Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, February 20, 1993 TAG: 9302200196
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SALLY WILLIAMS COOK ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
CHILDREN LEARN OF BLACK HISTORY IN WORDS, PICTURES
Young readers can find a rich assortment of current books that enhance the celebration of February's Black History Month.\ Malcolm X
Walter Dean Myers' "Malcolm X: By Any Means Necessary" portrays the controversial leader's life in eloquent prose. Myers explores the childhood of Malcolm X, his years as the street hustler "Detroit Red," his leadership of the Nation of Islam and his impact on the civil rights movement. Black-and-white photos are scattered throughout the book, and an informative chronology of the life of Malcolm X appears at the end (Scholastic, $13.95).
Thulani Davis has put together a collection of photographs in "Malcolm X: The Great Photographs." Although designed for adults, children will be interesteded in looking at the photographs - which begin with his childhood and focus on the critical years of his life from 1959 to 1965, when he was in the public eye (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, $40). The book contains 110 duotone photographs.
\ Civil rights movement
\ "Freedom's Children" by Ellen Levine is the story of 30 black Americans who were active in the civil rights movement of the 1950s and '60s. In their own words, they describe growing up in the South, where they were subjected to daily humiliations and injustices. They participated in the Montgomery, Ala., bus boycott, the integration of schools and other public places, and the Selma-to-Montgomery march that triggered passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act (Putnam, $16.95).
\ March on Washington
Ossie Davis' first novel, "Just Like Martin," tells the story of young Isaac Stone, an ardent admirer of Martin Luther King Jr. Isaac's father, Ike, an embittered Korean War veteran, doesn't believe in King's nonviolent teachings. He won't let his son take part in a big freedom march in Washington, D.C. Isaac is caught between defying his father and fighting racism through peaceful means.Davis has a keen ear for dialogue. For readers 12 years and older (Simon & Schuster, $14).
Award-winning author James Haskins turns his attention to the historic 1963 march on Washington, D.C., in "The March on Washington." Haskins traces the history of the civil rights movement, then details the planning, progression and outcomes of that momentous day (HarperCollins).
\ Slavery
In "Sojourner Truth, Ain't I A Woman?" a young woman fights the injustices of slavery by speaking out. Sojourner Truth was one of the first black women to win a suit against a white man, and although she couldn't read, she memorized the Bible (Scholastic, $13.95).
\ "From Slave to Abolitionist" by Lucille Schulberg Warner tells of the life of William Wells Brown, who, as a young man, was hired out to be a dealer in slaves. After 20 years, he escaped to freedom. In the time that followed, he spent every spare moment educating himself and devoting his life to the abolition of slavery (Dial Books, $13.99).
Also published by Dial Books, "Long Journey Home" by Julius Lester, a collection of stories about slavery in the South, based on real-life stories ($13.99).
\ "Nightjohn," a new novel by Gary Paulsen that confronts the cruelties of slavery (Delacorte, $14).