If You Lived at the Time of Martin Luther King

Updated from the 1990 edition, this well-written, historically rich text deserves a spot in every school and public library collection. In the attempt to paint a portrait of key events, people, and beliefs associated with the civil rights movement in America, Levine refuses to oversimplify, conceal, or glorify. She is honest in the telling, sharing vividly but not gratuitously the physical and emotional violence that resulted in the attempt to enact equality in the United States—from the Birmingham church bombings to the attempts by Bull Connor to break up a children's protest using water hoses and attack dogs. Levine defines and provides contextual information for difficult concepts (segregation and nonviolent direct action, for example) and reveals lesser-known historical truths to fill in the gaps often existent in classroom textbooks. Readers learn, for instance, that teenager Claudette Colvin paved the way for Rosa Parks by first refusing to give up her seat on the bus and that President Kennedy gained support from black voters in his support of Martin Luther King, Jr. The illustrations capture well the strong emotions experienced by those on all sides, leaving readers sometimes uncomfortable but always inspired to think carefully and critically. The text is organized by key questions, making it easy to navigate, and ends with a time line of important events, list of places to visit, and music and lyrics to "We Shall Overcome."

If You Lived at the Time of Martin Luther King