I am an American: A True Story of Japanses Interment by Jerry Stanley

• ISBN-10: 0590684442
• Paperback: 102 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic (1998)

From Publishers Weekly

A history professor, Stanley (Children of the Dust Bowl) does an admirable job of distilling the intricate story of the Japanese in America during World War II. At the same time, the author presents a highly personal portrait of Shi Nomura, one of the nearly 120,000 Americans of Japanese ancestry whom the federal government ordered evacuated from their West Coast homes to relocation camps as a result of war-provoked hysteria and hostility. The seeds for this prejudice, the reader learns, were sown early in the century, when anti-Japanese sentiment escalated to the point that schools were racially segregated in San Francisco and the Japanese government signed a "gentleman's agreement" to stop their citizens from emigrating to this country. Quotes from the perceptive, articulate Shi as well as numerous period photos underscore the ignominy of the U.S. government's wartime action and help make this volume a haunting, at times heartrending chronicle. Ages 9-up. (Sept.) q
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-10-In clear and fascinating prose, Stanley has set forth the compelling story of one of America's darkest times- the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. He has based his account on the experiences of Shi Nomura, who was sent to Manzanar in the deserts of eastern California when he was a high school senior. But the author weaves in more than absorbing personal details; he places the camps in a broader historical context, from Japanese immigration and the resentment it aroused to outstanding Japanese American service in the war. His meticulously researched volume is accompanied by numerous, fine period black-and-white photographs, many by Dorothea Lange and Ansel Adams; and he makes judicious use of maps. This eloquent account of the disastrous results of racial prejudice stands as a reminder to us in today's pluralistic society.
Diane S. Marton, Arlington County Library, VA
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

How I would use this in the classroom
I would use this book during a Holocaust unit. I think, again, it is a subject not talked about enough. Showing the students the importance of these historical event would be very rewarding in the long run.

Indian Chiefs by Russell Freeman

• ISBN-10: 0823409716
• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Holiday House (September 1992)

From Publishers Weekly

By now an esteemed expert on the West, the author of Cowboys of the Wild West moves on to Native Americans. What response should a tribal leader take to white expansion into his people's territories? How that question is answered by six chiefsincluding Red Cloud, Santana and Sitting Bullforms the crux of this book. Their biographies serve as guidelines for negotiation styles, reminders of our government's shame and mother lodes of historical information. Excellent reproduction of the photos gives this reference book a handsome coffee-table look. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal

Grade 6 Up Freedman presents six Indian leaders from western tribes, each of whom faced the challenge of dealing with the encroachment upon his land in his own way. Included are Red Cloud of the Oglala Sioux, Santanta of the Kiowas, Quanah Parker of the Comanches, Washakie of the Shoshonis, Joseph of the Nez Perces, and Sitting Bull of the Hunkpapa Sioux. With hindsight, it is apparent that none of these men could totally win against the white culture, but they each found a different compromise. Freedman does not romanticize the Indian viewpoint, nor is he judgmental against the whites. He presents a factual, human account of cultures in conflict. The black-and-white photographs and prints reinforce the well-written biographies. Because the coverage is limited to leaders of western tribes, only two of the men in this book are also included in Lynne Deur's more general Indian Chiefs (Lerner, 1972). Freedman's narrative, as in his Children of the Wild West (Clarion, 1983), flows smoothly. The bibliography and index add to the book's usefulness as a resource for research as well. Karen P. Zimmerman, I.D. Weeks Library, University of South Dakota, Vermillion
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

How I would use this in class
I would plan on using this in class to show the historical significance of the oppression of American Indians. I might read a story from the book, and then inform them that the story was very true. I think it would impact the students strongly.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

ISBN-10: 0345514408
pages: 304
Published: 1969

Despite all the accolades showered on her, Maya Angelou has often been on the Challenged and Banned Books lists. She is ranked 8^th in the American Library Association List of “Top Ten Challenged Authors 1990 to 2004” (out of 8,332 challenges reported to the Office for Intellectual Freedom.  See link below.) Some of these books are challenged because of their presence on school library book shelves, and others because they have been assigned as required reading in the curriculum.

