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A review by kitsuneheart
Freedom Summer by Deborah Wiles
5.0
A hard tale. Joe and John Henry both love swimming, but Joe is white and John Henry is Black and this is the 1960s deep South. News goes out that all public services must be integrated, and the boys excitedly plan to go for a swim the next day. But, when they arrive, they find that even the law might not be able to bring people together.
The introduction of this story talks about how it's based upon his own childhood in the South as a young white boy with a Black friend.
Now, this book ends with a somewhat positive note, but it's important to be warned ahead, this story does not go well. This isn't a simple bedtime story. This is meant to go along with an classroom lesson on prejudice and the history of segregation. But it does a great job of showing kids how strongly some people felt (and, sadly, still feel) about the separation of the races. Construct your lesson carefully and be prepared to spend some extra time on this story. But don't let that sway you from reading. It really is a great resource.
The introduction of this story talks about how it's based upon his own childhood in the South as a young white boy with a Black friend.
Now, this book ends with a somewhat positive note, but it's important to be warned ahead, this story does not go well. This isn't a simple bedtime story. This is meant to go along with an classroom lesson on prejudice and the history of segregation. But it does a great job of showing kids how strongly some people felt (and, sadly, still feel) about the separation of the races. Construct your lesson carefully and be prepared to spend some extra time on this story. But don't let that sway you from reading. It really is a great resource.