There Comes a Time

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

This impressive survey of the civil rights movement spans the Middle Passage and extends to the compromises of modern presidents. Meltzer (Langston Hughes; Lincoln in His Own Words) begins with college freshman Joseph McNeill, who in 1960 staged the first lunch-counter sit-in in Greensboro, N.C. Thus Meltzer places a human face on the commitment and determination necessary to shift centuries of discrimination. With concrete biographical examples such as these, Meltzer then makes larger points about the movement's momentum; for example he extrapolates from Rosa Parks's role in 1955 Montgomery, Ala.: "Out of the bus boycott came something new--nonviolent resistance--that people of any color, creed, or class would find enormously helpful in bringing about social change." Several chapters conclude with discussions of single topics, such as "Why Direct Action," which excerpts Martin Luther King Jr.'s powerful "Letter from Birmingham Jail" and the history behind the term "Black Power." Meltzer, unafraid to take a stand, argues that with King's death, "the civil rights movement, already torn by dissent within it, lost its unity of purpose," and further asserts that no president after Nixon "did much to improve conditions for the disinherited." He concludes with a look to the future and a call to action, stating, "Democracy is not what we have: IT IS WHAT WE DO." Ages 10-up. (Jan.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

Children's Literature

Meltzer presents a compelling history of the Civil Rights movement in America. He opens with four young black men sitting at a Woolworth's lunch counter in 1960 and then traces back through three hundred years of black oppression. His discussions of segregation, the Jim Crow laws and the brutalities that blacks suffered at the hands of racists are all clearly presented. Triumphs from the nonviolent movement of the 1960s are well-documented and include a thought provoking discussion of problems that continue to plague our country today. Photographs, a calendar of events and an index are included.

School Library Journal

Gr 6-8-Monroe reviews the trial of two Italian immigrant anarchists convicted of murder during the Red Scare of the Twenties. Their guilt has long been in doubt and their trial has become symbolic of the intolerance and prejudice of the era. The author opens with a description of the crime for which the men were arrested, and then discusses the xenophobic, fearful atmosphere that developed following World War I. She details the often unfair trial and appeals process and concludes with an analysis of the legal mistakes and continuing controversy around the case, but leaves the ultimate decision about their guilt to readers. Monroe treats Sacco and Vanzetti fairly, explaining how their beliefs inspired fear in many citizens and how their rights were ignored or abused by the legal system. She also provides considerable background about the workings of the legal system and excerpts from testimony, which occasionally make for rather dry reading. The black-and-white photos scattered throughout the book add little to the text. Although this is a comprehensive examination of this case, many students will find the concise summary and clear analysis found in Betsy Kraft's Sensational Trials of the 20th Century (Scholastic, 1998) to be sufficient for their research needs.-Mary Mueller, Rolla Junior High School, MO Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

PLB: 0-375-90407-7 An accessible and vivid outline of the events that led to changes in civil rights in the US from 1940 through 1968. Starting with slavery, Meltzer (Ten Queens, 1998, etc.) traces the unjust attitudes and deeds behind the suffering that a lack of civil rights has meant for far too many people. This background sets the stage for his concise description of the nonviolent movement in the South, which forced change on an unwilling power structure. The writing is engaging and draws the reader in, never losing track of the facts. One of the few books that mentions the Niagara Movement and the razing of the prosperous black community in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1921, the emphasis on the historical continuum assists readers in grasping the ingrained bigotry and injustice and, consequently, the drastic measures required. The emotion is made crystal clear in stirring quotes by the leaders of the times. There is much violence to be reported, and Meltzer neither whitewashes nor belabors it. In a relatively short book, he manages to clearly describe events and convey the passion that energized this nonviolent movement. Black-and-white photographs add a visual side, but most effective is a calendar detailing each separate step toward freedom during this time period. (calendar, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 10-14)