Review Detail

What worked: Compact detailed history behind Jim Crow laws that continue to affect us now. This nonfiction book goes over the truth of our country's history that hopefully leads to informed awareness.

The author goes over such topics as the makings of oppression; policing in America; the impact of housing discrimination: and what's shown on the screen. Readers learn about the history behind slavery. There's also mention of the Thirteenth Amendment which was ratified and passed by Congress in 1865. But one sentence stood out to me in this insightful nonfiction book:

'Remember a previous point from the Reconstruction-just because a law has changed doesn't mean the people's attitudes change.'

The author does a good job showing how Jim Crow laws came after the Reconstruction ended in 1877 with the passing of the 1896 Supreme Court decision Plessy vs. Ferguson. Later in 1954 Brown vs. the Board of Education meant the end of segregation in schools.

There's vocabulary and also descriptions on such things as who exactly was Jim Crow? There is a definition of systemic racism-'the process through which the beliefs and attitudes of racism become firmly fixed in a society's political, economic, and cultural institutions.

At the end of each chapter is a 'Let's Talk about it' gray boxes that are perfect with questions leading up to discussions.

I agree that we need to know about our past in order not to repeat the wrongs of that time. The author does encourage young readers to talk about this with teachers and other adults and to take breaks if what they're reading is too tough.

As a former educator, I strongly think this book would be a good addition to any classroom library. It's also perfect for families to read and discuss. At the end of the book is a glossary with titles of books to help in further discussions.