Social Justice Books

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

Rock & Roll Highway: The Robbie Robertson Story

Reviewed by Debbie Reese Review Source: American Indians in Children’s Literature Book Author: Decades ago—and now, too—I revel in the music of The Band. I was amongst those who went to see the film The Last Waltz. Of course, I bought CDs, too. At the time, I knew Robbie Robertson was Native, but didn’t know much […]

Pig Park

Reviewed by Lyn Miller-Lachmann Review Source: DeColores Book Author: Martínez’s Pig Park is a contemporary novel that depicts with affection and a light touch a bustling, though little-known, neighborhood in Chicago and an unholy alliance between business interests and politicians. Ever since the American Lard Company closed in 15-year-old Masi Burciaga’s Pig Park neighborhood of Chicago, […]

Panther Baby: A Life Of Rebellion & Reinvetion

Reviewed by Edith Campbell Review Source: Cotton Quilts Book Author: Honestly, I didn’t want to read Panther Baby: A Life Of Rebellion & Reinvetion when Doret first suggested it. But since I trust her judgment of books, I read the book and I’m so glad I did! I’ve wanted to put Panther Baby into the hands […]

Out of Darkness

Reviewed by Lyn Miller-Lachmann Review Source: DeColores Book Author: On March 18, 1937, a natural gas leak led to a deadly explosion and collapse of the all-white school in New London, a town in East Texas. Ashley Hope Pérez, who grew up nearby, mined her grandmother’s recollections, archives, and historical narratives to build a complex and […]

Noko and the Kool Kats

Reviewed by Barbara A. Lehman Review Source: Africa Access Book Author: Moodie’s original, modern fable echoes classic folktale motifs, such as smaller animals helping bigger ones, solving a problem with brains and by working together, the very ones that should be helping are too lazy, and village life is just as good as city life. This […]

The Syria Dilemma

Reviewed by Jeff Epton Review Source: Teaching for Change Book Authors:  The Syrian civil war and the collapse of the Syrian state is the direct cause of the most severe ongoing humanitarian crisis anywhere in the world today. According to the United Nations, an estimated seven million Syrians are internally displaced and approximately four million […]