Published by Philomel Books

Summary:  From the Boston Tea Party to the Dakota Access Uprising and the Women’s March, these twelve chapters cover protests organized by ordinary people that have stood up to the established order and helped effect change.  Other than the Tea Party and the Seneca Falls Convention, the rest are from the 20th and 21st century, including the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the March on Washington, the 1968 Democratic Convention, the Stonewall Uprising, Earth Day, the March Against Nuclear Weapons, and ACT UP.  Each chapter begins with a photo, then gives some background before launching into the people and places of each protest, and the outcomes they did or didn’t achieve.  There are no source notes, but there’s a “Note on Sources” at the end that gives a good introduction to different types of sources and research; there is also an extensive index.  224 pages; grades 6 and up.

Pros:  Seeing as we seem to be living through chapter 13 of this book, readers may find a lot to connect with and inspire them.  It was encouraging to read about the impact these protests made.  The narratives are engagingly written; each one could be used as a stand-alone research source.  

Cons:  The small font and lack of photos made this not very visually appealing.  Also, in the heads-up category, protesters do use salty language, which is represented as “f—” or other fill-in-the-blank forms.  And there’s no getting around the need to describe the pussy hats of the Women’s March, but it’s pretty sanitized.

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Published by Little Brown Books for Young Readers

Summary: In this “remix” of Ibram Kendi’s award-winning book Stamped from the Beginning, Jason Reynolds tells the history of racism in America, going back to the fifteenth century and continuing to (almost) the present day.  Focusing on people such as Cotton Mather, Thomas Jefferson, William Jennings Bryan, and Angela Davis, Reynolds explores their lives and beliefs in the context of racism vs. assimilation vs. antiracism.  Starting off with the statement (revisited many times) that “this is not a history book”, the book is written in a tone designed to appeal to young readers.  Includes an afterword, acknowledgements from both Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi, a lengthy reading list, and extensive source notes.  320 pages; grades 6-12.

Pros:  Jason Reynolds’ book could not have been more timely, and will undoubtedly find its way into the curriculum of many a school district in the coming year.  As he has proven in his fiction writing, his writing style is extremely engaging for young adults, who may be relieved to hear this isn’t a history book and will enjoy reading it for their own edification.  The content will reveal to them–and to adults as well–what has traditionally been left out of the telling of America’s past, and will give them an antiracist lens with which to view the present.

Cons:  Covering 600 years of history in a book of this length is a daunting task, and readers may struggle to keep all the names, places, events, and belief systems straight as they quickly travel through the centuries.

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Published by Bloomsbury Children’s Books

Summary:  These stories relate how eleven United States presidents narrowly escaped death, either before their administration or during it.  Quite a few are war stories, including George Washington in the American Revolution, and John F. Kennedy, Dwight D. Eisenhower, George H. W. Bush, and Gerald Ford in World War II.  A few were assassination attempts on sitting presidents: Andrew Jackson, Theodore Roosevelt, Harry Truman, and Ronald Reagan.  The story of Abraham Lincoln is how rumors of assassination were thwarted while Lincoln traveled to Washington, D.C. after he was elected president.  Each story includes at least one sidebar with information on a topic related to the main narrative.  Includes a list of sources and an index.  128 pages; grades 4-8.

Pros:  These exciting survival stories with some name recognition of at least the most famous presidents will surely entice some reluctant readers to sample some nonfiction.  Each chapter is relatively short with plenty of action.

Cons:  Not a single photo, and some of the stories (Kennedy, Carter, Reagan) have no dates.

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