Profit and Punishment: How America Criminalizes the Poor in the Name of Justice
This book succinctly summarizes and effectively argues how the for-profit system of fines and fees criminalizes poverty in the United States. It makes its case by following the stories of three people who were caught up in the system. Messenger supports these anecdotal stories with data from many states detailing how this system has caused significant harm. It's clear from his assessment that the only groups who are winning from this system are the for-profit prisons. It costs the government more to criminalize poverty and it certainly doesn't help those in poverty to escape their circumstances, nor does it make communities safer in any shape or form. It's clear that this system needs to change and hopefully politicians will be clear-eyed enough to look past the immediate profits and towards the longstanding damage these fines and fees create.
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Lakota Woman
Mary Crow Dog was born on a desolate South Dakota reservation, she survived a missionary school, was among those protesting at Wounded Knee in 1973 (while 9 months pregnant), and was an insider to the American Indian Movement. Although this book is written more as a narrative than as a historical story, there is so much history to be found in this text. I confess that I didn't know much about the American Indian Movement of the 1970s beyond the standard textbook definition. Therefore, when I read the back of this book, I knew it belonged in my "to be read" pile.
Mary's story is both raw and sparse. Much of it reads like a stream of conscious retelling, as she relays the abuse and indignations that Lakota Sioux have suffered throughout history. Her life story makes the impact of U.S. policy demonstratively clear. If you're looking for a book about more recent Native American history that goes beyond the a basic summary of events, Lakota Woman is perfect.
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Beyond the Bright Sea
Crow was an abandoned baby who washed up on the shore of a small island in Maine. She was taken in and adopted by a man named Osh. At twelve years old, Crow starts questioning her identity and her origin. Her investigations lead her in the direction towards an abandoned island nearby that once housed a leper colony and rumors of buried treasure.
This wasn't a book that captured my interest, and I'm not sure why. I loved the setting, the story was sweet and simple, and the writing was lovely. However, for some reason I just didn't connect with the characters. As one Goodreads review noted, the book was both heartbreaking and boring at the same time.
Notably, although this book takes place in the 1920s, the story is really timeless. The only indication of historical content is the concern over "lepers" and the leper colony that was located near Crow's adoptive home.
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A Place to Hang the Moon
I have a weakness for any story centered around British children sent to live in the countryside during WWII. I know that it's a common topic, but I just can't help myself. Bedknobs and Broomsticks anyone? The Chronicles of Narina? Unlike those fanciful tales, A Place to Hang the Moon is firmly centered in reality. Yet, this story still held a magical nostalgia and charm that I adored. The three children at the center of the story - William, Edmund, and Anna - have been recently orphaned, and they're sent to live with a family as evacuees. There is hope in this decision that they will find a family that will adopt them after the war's end.
I absolutely devoured this story. The nostalgia, the sweetness, and the character development are all there. The children are incredibly sympathetic and realistic all the same. While this story is historical fiction, the history lies very much in the background while the children's lives and experiences take center stage. Still, there is much to learn about the experiences of young evacuees during WWII and the hardships of daily life during that time. I even enjoyed the descriptions of the meals the children ate. I'm not sure this story has a place in the classroom, however, it is the perfect story to read to your children at bedtime. Like me, you might enjoy reading it all on your own!
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Stamped – Racism, Antiracism, and You
Stamped From the Beginning seeks to explain the narrative thread of racism that has run throughout the whole of American (Colonial and U.S.) History. It begins with Portuguese exploration and ends with the present day. This book provides a more succinct narrative of the history of racism in the United States than the original epic tome written by Ibram X. Kendi. Jason Reynolds took the original work and parsed it down into an engaging dialogue that makes the work feel much more like a conversation than a history textbook. (As Reyolds notes many times, it is NOT a history book!). Reynolds explores how the racist segregationists (the racist haters), assimilationists (basically accommodationists) and antiracists (the lovers) have all pushed and pull history, and how, unfortunately, the racists have often controlled that narrative. Reynolds draws from the many examples provided by Kendi, and the book generally follows the same historical narrative as Kendi's original.
This book is labeled for ages 12 and up, but honestly, I think it's best suited for high school students. There is so much to contextualize and explain, and I think the narrative or nuance would become lost if a teacher finds that they have to provide background for the twenty different concepts interwoven on a single page. High schoolers will be able to really explore the themes that are central to the text. I think a teacher could even spend a week working through just one of the chapters with students. (For instance, I know that could spend a full class period with students explaining why the phrase "I have black friends," doesn't exempt one from racist ideas and how that was basically an unsaid motto of Thomas Jefferson.)
Also, this book is for teachers. Especially those well-meaning teachers who picked up the original Stamped From the Beginning, realized that the text was incredibly dense, and then placed the book on their shelf to collect dust. This book breaks down the major concepts of the book without the incredible detail. If you're one of those teachers (shh, I won't tell), definitely pick up this book for yourself.
For a plethora of reasons, teachers might not be able to implement this full text in their classrooms, however, I hope they think about how they can.
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Black Birds in the Sky
(YA reading level - graphic depictions of violence and use of the "n" word is historical documents)
Luck of the Titanic
(YA reading level - there is some racism and the use of racial slurs, beyond that, the book is very clean)
Valora Luck is the daughter of a white mother and a Chinese father. She and her brother have been trained as circus performers, and both parents are deceased. Luck decides to disguise herself as a well-off widow and is able to finagle her way onto the infamous Titanic shortly before it leaves that harbor. She then finds her brother aboard and is able to entangle herself in many dramatic plotlines, as she attempts to pass herself off as both a male Chinese circus performer and a widowed first-class passenger.
