Cracking the Wall: The Struggles of the Little Rock Nine (On My Own History (Paperback))

Rating:
Summary: Cracking the wall of segregation in Little Rock in 1957
Review: We have all seen the pictures of the teenage black students walking through the rows of U.S. Army soldiers as they entered the all-white Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. In "Cracking the Wall; The Struggles of the Little Rock Nine," Eileen Lucas tells the story behind those famous pictures. Illustrated by Mark Anthony, this book not only tells us the names of these nine students but takes us inside the school so we can find out what happened when the cameras were not around. While these students were allowed to attend Central, despite the wishes of the Governor Fabus and other segregationists, they were not allowed to participate in any activities. Young readers will learn how the governor used National Guardsmen to keep the blacks from attending class until President Eisenhower sent different soldiers to ensure the law was obeyed. In an Afterword, Lucas explains what happened after the soldiers left and how Fabus actually closed all the public high schools in Arkansas rather than let black and white students be together. Today we look back on these events and cannot believe adults could be such idiots, but then prejudice is not exactly textbook rational thinking. Students will find this story fascinating, although I would imagine they would have a hard time imagining what it was really like for these nine brave students. As Lucas reminds her young readers, while "The Little Rock Nine helped to crack the wall" of segregation, "it is up to each of us to continue to tear down the walls that keep people apart."

Rating:
Summary: Cracking the wall of segregation in Little Rock in 1957
Review: We have all seen the pictures of the teenage black students walking through the rows of U.S. Army soldiers as they entered the all-white Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. In "Cracking the Wall; The Struggles of the Little Rock Nine," Eileen Lucas tells the story behind those famous pictures. Illustrated by Mark Anthony, this book not only tells us the names of these nine students but takes us inside the school so we can find out what happened when the cameras were not around. While these students were allowed to attend Central, despite the wishes of the Governor Fabus and other segregationists, they were not allowed to participate in any activities. Young readers will learn how the governor used National Guardsmen to keep the blacks from attending class until President Eisenhower sent different soldiers to ensure the law was obeyed. In an Afterword, Lucas explains what happened after the soldiers left and how Fabus actually closed all the public high schools in Arkansas rather than let black and white students be together. Today we look back on these events and cannot believe adults could be such idiots, but then prejudice is not exactly textbook rational thinking. Students will find this story fascinating, although I would imagine they would have a hard time imagining what it was really like for these nine brave students. As Lucas reminds her young readers, while "The Little Rock Nine helped to crack the wall" of segregation, "it is up to each of us to continue to tear down the walls that keep people apart."