The Civil Rights Movement

Children's Literature

In October 1929 the stock market crashed, signaling the onset of the Great Depression. While poverty, unemployment and dislocation occurred across most of the United States, African-Americans were particularly affected. Fully one in three Black males were thrown out of work in the 1930s. Sadly, it took the coming of World War II to revitalize the national economy. With the support of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the Federal government began to look at the social inequities so basic to the American system. After the Second World War, Black Americans began to campaign for increasing social justice. In the 1950s this quest for equity began to take the form of the Civil Rights Movement. First through efforts to desegregate southern school systems and then on a broader societal basis, African-Americans pushed for equal rights. As the 1960s unfolded, the Civil Rights Movement increased its pressure under the leadership of national figures such as Dr. Martin Luther King and his alter ego, Malcolm X. Huge protests and steady marches for freedom were linked to political and economic initiatives aimed at securing civil rights. Eventually, Federal legislation was passed that under-girded civil rights and affirmative action. This compelling story is presented in this illustrated history book that features a combination of historical information and biographies of key leaders in the Civil Rights Movement. Stuart Kallen's book provides good introductory information about a complex topic. 2001, ABDO, $24.21. Ages 10 to 14. Reviewer: Greg M. Romaneck

School Library Journal

Gr 4-7-Kallen has the unenviable task of boiling down two very complex periods into some 40-odd simple pages each. The first title covers the time from the Depression through Dr. King's assassination in 1968. The second opens with a brief discussion of the causes of the Civil War and concludes with a brief summary of Reconstruction. No attention is paid to actual battles, although the author does discuss the role played by black soldiers and sailors. Each volume alternates a chapter of history with a chapter of relevant biographical sketches. The time lines are good, although they are awkwardly placed in the middle of the books. The illustrations, mainly black-and-white photographs, add greatly to the texts (although a caption in Civil War misidentifies U.S. Chief Justice Roger B. Taney as being Chief Justice of the Missouri Supreme Court). The books are well suited for high-interest, low-reading-level students. Neither one will provide in-depth coverage for reports, but they might be good introductions to African-American history.-Elizabeth M. Reardon, McCallie School, Chattanooga, TN Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.