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PEOPLE WHO SAID NO by Laura Scandiffio

PEOPLE WHO SAID NO

Courage Against Oppression

by Laura Scandiffio

Pub Date: Oct. 1st, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-55451-383-3
Publisher: Annick Press

An inspiring, informative collection of profiles of people who sacrificed freedom and life to take stands against oppression and to champion human rights.

Sophie and Hans Scholl, leaders of a secret student movement opposing the Nazi regime, were executed for treason. Andrei Sakharov helped develop the Soviet Union's first atomic bomb but later became an outspoken critic of nuclear proliferation and was effectively kept under house arrest for years. Aung San Suu Kyi also spent years under house arrest for protesting Burma's dictatorship. For decades, Helen Suzman was the sole member of the South African parliament to fight against apartheid. Rosa Parks' refusal to relinquish her seat prompted the Montgomery bus boycott, one of the first major triumphs of the civil rights movement. Archbishop Oscar Romero challenged El Salvador's oppressive regime and was assassinated. The last and weakest chapter discusses the popular uprising in Egypt that brought down Hosni Mubarak's government. Scandiffio's concise, engaging profiles offer readers an informative overview of these heroes and their accomplishments, and occasional sidebars provide background information.

These inspiring stories of people who challenged the status quo make for riveting reading, as well as excellent starting points for research and discussions about civil disobedience, ethics and morality. (Nonfiction. 11 & up)

(bibliography, index) (Nonfiction11 & up)