February 11 - 17, 2013
Morrison, Toni.
REMEMBER: THE JOURNEY TO SCHOOL INTEGRATION:
Bibliography:
Morrison, Toni. (2004).
Remember: the journey to school integration. Boston: Houghton Mifflin
Co.
Summary:
The Civil Rights Movement is presented from the perspective
of African American children living through the integration process. The
photographs help to instill the reality of a time long past but not long
forgotten. You are presented with the feelings of fear and anxiety these
students faced when trying to just become an equal.
Impressions:
I was impressed with the emotion expressed by the narrator
and I feel that any student can understand and relate to the feelings of
anxiety. The photographs also add to the authenticity of the subject matter and
make this real for the reader. I really like books with authentic photos
because they really help me understand a topic, especially when it relates to
history as that seems to be my weakest area.
Reviews:
In her introduction, Toni Morrison describes the racial climate in
the U. S. in the 1950s— the
burgeoning civil rights movement and the impact of Brown v.
Board of Education. Morrison reaches out to engage readers in this
pictorial essay on the topic of school integration with the
brief and thought-provoking words she imagines being spoken by the
children, youth, and adults captured in the photographs. The images, spanning the
years 1942 to 1989, document segregated and integrated schools and the civil rights
movement. A timeline and photo notes at the end of the text give dates and
descriptions to help readers correlate these images to the country’s history.
Remember: The Journey to School
Integration. (2010). School Library Monthly, 27(2), 28.
Award-winning author
Toni Morrison has crafted a sensitive pictorial essay of the tumultuous times
of school integration. Photographs on every page lead the reader from the
segregated schools and communities to the front page of the New York Times with
its announcementof the Supreme Court decision, from the initial attempts at
integration to classes finally being integrated. Readers will see pictures of
Ruby Bridges, Rosa Parks, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Without using inflammatory
language Morrison succeeds in depicting the inhumanity of those days. Hopefully,
this new generation of readers will recognize the injustices and never let them
happen again. The uncaptioned pictures are placed in their historical context in
the photo notes in the back matter along with a timeline of significant civil rights
and school integration events. The book is dedicated to the four young girls killed
in a Birmingham church bombing. Though a picture book in format, this title
will touch the hearts of all, including students and adults who have not
endured such treatment and those who have.
Manczuk, S.
(2005). Remember: The Journey to School Integration. Library Media
Connection, 23(4), 67.
Uses:
I would display and/or read this to students when they are
studying the Civil Rights Movement. This could also be part of a display in the
library of African American authors during Black History Month.
THE
TEQUILA WORM
Bibliography:
Canales, V. (2005). The Tequila
Worm. New York: Wendy Lamb Books.
Summary:
The Tequila Worm tells the tale of a young girl, Sofia,
growing up in a Mexican-American family in border town south Texas. Surrounded
by her close-knit family, Sofia learns of the value of the Mexican traditions
passed down through generations of family members through the telling of
stories, sharing of foods and dependence on her loved ones. Her dream is to
make something of herself and after being teased in the school cafeteria for
bring bean tacos for lunch, a coach leads her down a path that will change her
course and encourage her to excel at school. Her hard work pays off when she
wins a scholarship to attend a prestigious private school in Austin, TX, three
hours away. Struggling with whether to pursue her dreams and leave her family
and its traditions behind or stay home and follow the expected path for her,
she is encouraged to follow her heart through a series of self-discovery
moments where her family traditions teach her the things she will need to be
successful in her pursuits.
Impressions:
I was drawn to this book because it is based in a culture I
am married to don’t always fully understand. The references to areas of Texas I
have visited and lived, stores I have shopped at and foods I have enjoyed were
comforting and kept me reading to learn even more. I felt a kinship to Sofia
and wanted to see her succeed in everything she attempted.
Reviews:
Sofia's Texas
barrio is as full of Mexican culture--from storytellers to healers to Christmas
tamales and Easter cascarones--as it is of love and warmth. To Sofia, though,
it is also increasingly shabby and limited, and when a scholarship offer to an
exclusive boarding school arrives she decides to leave her family and barrio
behind. Family expectations and peers' racist attitudes challenge her academic
dreams, but her successes ultimately lead her all the way to Harvard Law. Sofia
narrates her journey (which parallels Canales' own experiences) from young
childhood to adulthood in vignettes a half-page to several pages long (akin to
Cisneros' landmark The House on Mango Street). Repeated elements such as the
tequila worm (a cure for homesickness) and comadres (lifetime female friends
almost like family) provide some continuity, but overall the vignette device
makes the story feel fragmented. Situations and characters in the boarding
school portion of the text are superficial compared to compelling portrayals of
Sofia's close family and barrio, weakening the impact of the contrast between
the two worlds. However, the novel is notable for its positive portrayal of a
close-knit Mexican-American family in which a young Latina uses her brains to
get ahead while never losing sight of her heritage.
Hommel,
M. (2005). [The Tequila Worm]. Bulletin of the center for children's books,
59(2), 76.
Sofia, 14, lives in McAllen, TX. What she lacks in
material possessions, she makes up for in personality and intelligence. When
she is called a "taco head" by a student at her school, she decides
to "kick that girl" by getting better grades and being a better
soccer player than her tormentor. As a result of this determination, Sofia is
offered a scholarship to the elite Saint Luke's school in Austin. Now she must
convince her family and herself that she is up to the challenge. Canales
includes vivid descriptions of life in a Mexican-American community. Her prose
is engaging and easy to read, making this novel a good choice for reluctant
readers. The momentum slows a bit after Sofia's arrival in Austin in contrast
to the portion of the book set in McAllen. Still, the story is a good addition
to most collections.
Buron,
M., Jones, T. E., Toth, L., Charnizon, M., Grabarek, D., & Raben, D.
(2006). The tequila worm. School Library Journal, 52(2), 128.
Uses:
This would be great to use to introduce Spanish culture or
as a study on cultural traditions.
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