A teenage boy living in Alaska discovers that his mother is wanted by the FBI for the killing of someone, when she took part in an anti-Vietnam protest.  I wanted a piece from telling the story from the perspective of the ‘hippie generation’s’ children.

• Item 9: Grades 5-8/YA – Fiction – (ISBN – 13: 978-1-59990-183-1)

Partidge, Elizabeth. (2011). Dogtag Summer. London, United Kingdom: Bloomsbury. 229 p.

Reason/Perspective:  A Vietnamese teenager adopted by an American family makes a discovery in 1980 when she comes across a set of dog tags and an ammunition box that belonged to her adopting father proving he had a connection with the Vietnam Conflict.  The girl Tracy also has a friend named Stargazer who is the daughter of hippies.

• Item 10: Young Adult – Nonfiction – (ISBN – 13: 978-1-57488-275-5)

Tollefson, James W. (2000). The strength not to fight: conscientious objectors of the Vietnam War – in their own words. (1st pbk. ed.). Washington D.C., Potomac Books Inc: (formerly Brassey’s inc). 248 p.

Reason/Perspective: This book includes many different true stories about the people who chose not to fight, how it affected their lives, and those around them.  It also mentions what they endured for their views, and how they remember the events approximately 30 years later.

(Very Close Runners Up: I had three items that I really wanted two include but for the reasons mentioned I had to drop them from my top ten list.)

Runner-up 1: Young Adult – Fiction – (ISBN – 13: 978-0-9551566-3-2)

D’Adamo, Francesco. (2007). My brother Johnny. Twickenham, Middlesex, England: Aurora Metro Press. 128 p.

Reason: This story sounds good, about a young man who goes to war as a flier only to realize that he bombed civilians and when he returns home to the U.S. he takes an anti war position.  However, try as I might over multiple days I could not locate a reputable review of this item.  Since I had nothing to validate my opinions it was ultimately rejected.

Runner-up 2:  Young Adult – Nonfiction – (ISBN – 13: 978-0-7377-0406-8)

Kallen, Stuart A. (Eds.). (2001). Sixties Counterculture.  Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press. 224 p.

Reason: This item is very similar to the book by Micah L. Issitt, Hippies: a guide to an American subculture.  In the end I rejected this item because Issitt’s book looked more engaging for young adults, though they seemed to be reviewed equally well.

Runner-up 3:  Young Adult – Fiction – (ISBN – 13: 978-0152058272)

Paulsen, Gary. (2006). The Car. Boston, MA: Graphia. 192 p.

Reason: This story looked good, but I was not completely convinced that it stated as much about my topic as I wanted.

Civil Rights Movement

A collection of non-fiction and fiction books on the Civil Rights Movement primarily for high school students 9^th grade and up. I know I went overboard with the number of titles, but they all looked interesting and informative to students.

~Beth Grimes

Allen, Z. (1996). Black women leaders of the civil rights movement. Danbury, CT: Franklin Watts.

Baldwin, J. (2000). The fire next time. Austin, TX: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.

Bausum, A. (2006). Freedom Riders: John Lewis and Jim Zwerg on the front lines of the civil rights movement. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic.

Beals, M. (2007). Warriors don't cry: the searing memoir of the battle to integrate Little Rock's Central High. New York, NY: Simon Pulse.

Bridges, R., & Lundell, M. (1999). Through my eyes. New York, NY: Scholastic Press.

Bullard, S. (1994). Free at last: a history of the Civil Rights Movement and those who died in the struggle. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Crowe, C. (2003). Getting away with murder: the true story of the Emmett Till case. New York, NY: Phyllis Fogelman Books.

Crowe, C. (2003). Mississippi trial, 1955. New York, NY: Speak/Penguin Group.

Curtis, C. P. (2000). The Watsons go to Birmingham--1963: a novel. New York, NY: Dell Laurel Leaf.

Davis, O. (1995). Just like Martin. New York, NY: Puffin Books.

Grant, J. (1999). Ella Baker: freedom bound. New York, NY: Wiley.

Helfer, A., & DuBurke, R. (2006). Malcolm X: a graphic biography. New York, NY: Hill and Wang.

Hoose, P. M. (2009). Claudette Colvin: twice toward justice. New York: Melanie Kroupa Books/Farrar Straus Giroux.

Johnston, T. (2007). Bone by bone by bone. New York, NY: Roaring Brook Press.

Kasher, S. (1996). The civil rights movement: a photographic history, 1954-68. New York, NY: Abbeville Press.

King, M. L., & Jackson, J. (2000). Why we can't wait. New York, NY: Signet Classic.

LaNier, C. W., & Page, L. F. (2009). A mighty long way: my journey to justice at Little Rock Central High School. New York, NY: One World Ballantine Books.

Levine, E. (2000). Freedom's children: young civil rights activists tell their own stories. New York, NY: Puffin Books.

Magoon, K. (2010). The rock and the river. New York, NY: Aladdin.

Mayer, R. H. (2004). The Civil Rights Act of 1964. San Diego: Greenhaven Press.

Mills, K. (2007). This little light of mine: the life of Fannie Lou Hamer. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky.

Moody, A. (2004). Coming of age in Mississippi. New York, NY: Delta Trade Paperbacks.

Morrison, T. (2004). Remember: the journey to school integration. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Parks, R., & Haskins, J. (1999). Rosa Parks: my story. New York, NY: Puffin Books.

Partridge, E. (2009). Marching for freedom: walk together, children, and don't you grow weary. New York, NY: Viking.

Sharenow, R. (2007). My mother the cheerleader: a novel. New York, NY: HarperCollins.

