Reviewed by Brad Manker Review Source: Teaching for Change Book Author: Grandpa Stops a War is a biographical picture book of the singer and political activist Paul Robeson — written by his granddaughter — about his involvement in the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). The book provides some background on Robeson’s rise to fame as a respected […]
Abdul’s Story
Reviewed by Brad Manker Review Source: Teaching for Change Book Author: Young Abdul loves storytelling, and his tales are inspired by the people who live in his neighborhood. But when it comes to writing those stories, Abdul feels his handwriting is messy and he has difficulty forming letters and spelling words. He questions the value of […]
Sleeping with the Light On
Reviewed by Brad Manker Review Source: Teaching for Change Book Author: Sleeping with the Light On is a short chapter book recounting one family’s experience during the first days of the CIA-sponsored Guatemalan coup d’etat in 1954. The story is peppered with anecdotes about young protagonist Davico’s daily life in Guatemala City, such as his fascination […]
Abuela’s Weave
Reviewed by Brad Manker Review Source: Teaching for Change Book Author: Abuela’s Weave tells the story of a girl (Esperanza) and her grandmother (Abuela), a tale of an older generation passing on a traditional artform — weaving — to a younger one. It begins in the rural Guatemalan compound where the two women live with their […]
The Notebook Keeper: A Story of Kindness from the Border
Reviewed by Brad Manker Review Source: Teaching for Change Book Author: Our home is different. Not like it used to be. When the protagonist, Noemí, and her mother are suddenly uprooted and forced to flee their homes in central Mexico, they seek refuge in the United States. At the border checkpoint, they meet Belinda, a […]