School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-8-This is the concluding book in a trilogy that chronicles the black experience in America. Rappaport draws on songs, poems, memories, letters, court testimony, and first-person accounts to provide a moving portrayal of the experiences of African Americans from the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott to the Voting Rights Act in July 1965. The book introduces little-known as well as famous figures and incidents in a way that is fresh and informative. One example is the story of Mose Wright, who testified in the Emmett Till murder case-a black man who had never spoken up against a white man, but is determined to tell the truth today. Evans's earth-toned oil paintings enhance the stories with images that are by turns poignant, sad, hurtful, resigned, determined, hopeful, and triumphant. In a concluding artist's note, Evans eloquently states: "...as you read the words and gaze at the images in this `ourstory,' put yourselves in the shoes of these people who fought and loved so hard, for they are all of us." A wonderful resource to enhance curriculum units on African-American history.-Mary N. Oluonye, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
(Intermediate, Middle School) Completing a trilogy (No More!: Stories and Songs of Slave Resistance, rev. 3/02; Free at Last!: Stories and Songs of Emancipation, rev. 5/04), Rappaport recalls pivotal events of the 1950s and 1960s. After a stirring call for freedom by poet Margaret Walker, the author reprises the injustices that led to massive protests-segregation, intimidation, the murder of Emmett Till-and offers vignettes featuring the little known (Jo Ann Robinson) as well as the famous (Rosa Parks). She describes nonviolence training, then details its uses and immediate consequences in a moving litany of resolute action, vicious response, and the protesters' triumphant spirit: ""civil rights activists / sat-in restaurants, / ...slept-in hotel lobbies, / ...knelt-in white churches. // Angry whites / cursed them, / spat at them / threw ammonia in their faces .../ The activists never raised their fists. / ...judges / sentenced them... / And they filled the jails with song."" Organizations that arose from the struggle, laws that changed, dramatic stories, words, and songs are all surveyed in the brief text and sampled in telling quotes. Evans's freely brushed oil paintings, heroic in scale on the large double-page spreads, make the menace of racial hatred palpable while celebrating the steadfast moral power of these courageously peaceful people. Source notes; bibliography; further reading; index. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Following on the heels of No More! (2002) and Free at Last (2004) is the third in this striking trilogy documenting African-American history. Rappaport and Evans follow the pattern already established, presenting a conventional narration interwoven with present-tense accounts of individuals' experiences, songs, and an occasional poem; the whole is stunningly illustrated with Evans's monumental oils, which represent the incidents described in the text with almost iconic fervor. For all its strengths, however, this offering pales in comparison to the first two installments in the trilogy, perhaps because this era has been so relatively well-covered in other works for young people. The technique of "recreating" incidents from first-person accounts in particular has a tendency to fall flat--as these accounts are so readily available and powerful in their own right, one must question why so few activists are allowed to speak with their own voices. Rather than increasing the immediacy of the experience, as it did in the earlier volumes, it serves to distance the reader from people and events, which is a pity considering its beauty. (timeline, source notes, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 9-12) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Gr. 4-7. The last of the trilogy that includes No More! 0 (2002) and Free at Last! 0 (2004), this stirring picture book draws on first-person accounts from famous leaders of the civil rights movement as well as testimonies of unsung heroes. The brutality is evident--in horrific memories of segregation and the violence of hate groups. But there are also triumphant stories, some in Rappaport's present-tense narrative, about Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, and many more. Martin Luther King\b \b0 Jr.'s leadership role and his famous "I have a dream" speech are celebrated, but Malcolm X gets little attention. Whereas most histories of this period are illustrated with famous documentary photos, this one features dramatic oil paintings, which show close up the courage of young people confronting hatred at sit-ins, on freedom rides, and behind bars. A detailed chronology, source notes, and a bibliography will connect readers with the many other fine biographies and histories of this period, such as Ellen Levine's Freedom's Children 0 (1992) and Diane McWhorter's A Dream of Freedom0 (2004). --Hazel Rochman Copyright 2006 Booklist