Stanton, M. (2000). From Selma to sorrow: the life and death of Viola Liuzzo. Athens: University of Georgia Press.

Thomas, J. C., & James, C. (2003). Linda Brown, you are not alone: the Brown v. Board of Education decision: a collection. New York: Jump at the Sun/Hyperion Books for Children.

Till-Mobley, M., & Benson, C. (2005). Death of innocence: the story of the hate crime that changed America. New York, NY: Ballantine Books.

Turck, M. (2009). Freedom song: young voices and the struggle for civil rights. Chicago, IL: Chicago Review Press.

Watson, B. (2010). Freedom summer: the savage season that made Mississippi burn and made America a democracy. New York, NY: Viking.

Williams, J. (1988). Eyes on the prize: America's civil rights years, 1954-1965. New York, NY: Penguin Books.

X, M., & Breitman, G. (1990). Malcolm X speaks: selected speeches and statements.                     

            New York, NY: Grove Weidenfeld.

Women’s Suffrage in the United States

~Sarah Gaines

1.       Failure Is Impossible: Susan B. Anthony in Her Own Words by Lynn Sherr

Published by Times Books, January 1996

ISBN 978-0812927184

From Library Journal “"Away with your man-visions! Women propose to reject them all, and begin to dream dreams for themselves," writes Anthony in one selection from this sprightly collection of her correspondence, speeches, interviews, and published writings. Sherr, 20/20 correspondent and coauthor of Susan B. Anthony Slept Here (LJ 5/1/94), has arranged the selections by topic-"Oh Slavery, Hateful Thing," "The Original Frequent Flier," "Get Money, Get Wealth," etc.-and chronologically within topics. Specialists may object that this arrangement distorts the historical meaning of some selections; this reader regretted that the leading chapter concerned Anthony's marital status. These are quibbles, however, for this is a fascinating and accessible volume. Sherr includes a brief but choice bibliography and notes that most of the selections are in the microfilm edition of The Papers of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, available to library patrons in some areas. Essential for public, high school, and academic libraries.”

2.       Not for Ourselves Alone: The Story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony by Geoffrey C. Ward and Kenneth Burns

Published by Knopf, October 1999

ISBN 978-0375405600

From Publishers Weekly “When Paul Barnes suggested that Elizabeth Cady Stanton be included in the film portraits of notable Americans that Ken Burns was planning to make, Burns barely recognized the name. Marginally more familiar was that of Susan B. Anthony, Stanton's comrade-in-arms in the struggle for women's suffrage. But as this bookAthe companion volume to the documentary that will appear this fall on PBSAsplendidly reveals, theirs is the story not merely of two remarkable 19th-century women but of a major political movement, the end of which has yet to be written. This dual biography of the pair by the historian Ward emphasizes the impossibility of treating either one in isolation from the other. Anthony's grasp of the practical complemented Stanton's philosophical imaginationAas Stanton wrote, "entirely one are we." Ward restores Stanton to her proper place alongside Anthony in the history of the women's movement and sensitively handles the more problematic elements of their political positions, especially in regard to their resistance to the enfranchisement of former male slaves before the vote was extended to women of any color. Additionally, there are essays by prominent women historians, including a provocative discussion of Stanton's contemporary reputation by Ellen Carol DuBois, and the wealth of illustrations that we have come to expect from Burns and his associates.”

3.       Sisters: The Lives of America's Suffragists by Jean H. Baker

Published by Hill and Wang, August 2006

ISBN 978-0809087037

From Booklist “This fascinating collective biography features in-depth sketches of five indispensable leaders of the American suffrage movement. Lucy Stone, Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Frances Willard, and Alice Paul--stalwarts in the struggle to extend fundamental rights and freedoms to females--are profiled in turn. Although these women are identified with the famous movements they founded and the radical causes they espoused, Baker breathes new life into subjects that have become somewhat fossilized and sanitized over time. Viewing them through a revitalized historical lens, she concentrates on the private lives and personal connections that contributed to the formation of their staunch beliefs and ambitions. The fact that they each led lives that were influenced by childhood circumstances, divergent personalities, robust love interests, bitter disagreements, powerful friendships, incredible triumphs, and overwhelming tragedies is significant to understanding the ebb and flow of the movement they were responsible for keeping afloat for well over half a century.”

4.       Radical Red by James Duffy

Published by Charles Scribner's Sons, October 1993

ISBN 978-0684195339

From School Library Journal “Grade 5-8-A gripping story of women's rights, set in Albany, New York in 1894. A chance encounter between Connor O'Shea, 12, and Miss Bertha Hall, one of "Aunt Susan's girls," changes the lives of the girl and her mother forever. Susan B. Anthony is in town to convince the state constitutional convention that women are entitled to vote. Connor (and her mother's) feminist sympathies grow as her father, the sergeant of the capitol police, becomes increasingly antagonistic. He isn't able to vote, either, since he can't read; but he is happy to rely on his friend Senator Phelan to guide him, and gets abusive when his wife and daughter disagree. By focusing on this one small episode in the history of women's suffrage, Duffy not only shows the dedication and hard work involved but also the contributions made by hundreds of humble, now-forgotten people. Radical Red is a well-crafted story, with strong characters and the kind of detail that bring the events to life. And, while it is an excellent addition to historical fiction collections, the subplot of family conflict makes it universal in appeal. Its major flaw is the puzzling absence of an author's note; readers deserve to know who is real and who is not, what Duffy's sources were, and what happened afterward.”

