 |
Nancy Keane's | Booktalks -- Quick and Simple | |
|
|||||||
 |
Kidd, Ronald.
|
|
|
Thirteen-year-old Billie Simms
doesn't think her hometown of Anniston, Alabama, should be
segregated, but few of the town's residents share her
opinion. As equality spreads across the country and the
Civil Rights Movement gathers momentum, Billie can't help
but feel stuck--and helpless-- in a stubborn town too set
in its ways to realize that the world is passing it by. So
when Billie learns that the Freedom Riders, a group of
peace activists riding interstate buses to protest
segregation, will be traveling through Anniston on their
way to Montgomery, she thinks that maybe change is finally
coming and her quiet little town will shed itself of its
antiquated views. But what starts as a series of angry
grumbles soon turns to brutality as Anniston residents
show just how deep their racism runs. The Freedom Riders
resume their ride to Montgomery, and Billie is now faced
with a choice: stand idly by in silence or take a stand
for what she believes in. Through her own curiosity,
bravery and a few unlikely friendships, Billie is about to
come to grips with the deep-seated prejudice of those she
once thought she knew, and discover how her own privilege
has affected the way she walks through the world. (Vermont
DCF Book Award 2017) |
| SUBJECTS: African Americans -- Civil rights --
History -- 20th century -- Fiction. Alabama -- History -- 20th century -- Fiction. Alabama -- Race relations -- 20th century -- Fiction. Historical fiction. Social change -- Fiction. Violence -- Fiction. |
Except
where otherwise noted, content on this site is 