An important addition to a highly useful series.
America’s first African American Supreme Court justice had a profound impact on constitutional law both before and during his time on the bench.
Thurgood Marshall, with his keen intellect, personal drive, and passion for justice, fought through the difficulties of the Jim Crow era in the United States. His personality allowed him to cope with the harsh realities of challenging the enduring systemic discrimination. While attempting to scrape out a living as a private attorney, Marshall also found time to tackle civil rights cases and helped win the case that ended segregation at the University of Maryland Law School, the same law school that denied him entrance. When Charles Houston, his former Howard Law School dean, offered him a position at the NAACP, he leapt at the opportunity. His success there with Brown v. Board of Education and other cases brought him to the attention of President Lyndon B. Johnson, who ultimately appointed him to the Supreme Court. As in others in Kanefield’s series, readers see how her subject’s early life and career influenced his outlook on how the U.S. Constitution should be interpreted and applied. Kanefield’s narrative is lively, and she provides important context where needed, such as how even though Marshall and Dr. King agreed on the need for change, Marshall did not agree on King’s strategy of civil disobedience.
An important addition to a highly useful series. (timeline, excerpts of Marshall’s writings, source notes, bibliography, index) (Biography. 10-14)Pub Date: April 21, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4197-4104-3
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Abrams
Review Posted Online: Dec. 7, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Essential reading about Anne and her times.
With Holocaust denial spreading via the internet, it remains important for young people to learn about this period in a very concrete way.
This fact-filled biography, created by the Anne Frank House, tells the story of the girl who filled her diary with stories of the day-to-day lives of the eight Jews hiding for over two years within the “Secret Annex” and her own aspirations as a writer and as a person. The book alternates information about the Secret Annex inhabitants and Otto Frank’s loyal Dutch colleagues and employees with double-page spreads that highlight questions that young visitors ask at the Anne Frank House, from big topics like “Why did Hitler hate the Jews?” to practical concerns: “Did the people in hiding get bored?” and “How did the people in hiding get new clothes and other things?” There is contextual information about the Holocaust as well as quotes from some of Anne’s friends who survived the war. Due to the busy scrapbook layout of the book, Scarry’s color illustrations and diagrams do not always show to advantage. Moreover, perhaps because the book was produced in several languages, there are occasional awkward sentences. Despite these flaws, this book will reward its readers with an in-depth picture of the girl who became known the world over for her optimism despite her dire circumstances.
Essential reading about Anne and her times. (maps, sources) (Biography. 10-14)Pub Date: Sept. 10, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-77260-060-5
Page Count: 72
Publisher: Second Story Press
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
Just like Times Square itself, the pages are filled to the brim.
An unexpected history of a very famous intersection.
Millions of people begin each new year mesmerized by the ball drop atop One Times Square. But before all the glitz and flashing lights, Times Square was filled with carriages, livery stables and coal yards. It is a stark contrast that’s difficult to imagine. McKendry (Beneath the Streets of Boston: Building America’s First Subway, 2005) takes readers on a journey through 100 years of shifts and changes to this well-known New York City landscape. Beginning in 1904 when the New York Times headquarters was built and forever changed the name of this small plot of land, McKendry accompanies the text with a spectacular painting of the Square from a specific point of view. This same perspective is used repeatedly throughout the narrative, simultaneously grounding readers and letting them watch in awe as buildings and technology sprout and change. Interspersed with the Square’s history—during both thriving years and sordid ones—are fascinating tidbits such as the inner workings of billboards, the arrival of the Motograph News Bulletin (or the “Zipper”) and, of course, the exact number of light bulbs found in the 2000 Millennium ball. Cross sections, diagrams and stunning double-page spreads show how these few tiny streets have changed in very large ways.
Just like Times Square itself, the pages are filled to the brim. (sources) (Nonfiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-56792-364-3
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Godine
Review Posted Online: July 17, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
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