5.       The Women's Rights Movement: Opposing Viewpoints Edited by Brenda Stalcup

Published by Greenhaven Press, January 1995

ISBN 978-1565103665

From School Library Journal “Gr 9 Up--Each of these volumes begins with a description of an event or turning point that was significant to the movement in question. Essays and debates express opposing viewpoints on these issues. The Civil Rights Movement includes the writings of Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. DuBois, James Weldon Johnson, Thurgood Marshall, Earl Warren, Benjamin E. Mays, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Jr., Charlayne Hunter-Gault, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Stokely Carmichael (Kwame Ture), Roy Wilkins, and David J. Garrow. Selections in The Women's Rights Movement conclude with the 1970s, but many of the topics addressed are still controversial today, raising questions not only about women's legal and political status, but also about the very definition of gender. Essays either supporting or opposing the questions are authored by notables such as Abigail Adams, Angelina Grimke, Margaret Fuller, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Antoinette Brown Blackwell, Theodore Roosevelt, Margaret Sanger, Betty Friedan, and Phyllis Schlafly. Each volume concludes with discussion questions for each chapter, a chronology, an annotated bibliography, and a comprehensive index.”

6.       Victoria Woodhull: Free Spirit for Women's Rights by Miriam Brody

Published by Oxford University Press, June 2004

ISBN 978-0195143676

From School Library Journal “Grade 7 Up - Brody presents an insightful and comprehensive picture of Woodhull and the often underreported role she played in the early women's rights movement. The chronological account describes her difficult and abusive childhood, disastrous first marriage, success as a businesswoman, campaign to be elected president, economic downfall and imprisonment on obscenity charges, and new start in England. The book provides historical context, explaining, for example, that Woodhull's interest in spiritualism was not unusual during that time period. Her role as an orator for women's suffrage and other reforms is highlighted, as is the political agenda she espoused. Using extensive quotes from Franklin's Autobiography, Gaustad provides excellent coverage of the life and times of this Founding Father, presenting a revealing look at his personality, thought processes, views, and place in American history. Extensive coverage is given to Franklin's role in the Revolutionary War as a member of the Continental Congress and diplomat to France. In both books, black-and-white reproductions of paintings, period photos (Woodhull), and source documents provide further insight. These biographies are best suited for students more interested in getting the full picture of the lives of these Americans, rather than those looking for a simple accounting of facts.”

7.       With Courage and Cloth: Winning the Fight for a Woman's Right to Vote by Ann Bausum

Published by National Geographic Children's Books, September 2004

ISBN 978-0792276470

From Booklist “Gr. 6-12. Though few readers will pick this up for browsing, students will be easily drawn by the details of the American women's suffrage movement. As a child, the author met Alice Paul, a famous suffragist, and was clearly inspired. This personal interest drives the detailed history, written in an objective but anecdotal fashion. The design is thoughtful and attractive: sepia-tone photographs are highlighted in purple and gold (purple, gold, and white were the signature colors of the movement), the dark purple text is clean, elegant and very readable, and the general layout is artfully done. Detailed notes, bibliography, thumbnail biographies, and a chronology make this an all-in-one text that provides a general background to a very specific time within the movement. The timely release of this title will make every woman more appreciative of the Nineteenth Amendment, as well as the tremendous sacrifices that made it happen.”

8.       Created Equal: Women Campaign for the Right to Vote 1840 – 1920 by Ann Rossi

Published by National Geographic Children's Books, February 2005

ISBN 978-0792282754

Created Equal begins with the early suffragist movement of the late 19th century, telling of the state of women's rights as they were at the time. The reader will learn about Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, and the other women of the Seneca Falls Convention. Having helped to start the suffragist movement, women such as Susan B. Anthony and Lucy Stone fought long and hard for the rights of women. Braving the turmoil of the Civil War era, these women formed organizations such as the American Equal Rights Association and helped to push for equal rights for not only themselves, but for African Americans as well. The turn-of-the-century saw a growth in the anti-suffragist movement, and new ladies appeared on the scene ready to fight hard for their beliefs. Alice Paul and her contemporaries reinvigorated the suffragist movement and spurred an organized political effort to win the vote. Through protests, parades, journalistic pieces, and even jail sentences, these women pushed the government to pass the 19th Amendment that would give women the right to vote. Their fight was difficult and long, but the suffragist movement prevailed. By 1920, American women across the country were able to vote in a national election for the first time. Like the others in the series, Created Equal is illustrated with period photographs, paintings, and drawings. Also included are a glossary and an index.

9.       Women Suffragists by Diana Star Helmer

Published by Facts on File, May 1998

ISBN 978-0816035793

From School Library Journal “Grade 7 Up-This collective biography profiles 10 of the most influential suffragists and, in doing so, also provides a history of the movement they led. Readers will see both the women's steadfast determination to gain a political voice through the ballot and also how their differences in beliefs, strategies, and ideas shaped the direction and public perceptions of their crusade. Helmer places the women in roughly chronological order, beginning with the pioneering Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony and closing with Alice Paul, Carrie Chapman Catt, and Jeannette Pickering Rankin, women who were able to use the power the ballot gave to them. Helmer is positive about her subjects but also reveals details that are sometimes less than flattering. The profiles run about 15 pages and include a portrait of the woman, a chronology of her life, and a list for further reading. This book will be mostly used for reports, but the narrative is interesting enough for general reading. Marlene Brill's Let Women Vote (Millbrook, 1995) and Miriam Sagan's Women's Suffrage (Lucent, 1995) both offer historical overviews of the campaign for suffrage with less emphasis on the movement's leaders. This book is a good complement to them and is a solid choice for libraries that need material on this always-popular report topic.”

