Daisy Bates: Civil Rights Crusader [Hardcover]

Amy Polakow (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 20, 2003

A biography of the civil rights activist who led the fight to integrate schools in Little Rock, Arkansas, during the 1950s.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 8 Up-Putting a face on the front liners working for civil rights in the United States is a worthy undertaking, and Polakow offers a portrait of one influential individual. When court cases established the right to integrate all-white Central High in Little Rock, AR, in 1957, Bates backed up the nine students who chose that opportunity, providing her vision, commitment, courage, stamina, and political support to make it successful. She and her husband were already involved in the civil rights movement. L.C. Bates had established the Arkansas State Press in 1941, the most influential black newspaper in the state, and Daisy published reports documenting police brutality, racist practices, and legal inequities. The author's text is achievement oriented; there is some background description of personal lives but that is clearly not the point of this consideration. Quotes are documented at the end of the book, and an afterword tells what happened to each one of the "Little Rock Nine." Some black-and-white photographs are included. This is a respectful introduction to an important woman and her husband and an overview of their contributions to civil rights for African Americans.
Tina Cohen, Deerfield Academy, MA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 6-12. Bates was the NAACP coordinator who helped the Little Rock Nine become the first African American students to attend newly integrated Central High School in Arkansas. This vividly detailed biography shows how her personal experience growing up in the rural South stirred early anger yet instilled a stubborn pride that gave her the courage to fight hatred and become one of the most pivotal figures in twentieth-century American history. Blending Bates' story with a rich, vivid retelling of the anti-segregation struggle and the emotional and physical toll it took on Bates, the Nine, and many others who changed society, Polakow traces how the civil rights struggles gained momentum, and the tension builds to a nail-biting climax. Follow-up descriptions of what became of those nine students are an inspiring testimony to the strength of the human spirit in the face of ignorance and hatred. Roger Leslie
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Hardcover: 120 pages
• Publisher: Linnet Books (June 20, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0208025138
• ISBN-13: 978-0208025135
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,045,684 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for the young and the old..., June 27, 2005

By 

M. Will - See all my reviews

This review is from: Daisy Bates: Civil Rights Crusader (Hardcover)

The younger generations today don't know about Daisy Bates and the "Little Rock Nine" and this is a great way to learn about them. The author wrote about Daisy Bates' early beginnings without her parents and being raised by her parents' friends the Smith family in Huttig, Arkansas. Book tells you about what Daisy and her husband L. C. Bates did in Little Rock, Arkansas. The author also wrote about all the other activities that Daisy Bates was involved in Arkansas and Washington, D.C. The struggles of the "Little Rock Nine" and Daisy Bates' story should be told and remembered for generations to come.