Tuskegee Airmen: American Heroes [Hardcover]

Lynn Homan (Author), Thomas Reilly (Author), Rosalie Shepherd (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

A young readersí account of the brave men who battled in the skies and triumphed against segregation at home during World War II.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8-As this novel opens, Victor Kennedy, an elderly African American, takes control of the class in a Washington, DC, middle school in which he is substituting by writing the word "Tuskegee" on the chalkboard. He tells the students about segregated America, World War II, and the Tuskegee Airmen. (The kids in this class have never even heard of segregation.) Over the course of several days, he relates the history of the latter and reveals that he was a member of the distinguished corps. Although the information is accurate, the format leaves much to be desired. The chapters are arranged chronologically, but it is difficult to follow the Airmen's story. The text is repeatedly broken up with questions and comments from the students, all of whom are totally involved in Mr. Kennedy's teaching. The contrived and unrealistic setting will make the book unappealing to fiction readers, and the format makes research use impossible. The black-and-white illustrations add little to the story. Better-organized, more readable accounts can be found in Jacqueline Harris's The Tuskegee Airmen: Black Heroes of World War II (Dillon, 1996; o.p.) or Michael L. Cooper's The Double V Campaign: African Americans and World War II (Lodestar, 1998; o.p.).
Mary Mueller, Rolla Junior High School, MO
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Partners in the firm of Homan and Reilly Designs, Lynn Homan and Thomas Reilly bring extensive experience in historical research, writing, and creative design to their work. They design, curate, and research museum exhibitions, including the acclaimed traveling exhibition, The Tuskegee Airmen , and a permanent exhibit at the Mighty Eighth Air Force Heritage Museum in Savannah, GA called African-Americans in Aviation . Both Ms. Homan and Mr. Reilly lecture frequently across the United States. This is their ninth book together.

Illustrator Rosalie M. Shepherd is a landscape and portrait painter who works with oil, charcoal, and watercolor and has worked extensively as a graphic designer. This is her third book with Homan and Reilly. She also illustrated the late David Collins's last book, Clarence Thomas, Fighter with Words.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Pelican Publishing (August 31, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1565549945
• ISBN-13: 978-1565549944
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #186,562 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #94 in Books > Children's Books > History > United States > 1900s

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