10.   Laborers for Liberty: American Women 1865-1890 by Harriet Sigerman

Published by Oxford University Press, June 1994

ISBN 978-0195080469

From Booklist “Gr. 7-12. In this entry in the Young Oxford History of Women in the United States series, Sigerman has done an excellent job of explaining the problems that beset American women of the post-Civil War period (whites, newly freed blacks, Native Americans, and Hispanics) and of showing how women of different races, cultures, and classes often suffered similarly because they were denied rights of citizenship granted to men. She thoroughly discusses social reform movements and the struggle for women's suffrage, but her tone is never strident or chauvinistic. The volume is well illustrated with black-and-white photos, and a chronology and an extensive bibliography are provided.”

11.   Failure Is Impossible!: The History of American Women's Rights by Martha Kendall

Published by Lerner Publishing Group, February 2001

ISBN 978-0822517443

From School Library Journal “Gr 5-9-A well-organized, well-documented resource. Kendall frames her discussion of women's suffrage with an account of the struggles of women throughout the centuries beginning with early colonists such as Anne Hutchinson. In addition to the battles and achievements of the women's movement, the author addresses property and child-custody rights and the fight for fair wages. She includes information on what life was like for mill girls, women in slavery, and on women in the media. Attention is also paid to how the ebb and flow of history has added to or detracted from the struggle for equal rights. Prominent leaders like Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, as well as modern activists such as Betty Friedan, are introduced. Many black-and-white photos and other illustrations add dimension to the text. Four pages of brief biographies of remarkable women complete this thorough, multifaceted history.”

American Revolution

I chose the American Revolution. It might be harder to find 'original' POV's, since so many of the major players are long deceased and their writings gone, but I think I found a wide range of viewpoints in both non-fiction and fiction.
~Christine Norris

Anderson, Laurie Halse. Chains. New York; Atheneum, 2010.

Anderson, Laurie Halse. Forge (Seeds of America). New York; Atheneum,2010.

Bailey Association. Daughters of Liberty: The American Revolution and Early Republic. New York; Chelsea House, 2011. (I took a chance with this one; it’s not yet been released and I could not find any reviews yet, but Chelsea House is a reputable publisher and the description looks like it will be a good resource.)

Bober. Thomas Jefferson (Great Achievers Series. New York; Aladdin, 1993.

Freedman, Russell. Lafayette and the American Revolution. New York; Holiday House, 2010.

Murphy, Jim. A Young Patriot: The American Revolution as Experienced by a Young Boy. New York; Sandpiper, 1998.

Nell, William Cooper. The Colored Patriots of the American Revolution.  Readaclassic.com (2010). 226p.

Schnazer, Rosalyn. George vs. George: The American Revolution As Seen from Both Sides. New York; National Geographic, 2004. (Although this is in a picture book/comic book format, and meant for younger readers, I included it because of the unique title and description. It is an ALA Notable book as well, and I think the title alone will pique the interest of young adults and make this subject a little more interesting!)

Sheinkin, Steve. The Notorious Benedict Arnold.   New York; Flashpoint/Macmillian, 2010.

The United States Civil War

Featuring non-fiction and historical fiction titles for young adults

~Lisa Detoro

Chang, Ina.  (1996).  A Separate Battle: Women and the Civil War.  New York, Puffin. 

McPherson, James M. (2002).  Fields of Fury: The American Civil War.  New York, Atheneum.

Murphy, Jim.  (1990).  The Boys' War: Confederate and Union Soldiers Talk About the Civil

War.  New York, Clarion. 

Noble, Tricia Hakes.  (2006).  The Last Brother: A Civil War Tale.  New York, Sleeping Bear

Press.

Peck, Richard. (2005).  The River Between Us.  New York, Puffin. 

Polacco, Patricia. (1994).  Pink and Say. New York, Philomel. 

Ray, Delia. (1996). Behind the Blue and Gray: The Soldier's Life in the Civil War.  New York,

Puffin. 

Reit, Seymour.  (1988). Behind Rebel Lines: The Incredible Story of Emma Edmonds, Civil War

Spy.  Orlando, Gulliver. 

Wells, Rosemary. (2008). Red Moon at Sharpsburg.   New York, Speak.

The Dust Bowl

There have been several very powerful accounts written of life during the Great Depression. Amongst those appropriate for a young adult audience, a good number of stories from the Dust Bowl can be found. Although this era of American History is generally a subject taught later in school (11^th grade in Billerica, MA), the list below includes a variety of reading levels, as well as both nonfiction and historical fiction titles that describe what it was like living in the Dust Bowl. Each title is accompanied by a short annotation. Reading levels are approximate, taken from sources such as School Library Journal and Amazon when available.

~Sandra Woodbury

Non-Fiction

Years of Dust. Albert Marrin. 2009. Dutton. 128 p. ISBN: 9780525420774.

Reading level: Grade 5 & Up

Marrin describes the ecological circumstances that led to the Dust Bowl and then puts it into the larger context of the Great Depression. The author writes with clarity and flair and uses excerpts from primary sources to give voice to the people who explored and settled the plains as well as those who suffered through this environmental disaster. The narrative is supplemented with several maps and large, riveting reproductions of period photos and illustrations.

Growing Up in the Great Depression. Richard Wormser. 1994. Athenum. 124 p. ISBN: 0689317115.

Reading level: Grade 5 & Up

This book tells what it was like growing up in the Depression form the viewpoints of those who experienced it. “Although from different backgrounds and circumstances, the men and women in this book shared one thing in common – all were growing up during the depression. Their ages ranged from ten to nineteen. Their experiences varied: they were hoboes and dancers, worked in sweatshops or farms, became poorer or richer, remained unemployed or became labor organizers, lived by their wits or went to jail” (p. 14). Though the book includes a variety of stories from the Great Depression, memories of those in the Dust Bowl and the plight of farmers are told through people like Viola Cooper (pp. 30 – 46).

