Witnesses to Freedom: Young People Who Fought for Civil Rights [Paperback]

Belinda Rochelle (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1997 | Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

Provides an insightful look at the lives of Claudette Colvin, who played a key role in the Montgomery bus boycott, and fifteen-year-old Elizabeth Eckford, who attempted to integrate a high school in Little Rock, Arkansas, and other pioneers of the civil rights movement. Reprint. SLJ.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8-While adult leaders' contributions to the civil rights movement have been well chronicled, those made by young people have not received as much attention. Rochelle relates the pivotal roles played by young African Americans in nine major events, including the integration of Central High School in Little Rock, the Montgomery bus boycott, and the lunch-counter sit-ins at Woolworth in North Carolina. A chapter is devoted to each event. The author describes the circumstances surrounding each occurrence and highlights the experiences and feelings of those involved. Ranging in age from eight to their upper teens, the subjects poignantly describe how their commitment to their cause propelled them to take a stand for freedom, often at great personal risk. Some of the individuals portrayed may not be well known, but their stories are inspiring and touching. Rochelle does a commendable job of explaining issues and relating events in an understandable manner. The black-and-white photographs adequately reinforce the text, and the jacket photo is striking and appealing. This informative book provides special insight into recent American history and will enhance any collection. It is comparable to, but for a younger audience than, Ellen Levine's Freedom's Children (Putnam, 1993).
Jeanette Lambert, Nashville Metropolitan Schools, TN
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Gr. 4-7. Although for a younger audience than Levine's Freedom's Children (1993), this has the same focus on ordinary people in the civil-rights movement, especially the young people. Beginning with descriptions of several struggles to desegregate the schools, Rochelle then devotes a chapter each to the Montgomery Bus boycott, the sit-in movement, the freedom riders, the Children's Crusade in Birmingham, the March on Washington, and the struggle for voting rights in Selma. Each chapter starts with an immediate dramatic focus on one young person's experience and then moves out to the wider issues and the political struggle. The transitions aren't always smooth, but the design is accessible, with dramatic photographs that capture the confrontation and the courage of the children who took part. Each chapter also has a boxed first-person profile by someone who was young at the time. Perhaps the most moving is the quiet narrative by Claudette Colvin, the shy teenager who one day decided she'd had enough and refused to get out of her bus seat for a white man. Sheyann Webb remembers how, as a small girl, it was her church that moved her to march in Selma. Martin Luther King, Jr., is a powerful presence, so is Rosa Parks, but the big story here is about all those who worked together. Rochelle lists sources and a bibliography that will help kids to follow up on the personal stories. Hazel Rochman --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 116 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (February 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140384324
• ISBN-13: 978-0140384321
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #236,839 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #56 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > History & Historical Fiction > United States > 1900s

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Witnesses to Freedom, July 16, 2002

By 

Camille (San Diego, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Witnesses to Freedom: Young People Who Fought for Civil Rights (Paperback)

Witnesses to Freedom focuses on the efforts and dedication of young African-Americans during the Civil Rights Movement. The stories of protesters as young as nine years old are narrated as well as told through the eyes of the young freedom fighters. This book highlights not only the more famous young activists that students may not have exposure to, but many young people who did both big and small things to help make the movement. For example, the book opens with a story about Barbara Johns, a teenager who led a movement in her school to boycott for better educational facilities and resources. The book also tells the stories of more famous teenagers like Elizabeth Eckford who integrated Little Rock's all white Central High, and Claudette Colvin who was arrested for not giving up her seat to a white person on a Montgomery bus months before Rosa Park's famous arrest. While the book highlights specific individuals, the stories place a strong emphasis on the importance of group participation for social change. Each young activist was working to inspire others to join the cause, and make the movement truly powerful. Photographs are also included of the young activists which adds a personal touch to their stories of struggle and survival. This book would be an excellent book to introduce students to the struggle and inspire them to want to learn more about the history of African-Americans. The emphasis on the power of young people to make social change makes this book an excellent resource for children. This book would be best suited for older children ages 11 and 12. The book is written in a more mature format, and covers more mature subject matter.