"This is the autobiography of Maya Angelou's harsh and unpleasant childhood. She and her brother were shuttled from relatives in the dirt poor rural south to then live for a time in St. Louis with their pretty but irresponsible mother. Eventually they met their father. The book shows the ignorance and prejudice of both black and white people in the 30's and 40's. In St. Louis, Maya is molested as a young girl by an acquaintance of her mother. In California, she becomes a delinquent and lives on the streets and in abandoned cars while in her teens. By the time she is in high school she has become pregnant with a child. "
David Fletcher, Resident Scholar 

How I would use it in a classroom
This book has so many themes in it that it would fit into a lot of unit plans. It is smart, coming of age, historical memoir. It would good to practice memoir making in line with this book. 

Number the Stars by Lois Lowrey

ISBN-10: 0440227534
pages: 136
published: February 9, 1998

Amazon.com Review

The evacuation of Jews from Nazi-held Denmark is one of the great untold stories of World War II. On September 29, 1943, word got out in Denmark that Jews were to be detained and then sent to the death camps. Within hours the Danish resistance, population and police arranged a small flotilla to herd 7,000 Jews to Sweden. Lois Lowry fictionalizes a true-story account to bring this courageous tale to life. She brings the experience to life through the eyes of 10-year-old Annemarie Johannesen, whose family harbors her best friend, Ellen Rosen, on the eve of the round-up and helps smuggles Ellen's family out of the country. Number the Stars won the 1990 Newbery Medal. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly

Set in Nazi-occupied Denmark in 1943, this 1990 Newbery winner tells of a 10-year-old girl who undertakes a dangerous mission to save her best friend. Ages 10-14.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

How I would use it in the classroom 
This is a great book to show bravery and friendship. It would also be great to reveal the Holocaust, and speak of its social significance. The story is very profound and bound to hit home with some students.

if you come softly by Jeacqueline Woodson

• ISBN-10: 0142415227
• Pages: 208

From Publishers Weekly

Once again, Woodson (I Hadn't Meant to Tell You This) handles delicate, even explosive subject matter with exceptional clarity, surety and depth. In this contemporary story about an interracial romance, she seems to slip effortlessly into the skins of both her main characters, Ellie, an upper-middle-class white girl who has just transferred to Percy, an elite New York City prep school, and Jeremiah, one of her few African American classmates, whose parents (a movie producer and a famous writer) have just separated. A prologue intimates heartbreak to come; thereafter, sequences alternate between Ellie's first-person narration and a third-person telling that focuses on Jeremiah. Both voices convincingly describe the couple's love-at-first-sight meeting and the gradual building of their trust. The intensity of their emotions will make hearts flutter, then ache as evidence mounts that Ellie's and Jeremiah's "perfect" love exists in a deeply flawed society. Even as Woodson's lyrical prose draws the audience into the tenderness of young love, her perceptive comments about race and racism will strike a chord with black readers and open the eyes of white readers ("Thing about white people," Jeremiah's father tells him, "they know what everybody else is, but they don't know they're white"). Knowing from the beginning that tragedy lies just around the corner doesn't soften the sharp impact of this wrenching book. Ages 10-up.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal

Grade 7 Up-Two 15 year olds, Jeremiah (Miah) who is black, and Elisha (Ellie) who is white, meet during their first year at an exclusive New York prep school and fall in love. Both teens are also dealing with difficult family situations. Miah's father has left his mother for another woman, and Ellie is trying to fight through her feelings about her mother, who twice abandoned her family for extended periods. The teenagers must also deal with the subtle and not-so-subtle bigotry that they are subject to as a mixed-race couple. Miah and Ellie go about working through their problems, both individually and together, and their relationship continues to blossom, giving readers a shared sense of contentment. Thus, the tragic climax will leave them stunned. Woodson's lyrical narrative tells the story through alternating voices, Ellie's in the first person and Miah's in the third. This fine author once again shows her gift for penning a novel that will ring true with young adults as it makes subtle comments on social situations.
Tom S. Hurlburt, La Crosse Public Library, WI
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

How I would use I in the classroom:
This would be a great book to show race relationships, and the importance of being an individual. It would also show the importance of helping others, and reveal the historical significance of slavery. 

