This Promise of Change: One Girl’s Story in the Fight for School Equality

by Jo Ann Allen Boyce, Debbie Levy

"In 1956, one year before federal troops escorted the Little Rock 9 into Central High School, fourteen year old Jo Ann Allen was one of twelve African-American students who broke the color barrier and integrated Clinton High School in Tennessee. At first things went smoothly for the Clinton 12, but then outside agitators interfered, pitting the townspeople against one another. Uneasiness turned into anger, and even the Clinton Twelve themselves wondered if the easier thing to do would be to go back to their old school. Jo Ann--clear-eyed, practical, tolerant, and popular among both black and white students---found herself called on as the spokesperson of the group. But what about just being a regular teen? This is the heartbreaking and relatable story of her four months thrust into the national spotlight and as a trailblazer in history. Based on original research and interviews and featuring backmatter with archival materials and notes from the authors on the co-writing process"--

Genres: Poetry, Nonfiction, Middle Grade, History, Memoir, Novel In Verse, Biography

331 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 8, 2019

Reviews

[Roxanne Hsu Feldman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This verse memoir delivers punches, reflections, and vividly lived experiences of a 14-year-old African American student whose first year in the first integrated Tennessee state high school could teach us so much - about the danger of hateful ideologies and how easily people could be swayed by carefully orchestrated propaganda based on discontent.

[Bethany M. Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

This non-fiction novel in verse is the story of the 12 students at Central High School in the small town of Clinton, Tennessee who caught the nation's attention. This never been told, first-hand account will enrapture readers, young and old, of what happened when Clinton High School was integrated after the Supreme Court passed Brown v. Board of Education.

The Promise of Change was done in part by one of the 12 students, Jo Ann Allen. I have been a long time fan of author and historian Debbie Levy, so I feel strongly this collaboration is a beautiful gift to all of us.

Jo Ann was just 14 years old when she was pushed into the national spotlight as the spokesperson to discuss the struggles Black children faced at newly integrated high schools. From local newspapers, all the way to interviews with the Attorney General, Jo Ann exudes poise and inner strength clearly visible through the white space on the page.

Also within each chapter are copies of the news articles and headlines chronicling the story in real time. Chilling details of the wrath and vitriol spewed each time Jo Ann and the 11 other classmates attempted to go to school each day gives new perspective to civil rights history. 

The account Jo Ann gives of one particular teacher that showed kindness while her own neighbors who borrowed sugar turned their backs shows young readers how closely hypocrisy and decency go hand in hand. Much like today's generation with child activists such as Mari Copeny or Emma Gonzalez, the brave voice of a child insisting the adults and lawmakers give them their basic human rights of an education and protection from harm is extremely powerful.  

This incredibly moving and well written story of the Clinton 12 shines a necessary light on a dark place and worthy of it's place in our history books. 

Disclaimer: I was given a copy of by the publisher to facilitate the review. As always, all opinions are my own

[Jo Oehrlein · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of the Clinton 12 who desegregated the high school in Clinton, TN, written by one of them.

I thought that writing it in verse was an inspired choice. Sometimes, though, the structured rhyming poems pulled me out of the story. I think it would have flowed better if it were all in free verse.

You do a hard thing and you think it's going to get easier over time. Things did not get easier for the Clinton 12. Things got harder and harder. And it wasn't the education that was the problem -- it was the people.

I do understand her point that the people who said "we don't like it, but we will abide by the law" were really no better than those who were outright hateful.

[Leonard Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written with lightning

[Kari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wiping away tears as I finish. What a book!

[Dee Dee G · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read lots of books about segregation but as an empath this one really got to me.

[Sharon Skinner · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-written memoir about an incredibly difficult personal experience. Resonates with strength and emotion. Kudos to Jo Ann Allen Boyce for her bravery then, along with the rest of the Clinton 12, and her forthright offering of her experience at what is a most timely moment. And a shout out to Debbie Levy for her part in supporting and guiding this project with her insight and solid writing skills.

[Sunday · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where to start? There’s so much I’d like to say about this book. First – just read it. You’ve heard about the Little Rock 9 and you’ve heard about Ruby Bridges but before both, in August 1956, there was the Clinton 12. Co-author Jo Ann Allen was one of the 12 and she tells her story in verse. I finished in one sitting. A tragic tale with riveting moments. As a reader, you meet and are immersed in the story of beautiful people who suffered the injustices of a racist society.

