Social Justice Books

Critically reviewed selection of multicultural and social justice books for children, young adults, and educators.

Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood

Reviewed by Stergios Botzakis  Review Source: Graphic Novel Resources Book Author:  Marjane Satrapi was in elementary school when the Shah was ousted from power in Iran and a conservative Islamic regime took control. Because her family had communist and socialist leanings, as well as a distant familial relationship to the deposed Shah, they had to navigate a perilous political landscape. […]

Portraits of Racial Justice: Americans Who Tell the Truth

Reviewed by Rethinking Schools Review Source: Rethinking Schools Book Author: In his preface to Portraits of Racial Justice, Robert Shetterly describes his new volume as “an art book, a history book, a curriculum, a manifesto. It is a community of people unafraid to name the failures of this country and the injustices of power that benefit […]

Lessons in Liberation: An Abolitionist Toolkit for Educators

Reviewed by Rethinking Schools Review Source: Rethinking Schools Book Author:  Lessons in Liber­ation successfully sets out to answer a critical question: What does aboli­tionist education look like in practice? Lessons in Libera­tion pulls together a stunning mix of background articles and teaching ideas, all aimed at being useful for educators and community activists interested in […]

Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City

Reviewed by: Mykella Palmer Review Source: We Should All Be Bookworms Book Author:  In the We Should All Be Bookworms podcast, host Mykella Palmer introduces her listeners to the Pulitzer Prize-winning book Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City. You can listen to her review of the book here. Here is a short description of the […]

Un tren llamado Esperanza / A Train Called Hope

Reviewed by: Beverly Slapin Review Source: De Colores: The Raza Experience in Books for Children Book Author:  For many immigrants from Central America, part of their journey might be on top of a dangerous, speeding train. They often refer to the train as “La Bestia” (“The Beast”), and pray that they arrive in one piece. Un […]

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

Reviewed by: Mykella Palmer Review Source: We Should All Be Bookworms Book Author:  In the We Should All Be Bookworms podcast, host Mykella Palmer introduces her listeners to the Newbery Medal-winning book Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor. You can listen to her review of the book here. Here is a short description […]