Module 4 Book Reviews: Informational Books

Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges
2000 Orbis Pictus Award Winner

1. Bibliography
Bridges, Ruby. 1999. THROUGH MY EYES. Ed. by Margo Lundell. New York NY: Scholastic Press. ISBN 0590189239.

2. Plot Summary
As an adult, Ruby Bridges recounts her memories of school integration while seemlessly intertwining the factual progression of the Civil Rights Movement. Quotations from major newspapers and magazines combine with emotionally telling photographs to round out this completely fascinating and educational story.

3. Critical Analysis
The story of Ruby Bridges is a compilation of first-hand knowledge and press coverage united in sequence - it begins with an introduction, the basics of Ruby's first six years growing up, then travels through her struggles, and ends with her accomplishments. Included is information for contacting The Ruby Bridges Foundation and a timeline of major events during the Civil Rights movement in relation to New Orleans school integration.
This story is packed with information, yet at no point becomes overwhelming and unmanageable. The authors words are careful and concise - young readers are able to grasp the seriousness of the topic and older readers are able to make sense of the political situation the country faced. "My mother took special care getting me ready for school. When somebody knocked on my door that morning, my mother expected to see people from the NAACP. Instead, she saw four serious-looking men, dressed in suits and wearing armbands. They had come to drive us to school and stay with us all day. I learned later they were carrying guns."
Each page of the author's recounts is coupled with quotations from major sources or persons involved in Ruby's situation. The juxtaposition of these two points of view serve to balance the different perspectives. On Ruby's first day of school, she writes, "As we walked through the crowd, I didn't see any faces. I guess that's because I wasn't very tall and I was surrounded by the marshalls. People yelled and threw things." "When we climbed the high steps to the front door, there were policeman in uniforms at the top. The policemen and the crowd behind us made me think this was an important place. It must be college, I thought to myself." The New York Times, November 15, 1960, is quoted on the same page, "They walked hurriedly up the steps and into the yellow brick building while onlookers jeered and shouted taunts. The girl, dressed in a stiffly starched white dress with a white ribbon in her hair, gripped her mother's hand tightly and glanced apprehensively toward the crowd."
The photographs that accompany each page are poignant and well placed. They are large and stripped of color, immediately directing the eye to detail, such as the white starched dress that Ruby wore, or the black doll in a coffin held up by protestors, even the armbands of the US Marshalls. Within each photograph is a wealth of information to help young readers discern the emotional depth, both frightening and hopeful.
Captions are short and quotations are set apart by color. Headings are highlighted in a darkly colored strip across the top of each page. The double column text is double spaced and broken up quite often by the photographs and sidebar quotations. In this manner, reading is no chore, rather it is bits of information to be read at leisure.
To close the story, the author reflects on her life and the meaning it has held for so many, effortlessly endearing the reader and connecting history with the present "It's taken me a long time to own the early part of my life. I don't know where events will go from here, but I feel carried along by something bigger than I am."
This story contains all the elements necessary to capture the reader's interest and heart. The information is sequential, easily understood, the artful collection of photography is captivating, and the author is peacefully honest in her portrayal.

4. Review Excerpts
CHILDREN'S LITERATURE: "Though Bridge's story takes center stage, the book is filled with powerful monochromatic photographs and the anecdotes of others who were part of her experience."
BOOGBAG MAGAZINE: "This eye-opening introduction to the civil rights movement, written on a child's level, is suitable for read-aloud and certain to provoke thoughtful discussion."

5. Connections
Students may re-read history through these powerful voices for a chance to feel another's side of the struggle.
Winner of the 2005 Coretta Scott King Award:
Morrison, Toni. REMEMBER: THE JOURNEY TO SCHOOL INTEGRATION. ISBN 061839740X.
Pinkney, Andrea Davis. LET IT SHINE: STORIES OF BLACK WOMEN FREEDON FIGHTERS. ISBN 015201005X.
Tillage, Leon Walter. LEON'S STORY. ISBN 0374343799.