Children of the Dust Bowl: The True Story of the Dust Bowl. Jerry Stanley. 1992. Crown Publishers. 96 p. ISBN: 0517587815.

Reading level: Grade 6 & Up

A well-researched, highly readable portrait of the ``Okies'' driven to California by the Dust Bowl days of the 1930s. After first describing the desperation of their lives in the Midwest, the book follows them on their trek across the western United States to the promise of work in California, where their hopes were dashed. After providing this thorough, sympathetic context of their plight, he zeroes in on the residents of Weedpatch Camp, one of several farm-labor camps built by the federal government. Interviews with the school's former teachers and pupils make Children of the Dust Bowl useful to students of oral history, as well as of the Depression. (adapted from School Library Journal review).

We Were There, Too!: Young People in U.S. History. Phillip Hoose. 2001. Melanie Kroupa Books. ISBN: 0374382522.  276 p.

Reading level: Grade 5 & Up

Based largely on primary sources (journals and interviews), this book features the stories of over seventy young people from a variety of historical periods in the United States. One of these people is Harley Holladay, who tells the tale of living in the Dust Bowl covered in dust and fearing storms (pp. 196-198). Others relate their experiences from the Great Depression: riding the rails, bread lines, and the stock market crash.

Riding the Rails: Teenagers on the Move During the Great Depression. Errol Lincoln Uys. 1999.TV Books. ISBN: 1575000377. 336 p.

Reading Level: Grade 9 & Up

This book tells the tales of the “250,000 teenage hoboes roaming America” during the Great Depression. The Dust Bowl is not discussed in depth, though several of the hoboes either fled from the area or passed through it on their travels. However, this is a powerful account of what life was like for those who were made homeless by the Depression. It is written in a conversational tone, seamlessly blending the stories of so many into a single, comprehensive voice.

The Great Depression: An Eyewitness History. David F. Burg. 1996. Facts on File. 390 p. ISBN: 0816030952.

Reading Level: Grade 11 & Up

This impressive tomb includes hundreds of first-hand accounts of the Great Depression. It draws on memoirs, letters, speeches, and newspaper articles and presents them along with introductory essays and background information. A number of these focus on the Dust Bowl (pp. 114-116; 145-146; 178-179) and farmers (pp. 111; 140-141). An updated edition was released in 2005. Comparable titles include the Gale American Decades series, Time-Life’s This Fabulous Century series, and Facts On File's Day by Day series.

Letters From the Dust Bowl. Caroline Henderson. 2003. Red River Books. 278 p. ISBN: 9780806135403

Reading Level: Adult

Caroline Henderson’s articles on the Oklahoma Dust Bowl began appearing in "Atlantic Monthly" in 1931, bringing national attention to the troubles of United States farmers. In "Letters from the Dust Bowl," Alvin O. Turner has collected and edited Henderson’s published materials and personal correspondence dating from 1908 to 1966. Turner supplements Henderson’s work with a biographical essay and discerning annotations to present a complete picture of this remarkable woman. She had moved to Oklahoma’s panhandle to homestead and teach in 1907, and her writing mirrored her love of the land and of the literature that sustained her as she struggled for survival during the Great Depression of the 1930s. Even today, Henderson’s articles, notably "Letters from the Dust Bowl," are frequently cited for her vivid descriptions of the dust storms that ravaged the Plains.

Little Heathens: Hard Times and High Spirits on an Iowa Farm During the Great Depression. Mildred Kalish. 2007. Bantam Dell. 304 p. ISBN: 9780553804959.

Reading Level: Adult

As the title indicates, this is the memoir of a girl growing up on her grandparents’ farm in Iowa during the Depression. But rather than recounting sorrow and bleakness, this story is told by a woman who absolutely loved her childhood. She was raised strictly and taught to work and do without luxuries, all of which she recounts as blessings. Though Iowan farmers were hit hard by the Depression, many of them forced to auction their farms and leave, Kalish’s book reminds us that even through all this, life was happening – kids went swimming, ran about shooting each other with rubber bands, and ate (the book even includes recipes). Although this book is not the most ideal to include in every Depression/Dust Bowl program, some might benefit from reading the happier memories of Mildred Kalish along with the darker portraits found elsewhere.

The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl. Timothy Egan. 2005. Houghton Mifflin.  352 p. ISBN: 9780618346974.

Reading Level: Adult

Though this book is written for an adult audience, it is one of the most dramatic and exciting accounts of the Dust Bowl there is. Egan follows six families and their communities as they persevered through the dust storms, bankruptcy, and crop failures, and deaths of loved ones around them. Through interviews with the survivors and thorough research, he creates an extremely accurate and equally affecting portrait of the time. Great for advanced readers.

Farming the Dust Bowl: A First-Hand Account from Kansas. Lawrence Svobida . 1986. University Press of Kansas. 256 p. ISBN: 9780700602902.

Reading Level: Adult

This is the story of Lawrence Svobida, a Kansas wheat farmer who fought searing drought, wind, erosion, and economic hard times in the Dust Bowl. Svobida's description of Dust Bowl agriculture is important not only because it accurately describes farming in that region, but also because it is one of the few first-hand accounts that remain of the frightening and still haunting dust-laden decade of the 1930s. This graphic account of farm life in the Dust Bowl was first published in 1941. The new edition contains an introduction by the historian R. Douglas Hurt that not only objectively sets the scene during and after the Dust bowl, but also places the book properly in the growing body of contemporary literature on agriculture and land use.