Woven into the format of the book are quotes from those involved and headlines from newspapers across the nation. At the end of the book, Jo Ann Allen and Debbie Levy share words, there are more details about what happened to each of the 12 students (only two graduated from Clinton High School), photographs, and a timeline of school desegregation and civil rights landmarks. There are a variety of poetic forms used in the book – acrostic, ballad, cinquain, cascade, Haiku, ode—but they tell the story in a seamless way. In other words, shifts in poetic forms are not disruptive. I barely noticed until I read the author’s note listing the types of forms (at the end of the book).

I’d BOOK TALK this in 4th-8th grades or READ ALOUD or purchase for a LITERATURE CIRCLE. There’s so much for students to read and chew on in this book. Poems about the bigger issues like the arrival of John Kasper, a racist who arrived in town and instigated a mob mentality, knocking on doors, organizing rallies against the desegregation of the high school and then there’s a short poem about Jo Ann’s father. Poems about how the 12 were treated so badly by many kids in the school and then a poem about a beloved elderly neighbor, “Mother Lula,” who passes away during this period. Several themes run throughout the book – courage, perseverance, determination. What struck me as powerful though was the idea threaded throughout that many people were about “integration” because it was “the law” not because it was the right thing to do.

The writing is powerful and worthy, worthy of student-led discussions. Take a look at the names of the parts of the book and then at the poem titles—as a way to discuss the authors’ purposes or decisions in how to organize the book in a way that supports the themes in the book. The poems are…well, they are poetic ;). I found myself marking pages like the poem on pages 90-91 entitled “Hearing/Unhearing” in which Jo Ann Allen describes a time as a child when she went into a store with her father and a little white girl her age said, “Oh, Mommy, look at the little n----- babies!” The poem closes with –

We walked out of that store.
We left behind that girl
with that word in her mouth,
a word that assaults us almost daily.
But now, I don’t want to walk out.
I want to walk in.
I can’t unhear what I hear.
I won’t walk away from it either.
And then there’s the quotes – from players like the Clinton High School principal and headlines or excerpts from local and national newspapers like the Washington Post. Wow – perfectly placed at various points in the book with a lot of punch. Would love to hear students discuss the impact of the authors’ choice to include these.

I don’t think we have to over think teaching with this book. I think we simply look at students and say, “Hmmmm…what are you thinking? What makes you think so? Why is that important to think about? Even today?” or teach them to ask each other these questions.

I know this book has already received some recognition. I’d be surprised if it doesn’t win several awards. Regardless, it’s well worth your students’ time.

[Stephanie Fitzgerald · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read many books about the Civil Rights Movement, both fiction and non-fiction. I’ve stood in front of Central High School, and wondered what the people in the houses across the street were thinking of the situation in 1957. I’m ashamed to admit, however, that I had never heard about the desegregation of Clinton High in Tennessee, which occurred in 1956, until I read this book. Well, I know about it now, and if I could give a book a higher rating than 5 stars, I would.
This non-fiction book, written in verse, needs to be in every classroom, everywhere.

Memorable Quotes:
(Pg. 272)-“Our intent in desegregating was simply to continue our education in our own hometown, our own school system, our own backyard, where it was rightfully ours to do. We weren’t doing something against anybody; we were doing something to better our lives, and, presumably, to improve our community.”
* Green McAdoo Cultural Center website. http://www.greenmacadoo.org/story. *

[Monica Edinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding!

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

High 4-Sometimes novels in verse are hit or miss but this was really powerful. It was about the author's experience of going to Clinton High School, the first to integrate in the 1950's. This would be great paired up with "Lions of Little Rock."

[Hannah Ziegler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Damn

[Kirsten · Rating 5 out of 5]

A powerful true story, written in verse, of Jo Ann Allen and how she and eleven other black students courageously and relentlessly desegregated Clinton High School in 1956. They walked past angry mobs, white supremacists, and fellow students throwing eggs, yelling horrible racial slurs and holding hateful signs so they could attend school in their own town, in their own neighborhood. It wasn’t easy. The National Guard sometimes walked with them; a local white pastor escorted them and then was severely beaten because of it. Despite it all, Jo Ann remained optimistic. Her story is important and inspirational especially right now—July 2020—maybe more than ever.

[Kelsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Required reading

[Corban Ford · Rating 5 out of 5]

This verse memoir from one of the the Clinton 12 was moving, poignant, at times painful, but always beautiful. The Clinton 12 desegregated ahigh school in Clinton, TN and went through so much together in this fight for school equality in general, and for the right to equality at large. I found myself breezing through this one and then re-reading it, to really get the most out of it. It definitely wasn't easy for myself as I had this book on my desk for some 3 weeks before resolving to go through the whole story with our author, Jo Ann Allen Boyce. Her words were wonderfully written and well placed, and I enjoyed reading the interview with her at the end as well as the individual biographies of the other 12 and where their life led them after such a harrowing yet powerful experience.

I wouldn't classify myself at all as a YA a reader, but this is a perfect book not only for that age range, but for all.

[Czechgirl · Rating 5 out of 5]

How wonderful that Jo Ann Allen wrote a novel for children to understand what she went through during desegregation and how she felt. I love that she wrote this in verse. I feel a story told in verse will attract more middle-grade readers; in turn, more learning about this and becoming more empathetic to anyone who is different.

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

powerful and moving, memorable as all get out, and such an important story. I would have given it a fifth star except that, although I liked the free verse sections, I found the more formal poetic verse sections awkward to read (a preference, more than a criticism)

[Michele Knott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish more classrooms had books like this at the ready for when discussing the time periods the books cover in class. When you learn something out of a textbook, the history feels disjointed. Books like this makes history come to life and become more meaningful for readers.

[Carol Baldwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Promise of Change: One Girl's Story in the Fight for School Equality co-written by Jo Ann Allen Boyce and Debbie Levy is a book you won't be able to put down. Jo Ann Allen was one of twelve students in Clinton, Tn who integrated Clinton High School in 1956. Debbie Levy has given voice to Jo Ann's stories in a unique nonfiction biography that uses more than eight varieties of poetry. That is quite an accomplishment.

But as Jo Ann and Debbie would most likely be quick to acknowledge, their accomplishment pales in comparison to what the twelve students achieved in those difficult months.




In a book that is told so beautifully through poignant poetry, it is difficult for me to select just a few poems to share with you. Instead, I'm going to bring you snippets from several to entice you to read it yourself. (NOTE: The last line of several poems appear in a slightly larger font. This is a blogger issue; not the way in which they appear in the book. My apologies to the authors.)


REVIEW
Promise opens with a brief description to the Hill where Jo Ann and her family lived, worshiped, played, held concerts, and went to school--until it was time for junior high and high school when the Negro students were bused twenty miles to Knoxville to a Negro high school. This is a stanza from the poem, "MY SCHOOLS," about her elementary school:

... Green McAddo had no cafeteria, no gymnasium
and no indoor bathrooms
until the time I started first grade.
The grammar school in town did,
and also had separate classrooms for every grade,
but that school was whites-only,
and still is. (p.21)

From "THEIR SCHOOL":

Clinton High School.
Here it is, right close, right down the Hill,
with its solid red brick and clean white trim
for white students only.
We walk by it, not to it,
because it's their school,
big,
but not big enough
for twelve Negro students
who look at it every day
but have never been inside. (p.25)


When a judge in Knoxville rules that Clinton can no longer ignore the Brown v. Board of Education ruling of 1954, Clinton High School is forced to integrate. It wasn't that the community, principal, town newspaper, or teachers wanted to, they were had to.

Throughout the book, there are headlines from local and national newspapers and magazines; signs in the town, quotes from the Tennessee constitution, prayers, interviews, and legal rulings. Here is one:


"We have never heard anyone in Clinton say he wanted the integration of students in the schools, but we have heard a great many of the people say: 'We believe in the law. We will obey the ruling of the Court. We have no other lawful choices.""
Editorial in the Clinton Courier-News written by editor Horace V. Wells, Jr. August 30, 1956. (p.62)

At first, Jo Ann thinks that,

If school were weather, I would say it's serious
with a chance of friendly. (p. 75)


On the second day, she sees protestors and glares on the way to school. She thinks that "clouds [are] rolling in on my forecast." (p. 78)

This is from the poem, "LEFT UNSAID":

So my two great-great-grandmothers
slaves,
had children with light complexions,
and narrow noses like yours (and mine),
and thin mouths like yours (and mine),
white enough to pass for white,
which means that
in the branches of my family tree
there are ancestors
who are as white
as you. (p.84)

By the end of her first week of school, the shouting and harassing increase. The students stop eating at the cafeteria because it feels unsafe. The sheriff drives them home. People ask if they want to quit and they say no. In the poem, "HEARING/UNHEARING" Jo Ann thinks,

But now, I don't want to walk out.
I want to walk in.
I can't unhear what I hear.
I won't walk away from it, either. (p.91)

Less than a week later, riots break out in the street. Here are a few stanzas from "PEACEKEEPERS":

The tanks roll in at lunchtime,
a show of growling might,
As if in answer to the prayers
we prayed in fear last night.