Dogsong by Gary Paulsen

ISBN-10: 1416939199
Published: 1985
192 pages

Dogsong is a coming of age story about a boy name Russell, caught between boyhood and manhood. He seeks something greater in the world, and finds his roots through traversing nature. On his travels towards the north-est ocean, Russell encounters many adventures. In the end, the story shows that every person has their own way of life, and satisfaction comes from fulfilling this.


"Unusual and moving...a remarkable book." -- School Library Journal, starred review



From Amazon product review:
Something is bothering Russel Susskit. He hates waking up to the sound of his father's coughing, the smell of diesel oil, the noise of snow machines starting up.
Only Oogruk, the shaman who owns the last team of dogs in the village, understands Russel's longing for the old ways and the songs that celebrated them. But Oogruk cannot give Russel the answers he seeks; the old man can only prepare him for what he must do alone. Driven by a strange, powerful dream of a long-ago self and by a burning desire to find his own song, Russel takes Oogruk's dogs on an epic journey of self-discovery that will change his life forever.

A Newbery Honor Book

An ALA Best Book for Young Adults

An ALA Notable Book

A School Library Journal Best Book

How I would use it in the classroom

This book would be great to reference in a theme or unit dealing in diversity and following what your heart tells you. It would be a great winter book!

To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee

ISBN: 157270036X
Genre: Multicultural fiction
Published: July 11, 1960

My Personal Review
This is a great novel and seems to be a staple in classrooms across the U.S. It is Lee's only novel. The novel comments on racism, gender roles, class issues, and education. It tells of basic human problems and issues as well as minority issues; it is relevant to any reader at any age. Considering the novel is 50 years old, it is pretty amazing this novel has held up to the test of time.



A review by Phoebe Adams
http://www.theatlantic.com/past/docs/unbound/classrev/mocking.htm
Two other novels have turned up which may be classified as respectable hammock reading, if anybody reads in hammocks anymore. Walk Egypt by Vinnie Williams is well-written soap opera, and Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird is sugar-water served with humor. . . .
To Kill A Mockingbird is a more successful piece of work. It is frankly and completely impossible, being told in the first person by a six-year-old girl with the prose style of a well-educated adult. Miss Lee has, to be sure, made an attempt to confine the information in the text to what Scout would actually know, but it is no more than a casual gesture toward plausibility.
The book's setting is a small town in Alabama, and the action behind Scout's tale is her father's determination, as a lawyer, liberal, and honest man, to defend a Negro accused of raping a white girl. What happens is, naturally, never seen directly by the narrator. The surface of the story is an Alcottish filigree of games, mischief, squabbles with an older brother, troubles at school, and the like. None of it is painful, for Scout and Jem are happy children, brought up with angelic cleverness by their father and his old Negro housekeeper. Nothing fazes them much or long. Even the new first-grade teacher, a devotee of the "Dewey decimal system" who is outraged to discover that Scout can already read and write, proves endurable in the long run.
A variety of adults, mostly eccentric in Scout's judgment, and a continual bubble of incident make To Kill A Mockingbird pleasant, undemanding reading.

 And another good site for reviews:
http://www.allreaders.com/topics/info_1072.asp

How I'll use it:

This is a great coming of age story. There are elements in this story that almost anyone in the class could relate to. I could link it up with a government/law unit, or a unit on racial persecution and heroes.