Fiction

The Journal of C.J. Jackson: A Dust Bowl Migrant. (My Name is America series). William Durbin. 2002. Scolastic. 169 p. ISBN: 9780439153065.

Reading Level: Grades 4-7

D.J. and his family live in the epicenter of the worst dust storm in American history, so they are forced to abandon their beloved farm and make the arduous journey to California in search of work. The teen chronicles the discrimination, disappointment, and hardship that thousands of "Okies" endured. C. J. is an authentic and likable protagonist and Durbin effectively conveys the plight of Dust Bowl families, from the horrendous conditions in the camps to the demeaning and demanding life of a migrant worker. A historical note and a selection of captioned black-and-white photos round out the book. This is a good book to pique students’ curiosity enough to learn more about the Depression.

Cat Running. Zilpha Keatley Snyder. 1994. Yearling. 168 p. ISBN: 9780440411529.

Reading Level: Grades 4-7

Play Day is approaching, but Cat Kinsey, the fastest runner at school, won't be participating in the races because her old-fashioned, bull-headed father won't allow her to wear pants even while playing sports. Cat is so busy being angry at her family that she doesn't have time to think about bigger problems-the Depression, for instance-until circumstances involve her with a family of "Okies" who work on a nearby farm. Cat's gripes seem small compared with the obstacles facing the Perkinses, who have lost both their land and their house to dust storms. Now, camping out in an old Studebaker, the Perkinses work long hours just to make enough money for food. Cat can offer the family little besides sympathy until the youngest Perkins, Samantha, catches pneumonia and Cat, running the most important race of her life, fetches a doctor in the nick of time. Snyder (The Egypt Game) gracefully demonstrates the strength and pride of the Perkins family. With equal skill, she relates how Cat's initial repugnance of "Okies" evolves into enormous compassion-which extends to her own family as well. This tender historical novel is as moving as it is insightful. (Publishers Weekly review)

Survival in the Storm: The Dust Bowl Diary of Grace Edwards, Dalhart, Texas 1935. (Dear America Series). Katelan Janke. 2002. Scholastic. 190 p. ISBN: 9780439215992.

Reading Level: Grades 4-8

Centered on a 12-year-old's perspective of home and school, chores and friends, Grace's diary reveals in graphic detail what life was like when farms failed, families went hungry, and children died from dust pneumonia because no rain fell. Old photographs and advertisements, part of the Historical Notes section, add further detail to a rather depressing, but fictionalized, authentically flavored account of a significant portion of American history.

The Truth About Sparrows. Marian Hale. 2004. Henry Holt. 272 p. ISBN: 9780805075847.

Reading Level: Grades 5-8

Twelve-year-old Sadie is heartbroken when her family, forced by drought and the Depression, leaves their Missouri home for Texas, where Sadie's father hopes to try fishing. Sadie is resentful and saddened by the variety of crises she has to face. However, this story has a positive tone. Sadie's father may be down, but he is far from out. Her mom may be keeping house in a tent, but she does so efficiently while cheerfully reminding Sadie that "who you are inside always shows." Rich with social history, this novel is informative, enjoyable, and affecting. An excellent choice for class discussion, it captures the difficult specifics of an era, while asking larger questions about what it means to leave a life behind and start again. (adapted from School Library Journal and Booklist reviews)

Treasures in the Dust. Tracey Porter. 1997. Joanna Cotler Books. 148 p. ISBN: 0060275634.

Reading Level: Grades 5-8

In a moving docu-novel, Porter tells the story of 11-year-old best friends, Annie and Violet, in the Oklahoma Dust Bowl. Annie's family manages to hold on to their farm. Violet's family is eventually driven to seek work in California. The girls tell their stories in alternating first-person narratives and then in letters. Readers will be held by the daily particulars of the struggle to keep going when dunes shift and change every day and dust seeps through cracks in the window and covers your pillow when you sleep. Violet's account of the struggle in California is just as graphic, including the exploitation and prejudice and "the days when my shoulders ache so much from working fields that I can't bear lifting my hands to wash my face." (Booklist review)

Out of the Dust. Karen Hesse. 1997. Scholastic. 240 p. ISBN: 9780590360807.

Reading Level: Grades 6–8

In this tale of the Oklahoma Dust Bowl, 14-year-old narrator Billie Jo writes in sparse, free-floating verse. In journal form, she reveals the grim domestic realities of living during the years of constant dust storms. Perhaps swallowing all that grit is what gives Billie Jo, a strong, endearing, rough-cut heroine, the stoic courage to face the death of her mother after a hideous accident that also leaves her piano-playing hands in pain and permanently scarred. Meanwhile, Billie Jo's silent, windblown father is literally decaying with grief and skin cancer before her very eyes. When she decides to flee the lingering ghosts and dust of her homestead and jump a train west, she discovers a simple but profound truth about herself and her plight. (adapted from Amazon.com review)

The Grapes of Wrath. John Steinbeck. 2006. Penguin Classics. 464 p. ISBN: 9781417747818.

Reading Level: Grade 6 & Up

The classic novel by John Steinbeck, originally published in 1939, brings the Dust Bowl years to life in a most memorable way. Set during the Great Depression, the book traces the migration of an Oklahoma Dust Bowl family to California and their subsequent hardships as migrant farm workers. It poses fundamental questions about justice, the ownership and stewardship of the land, the role of government, power, and the very foundations of capitalist society.

The Storm in the Barn. Matt Phelan. Candlewick Press. 208 p. ISBN: 9780763636180

Reading Level: Grades 5-7

This graphic novel portrays the life of 11-year-old Jack, who faces normal problems like bullies but also has to deal with the effects of the Dust Bowl in 1937 Kansas.