Clinton's leaders asked for them;
the governor agreed.
They saw the lawless trampling
of the bigoted stampede. (p. 107)


From "WE ARE THE NEWS":

The news is something
that happens
to other people
in other places

Until it happens to you. (p.124-5)

Tension escalates with the KKK burning crosses on the Hill.

"AND THEN THERE ARE THE THUMBTACKS"

Scattered on our chairs
A prank straight out of cartoons
They think we don't look? (p. 173)


From "THEIR SILENCE":

And so I go through the school day
surrounded by a hard shell of silence,
chitchat and cheer bouncing off the walls,
none of it meant for me. (p. 180)

Eventually, all the "little" acts of hatred add up to too many "BIG THINGS":

Where once they kept their distance,
the white kids who hate us
are up close now, hard on our heels,
truly stepping on our heels--
Gail Ann's are bloody. (p. 193)


After Thanksgiving break, the twelve students return to hair pulling, hands tearing their books, insults, wicked notes in their locker, nails and eggs thrown at them, and more buttons worn by students which say, KEEP WHITE SCHOOLS WHITE.

The school board suggests they return to Austin High.

Here are two stanzas from "WHAT ARE THEY THINKING?"

This plan is good if you're a fan
of the Klan.
It treats us as less than
every white man.
It can't stand.
We will finish what we began.

To be clear:
a bus to Knoxville again--
that's moving in the wrong
direction. (p. 209-210)

The principal closes the school after violence erupts and a pastor is beaten. At an election that follows that event, all the white supremacist candidates lose. Jo Ann calls that, A REAL VICTORY.

Before all this,
before all that happened
happened,
I thought there was nothing I could do
about segregation.
I'm just a girl, I thought,
one girl who tries
to look at the good side of things,
because there's nothing I can do
about the bad.
I'm still that good-side-looking girl.
but now when I see the bad, I'll think--
I'll know---
there's something I can do about it. (p. 233)


REFLECTION
As you can tell by the number of poems I quoted, I believe This Promise of Change should be a part of every middle-grade Social Studies curriculum. It is easy to read and even the reluctant reader (or the boy who doesn't like poetry) will be hooked by this riveting true story. The back matter includes information about what happened to each of the twelve students; a scrapbook of photos, notes from both authors, a civil rights timeline, and several pages of resources. The authors also put Clinton, Tn into the context of the Civil Rights struggle.

GIVEAWAY: I'm giving away this book. Please leave a comment on my blog by July 15. https://carolbaldwinblog.blogspot.com...

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This blew me away! I had never heard of the Clinton Twelve before. This was the first high school to be desegregated in the south (Clinton,TN). Jo Ann Boyce (née Allen) joined with Debbie Levy to write this. Jo Ann was one of the Clinton Twelve and often spoke with media during that first semester. As an adult, she has often shared her story at schools, etc. Obviously, she always had a knack for communication! She never quite managed to write down her experiences until her daughter in law mentioned Jo Ann on FB which led eventually to an agent connecting Boyce and Levy. The mixture of free verse, various types of verse such as ballad and haiku and others, combined with first person immediacy, combined with headlines detailing the news story make for a very immersive experience. Some have complained the verse distanced them from the story. I don’t particularly like verse, but I felt it pulled me into the story.

And then there are the thumbtacks

Scattered on our chairs
A prank straight out of cartoons
They think we don’t look?

The scorn for the stupidity, the silliness and the smallness of their oppressors just comes through so strongly here!

To this day Jo Ann Boyce is an optimist who tried to find positives in her daily life during the semester she spent at Clinton High School. “I don’t get hate. I never have and never will.” What an amazing simple sentence to make a profound statement! The scrapbook showing some of the events is so expressive. A picture really does convey more than a thousand words!

Jo Ann, against her will, got moved to Los Angeles after that first semester where she clearly blossomed in schools that were already desegregated. She had wanted to continue the fight to integrate but her parents had had enough. It was the right decision but what an amazing 15 year old to want to continue the incredible hateful battle to integrate! Luckily several did manage to continue and one of them became the first African American to graduate from Clinton High School!

