Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High [Mass Market Paperback]

Melba Pattillo Beals (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 24, 2007

An innocent teenager.

An unexpected hero.

In 1957, Melba Pattillo turned sixteen. That was also the year she became a warrior on the front lines of a civil rights firestorm. Following the landmark 1954 Supreme Court ruling, Brown v. Board of Education, Melba was one of nine teenagers chosen to integrate Little Rock's Central High School.

Throughout her harrowing ordeal, Melba was taunted by her schoolmates and their parents, threatened by a lynch mob's rope, attacked with lighted sticks of dynamite, and injured by acid sprayed in her eyes. But through it all, she acted with dignity and courage, and refused to back down.

This is her remarkable story.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

One of the nine black teenagers who integrated Little Rock's Central High School in 1957 here recounts that traumatic year with drama and detail. Beals, who is now a communications consultant, relies on her own diary from that era and notes made by her English teacher mother--as well as dubiously recreated dialogue--to tell not only of the ugly harassment she was subjected to but also of the impressive dignity of a 15-year-old forced to grow up fast. Arkansas governor Orval Faubus set the tone of the time by resisting integration until a federal judge ordered it. Although Beals was assigned a federal soldier for protection, the young integrationist was still attacked and prevented from engaging in school activities. She recalls stalwart black friends like Minniejean, who was suspended, and a white classmate who surreptitiously kept her informed of the segregationists' tactics. Beals looks back on her Little Rock experiences as "ultimately a positive force" that shaped her life. "The task that remains," she concludes, "is to cope with our interdependence." Photos not seen by PW. Author tour.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 7 Up-Beals, one of the nine black students who integrated Central High School in Little Rock, AR, in 1957, tells an incredible story of faith, family love, friendships, and strong personal commitment. Drawing from the diaries she kept, the author easily puts readers in her saddle oxfords as she struggles against those people in both the white and black communities who would have segregation continue. Her prose does not play on the sympathy of readers; it simply tells it like it happened. She shares the physical, mental, and emotional torture and abuse she suffered at the hands of teenagers and adults. She also shares the support, the encouragement, and the help she received from both whites and blacks. While the book's length may discourage younger readers, those who begin it will find the reading easy and fast. This abridgement of the author's 1994 adult title of the same name is fascinating as well as enlightening and honest.
Valerie Childress, J.W. Holloway Middle School, Whitehouse, TX
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Mass Market Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Simon Pulse (July 24, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416948821
• ISBN-13: 978-1416948827
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #16,395 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #4 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Explore the World > United States
  • #11 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Social Issues > Prejudice & Racism
  • #13 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Biographies > People of Color

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Caution: Abridged Version, April 19, 2011

By 

Andrew - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High (Mass Market Paperback)

It is quite disappointing to me that Amazon says it NOWHERE on the product page, nor does it say so on the cover of the book, but this is an abridged version. The only mention of its abridgement occurs on the title page. Nearly a hundred pages have been cut out of this version. I purchased this book for a class and missed a lot of the references that were given in discussion.

It's a good read, but go for the full version.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Segregation in 1957 Little Rock., May 26, 2009

By 

Kevin M Quigg (Gettysburg, Pennsylvania United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High (Mass Market Paperback)

A heartfelt story by a young woman of her struggle in integrating the largest Little Rock high school. Since this is a personal struggle, I was capavatated by her struggle to survive in a very hostile environment of an all white school. She was kicked, spit at, tripped, punched, violated due to the Supreme Court decision to integrate this high school. Imagine a setting where both the students and most of the teachers were hostile to her on a daily basis. This was a huge cross to bear for such a young woman.

This is a nice memorial to the struggle to integrate. Her story is inspirational and a good read for those looking for an uplifting story.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Moving and Motivational, March 16, 2009

By 

Rhonda V. - See all my reviews

This review is from: Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High (Mass Market Paperback)

If you are looking for a motivational and moving story, you should consider reading "Warriors Don't Cry." Melba is truly inspirational, and her courage and bravery will stay with you for days. In the own of Little Rock, Arkansa something big is happening. Nine black students have been chosed to integrate into Central High, a traditionally all white school. Many challenges await Melba including attacks from fellow students, the threatening late night phone calls, and even the abandonment of her old friends. Told in first person you get a true glimpse into the pain glimpse into the pain of being judged just by the color of your skin.