Multiple Viewpoints on the Civil Rights Movement

The civil rights movement is one of the most significant events in the history of our country, made even more important by the fact that it is still an issue in our society today.  I think this bibliography gives young adults a number of different viewpoints on

the struggles of African-Americans in the 1950s and 60s, and hopefully will help them gain a better understanding of the sacrifices they made and what they were able to accomplish. 

~Gene Hayes

Levine, E. (1993). Freedom’s Children: Young Civil Rights Activists Tell Their Own

            Stories. New York: G.P.Putnam’s Sons.

The names of those whose voices are heard in these pages are not recorded in textbooks, yet their childhoods in Alabama, Mississippi or Arkansas were marked by acts of extraordinary courage that collectively altered the course of American history. They were among the participants, and in some cases the leaders, of numerous civil rights demonstrations in the 1960s, many of which had violent, tragic outcomes. These individuals, whom Levine doggedly tracked down, were some of the first black young people to attend formerly all-white schools; to participate in sit-ins at segregated lunch counters in stores; to become Freedom Riders, protesting illegal segregation on interstate buses; and to wage the arduous, bloody fight to secure voting rights for blacks. Chronicling all of these campaigns--as well as shocking incidents of senseless beatings, unjust jailings and murders--these first-person accounts are articulate and affecting. Representative are the words of Gladis Williams, repeatedly arrested for taking part in protests during her high school years in Montgomery: "So far as having fear, we didn't even know what fear was. We just had our minds set on freedom, and that was it." (Publisher’s Weekly)

This is a terrific book containing the personal accounts of thirty African-Americans who were children and teens living in the South during the civil rights movement.  Each chapter covers a different aspect of the struggle with an introduction to the subject, school integration and the Montgomery bus boycott are two of the topics covered, followed by the stories of those who lived through it.  

Archer, J. (1993). They Had a Dream: The Civil Rights Struggle from Frederick

            Douglass to Marcus Garvey to Martin Luther King to Malcolm X. New York:

            Viking Press

Engagingly written biographies of four civil rights leaders, mentioning the mistakes and weaknesses--as well as the strong moral sense, high purpose, and outstanding courage--of each. Archer also places each firmly in his historical context, including numerous details and incidents that vividly evoke the social climate--a prominent white abolitionist can't bring himself to walk side by side in public with Frederick Douglass; conflicts between Marcus Garvey and W.E.B. DuBois over Garvey's flashy posturing; or class differences among supporters of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. Archer's carefully balanced approach extends to a long concluding chapter on ``The Black Struggle Today and Tomorrow,'' discussing political events since King's death, new forms of racism, and last year's Rodney King case. An excellent resource. (Kirkus Reviews)

I chose this book because it helps teens understand that the fight for black civil rights in America was not simply something that sprang up in the 1950s and 1960s, but rather has been going on since the first slaves were brought to this country.  It outlines the different challenges and struggles that faced four prominent civil rights leaders throughout history, as well as the issues that still need to be addressed today and into the future. 

Curry, C., et al. (2002). Deep in Our Hearts: Nine White Women in the Freedom

            Movement.  Athens, GA: University of Georgia Press.

 Deep in Our Hearts captures the recollections of nine white women actively involved in "The Movement" in the '60s. Each woman's experience was different (though some appear as relatively minor characters in other's stories), so these oral histories provide a range of perspectives on an important period. One major contribution of these narratives is dispelling stereotypes: the authors came from a variety of backgrounds (they weren't all "red diaper babies" from the East Coast) and have spent their post-Movement days in many professions, although virtually all remain committed to social justice. Full of vivid insights into what really happened during those troubled times. (Booklist)

I did not find many books that focus on the role that white people had in the fight to support civil rights, and I think this book helps teens understand that whites from all different backgrounds supported and worked for the civil rights movement.  

Lanier, C and Page, L. (2009). A Mighty Long Way: My Journey to Justice at Little Rock

            Central High School. New York: Ballantine Books

At 14, Lanier was the youngest of the Little Rock Nine, who integrated Little Rock Central High School in 1951; she went on to become the first African –American young woman to receive a diploma from the school. Her memoir provides a firsthand account of a seismic shift in American history. She recalls the well-reported violence outside the school and daily harassment and ineffective protection from teachers and guards. Away from school, the Nine were honored and feted, but their parents found their jobs—even their lives—in jeopardy. Lanier's house was bombed, and a childhood friend, Herbert Monts, was falsely accused and convicted. Monts's account of his experiences, shared with Lanier, 43 years later, is historically newsworthy. Lanier's recollections of family history and her relatively pedestrian experiences after high school graduation (graduate school, job hunting, marrying, finding her new home in Denver) lack the drama of her historical moment. In a sense, Lanier didn't make history, history made her. Her plainspoken report from the front line is, nevertheless, a worthy contribution to the history of civil rights in America. (Publisher’s Weekly)

The Brown vs. the Board of Education case was one of the landmark moments of the civil rights movement, and I thought a memoir by one of the first black students to integrate a southern high school would be a powerful resource to help young adults realize and understand the struggles teens went through. 