I must look up other books by Debby Levy and watch one of the TV interviews Mrs. Boyce gave as a girl during this episode tomorrow!

If it isn’t obvious, I highly recommend this to school kids studying American history. Pull this out for Black History month, Woman’s History month, poetry displays and biography displays.

[Lorraine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This memoir of Jo Ann Allen, tells of the first integrated high school in America. In 1956, the Supreme Court ruled that separate was no longer equal and forced schools to integrate. Prior to this ruling Jo Ann and eleven other African American students were bused to a high school far from their house. With this ruling they would be able to attend Clinton High School in their town.

Jo Ann describes what it was like at school. At first things seemed OK, but not long after they started, the white people began protesting. The students faced violence, both verbal and physical on their way to school and in the building. Not many people seemed to be on their side.

Jo Ann describes the mob of white protestors, the fear of retaliation from the KKK and the feeling of being ostracized by the other students. White neighbors that Jo Ann thought were friends turned against them and joined the protestors. Eventually things got so bad that Jo Ann's family moved away from Clinton, Tennessee and went to California, where Jo Ann was able to attend a fully integrated school. While she loved California and the freedoms she gained there, part of her regretted not staying in Clinton and seeing this integration through.

Reading this book was an eye-opening experience for me. I had heard about Jim Crow laws and segregated schools, but reading this firsthand account really brought it to life for me. Although this all took place before I was born, it wasn't really that much before my time and I was horrified at the treatment these brave students endured. The way the white people protested against these African American students was just horrible. And just as disturbing was the way they were treated by the other students and teachers. It is a another sad chapter in American history.

I think this book is an important book that kids should read. Even though it was a memoir, it read like a historical fiction novel. It was written in verse, which made it a very quick read. I highly recommend this book. I hope reading it will help people understand the hardships and struggles that the African American people faced on a daily basis.

[Tasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This nonfiction novel in verse tells the story of Jo Ann Allen, one of the twelve African-American students who were among the first in the nation to integrate a segregated high school in the South. The small town of Clinton, Tennessee became one of the first communities to attempt desegregation after the Supreme Court ruling made segregation illegal. A year before the Little Rock 9, this lesser-known group of brave students at first attended their new school without incident but then outside agitators, the KKK and other white supremacists got involved. As the issue grew, simply attending school became too dangerous for the African-American students. When they were escorted by a local white pastor to school, he ended up beaten and almost killed. Jo Ann became a spokesperson for the group of students and for integrating schools in general. Her story is one of resilience and tolerance.

Levy very successfully uses various forms of poetic verse to tell Jo Ann’s story in this book. In her author’s note, she speaks about why verse was the logical choice as it captured the musicality of Jo Ann’s speech. Her skill is evident on the page, capturing both the quiet parts of Jo Ann’s life and the dramatic moments of desegregation including acts of hatred against the students. Jo Ann’s story is told in a way that allows young readers to understand this moment in United States history in a more complete way. The images at the end of the book and additional details shared there add to this as well.

Perhaps most surprising is the fact that these moments have been lost to history and this group of twelve students is not as well-known as the Little Rock 9. At the same time, that is what makes this book all the more compelling to read as their story is more nuanced since the mayor and governor did not defy the Supreme Court’s ruling.

Beautifully written, this heartbreaking and dramatic story of courage in the face of hatred belongs in every library. Appropriate for ages 12-15.

[Kelly Hager · Rating 5 out of 5]

Schools being desegregated feels like centuries ago, at least to me. It's not that far, though. My mom was in high school when her school was integrated (in Delaware), and while she doesn't remember any problems, I'd be very curious what her new classmates felt and if they would agree.

This is an astonishing book full of incredibly brave people. Jo Ann Allen was one of twelve people in her Tennessee high school to go to the formerly all white school. There were protesters outside and there were mean people inside, but some were nice. I can't even imagine the courage it took to walk to school every day, with people yelling (on good days) and throwing things (on bad ones). But they kept going. Sometimes they were accompanied by police and once by a white preacher, but they kept going. If school was open, they were there.

There are also snippets of newspaper articles and pictures of Jo Ann and the others, and there are pictures of some of the protesters. I sometimes wonder how they feel about the fact that they're on record as being racist. Does that bother them? I hope so. 

This is an amazing story, and I hope I would have even a tenth of Jo Ann's bravery in her situation. 

Highly recommended.

