Raise Your Voice: 12 Protests That Shaped America

by Jeffrey Kluger

Twelve stories of protests and marches--and the people, movements, and moments behind them--that shaped our country's history, told by the bestselling author of Apollo 13 ! Perfect for today's young activists.

Rise up! Speak out! March!

Protests and demonstrations have spread throughout the United States in recent years. They have pushed for change on women's rights, racial equality, climate change, gun control, LGBTQI+ rights, and more. And while these marches may seem like a new phenomenon, they are really the continuation of a long line of Americans taking to their feet and raising their voices to cry out for justice.

From the Boston Tea Party to the suffragists, from the Montgomery Bus Boycott to Stonewall, peaceful (and not-so-peaceful) protest has been a means of speaking up and enacting change from the very founding of America. This new collection recounts twelve of the major protests throughout the country's history, detailing the people behind them, the causes they marched for, and the impact they had.

From the award-winning and bestselling author of Apollo 13 comes a book perfect for today's new generation of activists.

Praise for Raise Your Voice

"[Kluger] expertly brushes in historical contexts . . . Cogent reminders that armed rebellion isn't the only answer to social injustice." --Kirkus

"Show[s] how one person can inspire many . . . a strong resource for students." --Publishers Weekly

"Readers will become absorbed in each protest's narrative due to Kluger's -adept writing." --SLJ

"Recommended for future activists." --SLC

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Middle Grade, Childrens, Politics, American History

224 pages, Hardcover

First published March 10, 2020

About the author

Jeffrey Kluger is Editor at Large at Time, where he has written more than 45 cover stories. Coauthor of Lost Moon: The Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13, which was the basis for the movie Apollo 13, he is also the author of 13 other books including his latest book Gemini: Stepping Stone to the Moon, the Untold Story.

Reviews

[Bethany Miller]

Student Review By: Lindsey R. (10th grade)
Grade Range: 8th Grade and up
Genre: Historical Nonfiction
Literary Merit: Excellent

Raise Your Voice by Jeffrey Kluger describes twelve protests that changed American history. Kluger briefly tells the story of twelve great American protests in a nonbiased way. The book shows the major changes in society throughout the history of the United States. It starts in 1773 with The Boston Tea Party and goes all the way up to the more recent Dakota Access Uprising in 2016-2017. The book highlights many types of protests that occurred over the course of centuries ranging from passive and peaceful to very violent.

This book was an easy read, and also not easy to put down. History in nonfiction form usually bores me, but this book was straight to the point and made each real-life event feel exciting and immediate. The book draws you in and through each story, it makes you feel like you are experiencing each of these iconic events first hand. It shows that protests have happened throughout all of American history and will continue to happen. I found the book to be very educational and interesting at the same time.

Recommendation: I would recommend this book to those who enjoy historical nonfiction done in a more storytelling way rather than just straight facts that you would find in a typical history textbook.

[Chris Heffernan · Rating 4 out of 5]

There’s a lot to love about this book! To see how people have resisted against injustices for 250 years is an incredibly empowering message.
The only complaint I had was the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire chapter. There was a lot of detail about the disaster itself, but not enough about the labor movement that tried to prevent it before, or how people changed labor laws afterwards. It is the only blemish in an otherwise great book.

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was tentatively thinking 4 stars till I got towards the end. The author talks about his sources and how he started with Wikipedia. Really? Ok, it’s where he started. What next? Well, the internet, including various databases such as the New York Times archive. But not one statement in the book is specifically footnoted! I also found that there were things conveniently left out of various protests which makes me wonder what was left out of protests I didn’t know well. For example, the Sioux got lots of help from groups as 350.ORG who were fighting oil in general, not specifically oil in the Dakotas. Many of the Native Peoples went on to fight the scourge of fossil fuels in general. Although the author had mentioned many events that unfurled from an event in all other chapters, he didn’t do much there. The terms “Climate Change” and “fossil fuel” are not in the index. I also noticed other points left out in various chapters. This is a good book and should be useful. However, careless sourcing and followup on the activities that came as a consequence of the protest make this book only somewhat useful, not excellent. Too bad!

[Mackenzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice overview of many different protests that, like the title says, helped shape America. I especially enjoyed the chapters on some of the more recent protests, like the 1982 Nuclear Disarmament Rally, the 1968 DNC protests, and Stonewall. We don't really get to learn about these protests in school, so I appreciated their chapters more.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some of the protests I knew a lot about already. Some of them I remember hearing about as a kid, so it was nice to find out more about those. Once I felt like the author's political bias showed. Features of this book include an index, a scarce nod to sources, and few photos, all in black &white. All in all, a slightly dry yet decent overview of some of the major protests in the USA.

[Samantha Whitcomb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. It was geared towards young adults, but I still found it to be informative, and give a great, but short, synopsis of 12 protests in Americas history. While I knew of many, there were some I didn't. I knew most by name, but not detail. It would be interesting to see what the author could add now that Trump is out of office, and 2018-2020 have occured.

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

The twelve social action demonstrations discussed in this book are worth knowing about. The author gives background for each and how each was important to American history. However he did leave two out, the anti-war demonstrations of the 1960s and 70s (anti-Vietnam War, that is) and the Black Lives Matter demonstrations. These would fit right in with the theme of the book.

[Sankalp Katta · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is your book if you're looking for a comprehensive and broad history of civic engagement and protest in America. Jeffrey Kluger does an amazing job of highlighting pivotal moments in US history. His concise writing makes it an easy and informative read.

[Andréa]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.

[Mackenzie Virginia · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5