Bowers, R. (2010).  Spies of Mississippi: The True Story of the Spy Network that Tried to

            Destroy the Civil Rights Movement. Washington, DC: National Geographic

*Starred Review* With all the books on the civil rights movement for young people, it’s hard to believe there’s a topic that hasn’t yet been touched. But Bowers, through impeccable research and personal investigation, seems to have come up with something chillingly new. In 1956, the state of Mississippi conceived a Sovereignty Commission that began as a propaganda outlet and morphed into a spy network, with a goal of stopping integration and crushing the civil rights movement in the state. Written with clarity and understated power, the book methodically shows how white politicians organized the network and willing blacks accepted payment to infiltrate groups like the NAACP, or in some cases rail against civil rights organizations in churches and African American newspapers. After the election of Governor Ross Barnett, the commission’s tactics grew bolder, and violence became a part of the mix. Those with knowledge of the era will find this a vivid depiction of those turbulent days, but for them as well as students new to the history the extremes will be an eye-opener. (Booklist)

Unlike the majority of books on this subject, Spies of Mississippi describes the struggle against the civil rights movement, with first-hand accounts of how a network organized by white politicians employed blacks to spy on their neighbors and try to undermine integration and end civil rights for blacks. 

    

Falkner, D. (1997). Great Time Coming: The Life of Jackie Robinson from Baseball to

            Birmingham. New York: Touchstone

Far more than a sports book, this is an in-depth portrait of an individual of admirable simplicity and forthrightness, as well as a great athlete. Born in Georgia but raised in Southern California, Robinson was a gifted athlete in many sports in high school and junior college and while at UCLA. It was his intensity and fury, born partly from discrimination, that made him a fighter. Those same qualities got him in trouble as a lieutenant in the segregated U.S. Army during WWII, but brought him success at last when he broke the color line in major league baseball. His spectacular career on the diamond is well known, but Falkner (The Last Yankee) goes beyond his subject's sporting career to detail what happened to Robinson from the time he left the Dodgers in 1957 until his death in 1972. He relates how Robinson devoted himself to the goal of integration with equal rights for all, while around him swirled struggles by the NAACP, the Black Panthers and the Republican and Democratic parties to ally themselves with Robinson, the legend and the symbol, and while diabetes wracked his body. (Publishers Weekly)

I thought that a book that looks at civil rights through the world of sports would give a somewhat different perspective from the rest of this list, as well as be a good option for reluctant readers who try to avoid “history” books.  I actually did not realize how much Jackie Robinson was involved with civil rights after his baseball career, and I think his story is a valuable addition to a bibliography on civil rights. 

Brinkley, D. (2000). Rosa Parks: A Life. New York: Penguin

Parks called the evening she didn't give up her seat "a stopping place . . . for me to stop being pushed around and to find out what human rights I had, if any." Parks' moment of resistance has become iconic, but her lifetime of civil rights work is less familiar. University of New Orleans historian Brinkley tells the story of that work in this latest Penguin Lives entry. Brinkley earns awards and acclaim because he understands that writing history is telling a story. Rosa Parks' story takes readers from rural Alabama to the Montgomery Industrial School for Girls, marriage to barber Raymond Parks, quiet activism in the '30s and '40s, a first experience of integration at the Highlander Folk School, arrest in 1955 and the bus boycott, a move to Detroit, and more than 20 years on the staff of Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.). In his bibliographical notes, Brinkley calls Parks "America's real-life Miss Jane Pittman, not a saint, but a symbol of the triumph of steadfastness in the name of justice." (Booklist)

I had a hard time deciding between this title and Rosa Parks: My Story, an autobiography, but I eventually chose this title because I felt it was geared more towards adults, both young and otherwise, while My Story seems more suited for younger readers.  While I knew the story of Rosa Parks and the Montgomery bus boycott, I had no idea how much she contributed to the civil rights movement over the rest of her life, which makes her story that much more important a part of civil rights history. 

Whitt, M., ed. (2006). Short Stories of the Civil Rights Movement: An Anthology.

            Athens, GA: University of Georgia Press

Short Stories of the Civil Rights Movement comes at a time when public awareness of life in the segregated South and of trials of the Civil Rights Era seem to be fading. With this anthology, Whitt hopes to raise that awareness again, by introducing readers to one of the most intense periods of American history. (Black Issues Book Review)

Short Stories of the Civil Rights Movement is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the many perspectives on and the myriad emotions behind the historical events of one of the most transformative periods in American history. (Suzanne Jones, author of Race Mixing: Southern Fiction since the Sixties)

I wanted to include some fiction in this bibliography, and I thought a collection of short works would be the best way to get a variety of perspectives on the struggle for civil rights. The book is divided into sections that include Marches and Demonstrations and Acts of Violence, and contains twenty three stories by both black and white authors, including John Updike and Alice Walker.  I like the fact that the collection includes stories written during the fifties and sixties as well as more contemporary fiction (the most recent was written in 2003), so teens can see stories written during the height of the civil rights movement as well as some written with some time for perspective. 

Crowe, C. (2003). Getting Away with Murder: The True Story of the Emmett Till Case.     

            New York: Dial Press.

 Grade 7 Up-"The Emmett Till case was not the sole cause of the civil rights movement, but it was the final indignity that caused the flood of outrage to overflow the dam of racial injustice." Mainstream history has all but forgotten about this 14-year-old African American from Chicago who was murdered by two white men in Mississippi for making "ugly remarks" to one of their wives. The men were acquitted, and several months later, they were interviewed by Look magazine and publicly confessed to the crime. The event galvanized black Americans, and even many of the whites who had supported the defendants were appalled at their national confession. Four months after Till was killed, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus, and the wheels of the civil rights movement were set in motion. Crowe's research is extensive and his writing is well suited to his audience. The black-and-white photographs add tension and realism to the story. The picture of the boy in his casket originally published in The Chicago Defender is a graphic, powerful testament to the brutality of the crime. This book is a mandatory addition to all libraries because of the impact and importance this crime had on our history. (School Library Journal)

This is a really powerful story that a lot of people have never heard of, and I think that the tragedy of what happened to Emmett Till will really strike a chord with teens and help them understand the depths of the injustices that the civil rights movement was trying to correct.