[Olivia Lebert · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this compelling story, we follow the treacherous trail of the Clinton 12, twelve African-American students who broke the color barrier in Clinton High School. The story's setting takes place in Clinton, Tennessee and the characters that are included within this story is the students who integrated into Clinton High school in August of 1956. The little town is seen as a mannered place at first, but underneath the surface, there are many who feel indifferent of the desegregation process. The antagonist, Jo Ann Allen, is popular amongst both African-American students and white students, and is chose to take on a difficult task to speak up during for the civil rights of the group of students trying to integrate into Clinton High School. Jo Ann Allen's character shows some of the most beautiful and captivating qualities that I have ever witnessed during stories like this one. This non-fiction novel is written in verse which is some of my favorite types of literature. The story was awarded the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award, and rightfully so. After reading this touching piece, not only did I make a true connection with the main character in this book, but also I learned about the hardships and challenges that these brave students endured during the civil rights era. This is a great book to introduce to upper elementary grades learning about the Civil Rights Movement, and the different perspectives from people who actually experienced first-hand the challenges during this time, and how these challenges were overcame.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before the "Little Rock 9" (1957) and before 6 year old Ruby Bridges attended all-white William Frantz Elementary in New Orleans (1960), there was the "Clinton 12" (1956) who integrated a public white high school in Tennessee. This is the story of one of those student (Jo Ann Allen) told by Jo Ann and co-author Debbie Levy. Why hadn't we heard this story? The authors give their opinion, but I'm just glad this story is being told now, and that young readers can experience the difficult and courageous experiences of these kids as they faced the people in their community they thought were friends, people from outside of their community who overran the town with protests, and the KKK who terrorized the families who lived on The Hill. I hope this book finds its way into every middle grade/middle school classroom in the country. While we are living through a modern day civil rights movement, it is important to see how long this struggle has been happening, and honor those who were trailblazers then AND now. Told in free verse and other poetic forms, with a scrapbook of photos from 1956 Clinton, TN.

[Kris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. So, if you have done any kind of reading about the civil rights movement, you know about the Little Rock 9. Their story is important, and I'm glad that they are being learned about. But this story, of the Clinton 12, is one that I was not familiar with. It occurred before the Little Rock 9, and it was very well-known at the time, but has somehow faded into the background of history. This novel in verse tell the story in a poignant yet approachable way. It is beautifully written, using many poetic forms, and it does somethin that some novels in verse fail at - it keeps the story as the important part, and the poetry of it never feels forced.

Just as a side note, which may gets kids to read this book, Jo Ann Allen Boyce, the author and a member of the Clinton 12, is the grandmother of Cameron Boyce, the Disney actor from Jessie and Descendants, who tragically died far too young. This is a very short tribute to the Clinton 12 that he did for Disney, and it is a great introduction: https://youtu.be/fgSKSeuTLAk

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

@kidlitexchange #partner Thanks to the @kidlitexchange network for the review copy of this book - all opinions are my own.
This Promise of Change by Jo Ann Allen Boyce and Debbie Levy was released on 1.8.19!

This beautifully written and powerful non-fiction novel in verse gives readers a look into what is was like for the Clinton 12. The Clinton 12 refers to the twelve African American students who integrated into a school for whites only. As the community fought against the 12, Jo Ann writes a very important piece that should be in all classrooms. This book will teach empathy, courage, and perseverance. As I read, I thought about connecting it to The Lions of Little Rock in my classroom book clubs. This book, a quick read, will open a new door for you! I highly recommend!

#middlegradereads #kidlitexchange #whatimreadingnow #teachersofinstagram #teachersfollowteachers #summerreads #teacherlibrarian #readingteacher #mglit #book #bookstagram

[Catherine Nicolls · Rating 5 out of 5]

At first I was surprised that it was written in poem form but I grew to really enjoy it. A fantastic telling of the desegregation of a high school in Clinton, through the eyes of the Author,a young girl. Heartbreaking. My favorite part was when she gave an interview toward the end and said that they might have been accepted in the school of parents had taught their children to love instead of hate.

[Sarah Ressler Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic! Before the Little Rock Nine, a school in AtN was integrated with much the same results. Told from the perspective of one of the students who integrated, a heart wrenching and realistic look at the issues. Told fully in POETRY, included much FREE VERSE POETRY plus other poetic writing styles , this is a fabulous addition to the collection for those who need more VERSE NOVELS!

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the clippings of external sources weaved throughout Boyce's narrative

Also appreciated the authors' notes towards the end of the book, along with further information about related historical events that took place within the same period