My main criticism of this book is that it didn't need to take place on the Titanic. Much of the plot could have taken place on any ship crossing the Atlantic during this time. I understand that Lee wanted to explore the history of the Chinese men who survived the Titanic, but a fictional female character was the main character of the story. I think the struggles Luck faced (racism, poverty, the Chinese Exclusion Act, etc) could have been better explored if the story just took place on a ship - no ice needed. I spent much of the book waiting for the ship to hit the ice, as then all of the stories that led up to the sinking wouldn't really matter. That was really my struggle with this book. I knew that all of the plots would be stressed or demolished towards the end, so I never really found myself invested in the stories of the characters. I do look forward to reading more Stacey Lee books, as I really enjoyed her writing, just not the plot structure of this particular tale.
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A Night Divided
A Night Divided had me hooked from the first pages. The main character, Greta, lives with her mother and her brother in East Germany, while her father and other brother have escaped to the other side. Trapped in the city by the Berlin Wall, the three are compelled to stifle any misgivings they may have about the Communist government and the Stasi. Early on in the story, Greta devises a plan to break free, and the tension surrounding whether her plan will achieve success consumes much of the rest of the story.
The hardship of daily life and the trauma of living under a Communist regime are depicted with some inconsistent historical accuracy. The story was engaging, and I legitimately wanted to see if Gerta and her family would achieve success in their task. With that said, the book could have been much better researched. As many German readers have pointed out, there were quite a few historical inaccuracies that made the major plot points implausible. Also, as a Goodreads reviewer noted, "to stay (in East Germany) is bad, to leave is bad." A bit more discussion of those difficult choices would have provided levity to the plot. However, with that caveat noted, for students unfamiliar with life under Communism, this book provides a sound introduction.
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She Came to Slay: The Life and Times of Harriet Tubman
(Middle Grade reading level - No real content concerns, although it does discuss the trauma of slavery)
This book chronicles the life of Harriet Tubman. It includes details about her early life, her work on the Underground Railroad, her service in the Civil War, and her circumstances after the war. Dunbar takes the biographic information about Tubman and combines it with a more informal narrative to imbue humanity into the details of Tubman's life. Tubman's life is so incredible and unimaginable, and Dunbar made her seem human and vulnerable.
This book really demonstrated how biographies should be written for middle-grade readers. Students at that level need to have a connection to historical characters. The emotions and the inner monologue of a person like Tubman makes the story of her life seem much more recent and modern. I flew through this book as it read much more like a novel than a historical biography.
Truly, this is an excellent book. It's a must-have for your classroom library.
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Station 11
Station 11 takes place in a post-pandemic world. In this case, 99.9% of humans have been killed off by a strain of the flu, and those who survive must literally claw together a new reality. Both the show and the book follow a myriad of characters, all who are connected by their relationship to a comic book called Station 11. This review is unusual in that I watched the TV show based on the novel first. Then, I proceeded to read the book afterwards.
I was absolutely mesmerized by the show. The writing was unique and creative, and it envisioned a post-pandemic world that didn't rehash the typical tropes. Instead of a world overwhelmed by constant fear, murder, and survival, there is art, there is Shakespeare, and there is a realistic outline of trauma that rises above just generic sadness.
The book and the show were so different that it actually proves difficult to compare the two. It's as though two authors were given basic plotlines, and then told to submit their version of the story. While some of the details are similar, they really are distant cousins of each other. The book includes most of the same characters, though the characters are given different circumstances and plot lines. The major emotional arc of the show - the relationship between Kristen and Jeevan - isn't present in the book at all. The book does add some richness to the story from the show, however, honestly, I think the show was the superior of the two. Maybe I would have felt differently if I had read the book first. Regardless, I think both hold merit, and I would suggest reading the book and watching the show for the richest experience.
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History is Delicious
History is Delicious is the second book in a series by Honest History. It contains a wealth of knowledge about types of food from around the world including simple recipes for kids, cultural connections, and historical contexts for each area. The main component of the book includes descriptions of popular recipes from around the world. The book is broken into four major categories, Americas, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, and there are a multitude of recipe descriptions for each location. This book would be great for a World Cultures class and could provide a starting point for conversations with students. I know that my students are probably unfamiliar with 95% of the recipes mentioned in this book, and I could easily assign them a particular recipe for a group discussion. Teachers could utilize the historical context sections for the introduction to a lesson, as that text is written at more of a YA level.
Fair warning, however, you absolutely cannot pick up this book if you are in any way hungry. In the absence of any Korean barbecue or Dim Sum, I ended up snarfing down several vanilla wafers from my kitchen. (It's very helpful that Door Dash doesn't deliver to my country farmhouse.)
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Leaders and Thinkers in American History
Meghan's book is perfect for kids in the middle-grade level who might be curious about these individuals. It's also great for a teacher to utilize sections in the classroom. My favorite part of this book is that it was written by an actual middle school History teacher. Meghan has taught at this level for many years, and this book is written in a clever and engaging style that reflects that experience. There are many short biographies of famous Americans floating around the internet, however, Meghan's shines through the stack. The research she put into each biography and her experience teaching are reflected on every page.