Evicted!: The Struggle for the Right to Vote

by Alice Faye Duncan, Charly Palmer (Illustrator)

Black hands in Fayette County, Tennessee, were free to pick cotton and corn but were barred from casting ballots. A whirlwind of change blew through the county when Black landowners like John McFerren and Harpman Jameson organized registration drives to help Black citizens vote--but not without violent attempts to stop it. White farmers evicted Black sharecroppers off their land, leaving families stranded and forced to live in tents. White shopkeepers also refused to sell to them.

But the voiceless did finally speak. In 1965 the Voting Rights Act legally ended voter discrimination. Alice Faye Duncan's powerful words and Charly Palmer's bold art not only capture the Tent City struggle but also the hope, determination, and unwavering courage of everyday people.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Picture Books, Middle Grade, Childrens, Social Justice, Historical

64 pages, Hardcover

Published January 11, 2022

Reviews

[Bookishrealm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every time I read a children's non-fiction book I'm blown away by the small tid-bits of information that I learn from the text. I'm a fan of Alice Faye Duncan so when I saw that she was writing this book I knew that I would have to pick it up. While I'm familiar with the struggle for the right to vote amongst the Black community, I wasn't familiar with this specific incident in Fayette county. Full of great information, this non-fiction is a great selection for children and adults alike.

Evicted!: The Struggle for the Right to Vote details the experiences of the Black community that lived in Fayette county Tennessee. It's told through the perspective of several individuals who were pushed to advocate for the right to vote after they were unable to sit on the jury of Black man accused of murder. As readers go through the story, they find that those who decided to join the fight were evicted from their homes and property forced to live in tents on the property of fellow community members eventually forming what would be known as "Tent City." It is a strong reminder of how much Black people were willing to sacrifice in order to get some semblance of equality in this country.

The story itself is told in a combination of prose and poetry with beautiful illustrations. This format will definitely appeal to younger readers who may not be able to read a non-fiction book that is solely prose. It is also a text that can be used for older readers who are specifically studying the struggle for the right to vote amongst Black Americans. I personally found the text to be extremely accessible and I walked away learning more about a specific time in US history. There are resources, photographs, and more provided in the back for readers who are interested in learning more. If you haven't checked it out yet, I would highly recommend picking this book up especially if you're interested in non-fiction.

[Raymond · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alice Faye Duncan has written another excellent historical children's book. Duncan tells the story of unsung Black and white heroes in Fayette County, TN. She tells how Black residents fought for their voting rights after either losing their jobs or being evicted from their tenant farms. Introducing many relatively unknown figures, children, especially Black children should develop a sense of pride in how voting rights leaders help establish the right to vote for all in TN. The book is well researched and the reader will learn alot. Lastly the illustrations by Charly Parker are beautiful.

Thanks to Alice Faye Duncan for a free review copy in exchange for an honest review. This book will be released on January 11, 2022.

[Linda Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I were on any awards committee, this book would definitely get my vote. The story is an important one and powerfully written, and the illustrations and the layout of the book are spectacular. Alice Faye Duncan has outdone herself with this one. Many kudos to the illustrator as well. My review is based on an advanced reader copy of the book.

[Jay DeMoir · Rating 5 out of 5]

AFD has written another important children’s book about a moment in history that is incredibly pivotal ! Read it with my sons for bedtime but I also was able to soak up some information

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Evicted tells the story of the struggles of the Black people in Tennessee's Fayette County during the late 1950s and early 1960s to be able to register to vote without repercussions. Black people saw the importance of voting when a Black man was unjustly accused of murder and the lawyer defending him could not find many Black people to serve on the jury as few Black people were registered to vote. A movement began to register Black people to vote. Black sharecroppers were forced to leave their homes when they registered to vote. White businesses refused to serve Blacks who were registered to vote. Black people lost their teaching jobs when they registered to vote.

Something needed to be done. And this is that story.

A powerful story, beautifully told.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This beautifully presented picture book for middle grade readers shares some of the experiences of individuals involved in what came to be known as the Tent City Movement. Duncan does a great job of setting the stage for her story. She gives the reader a glimpse into what life was like for the black majority living in Fayette County, Tennessee in 1950. She follows that up by giving a brief introduction to the people at the center of her story. The rest of the book is divided up into sections. Some of those sections are written in prose and some in poetry. Each section provides a glimpse in the events that lead up to the creation of Tent City (the eviction of black sharecroppers and workers for attempting to vote) and it's aftermath. The hard work and risks taken by those involved is remarkable, not to mention the sacrifices of home and income. This story about this important aspect of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 60s is an important part of United States history. The back matter includes photographs, a timeline, resources, and a bibliography. Charly Palmer's beautiful paintings provide a powerful complement to Duncan's extensive text. As the text in this picture book is quite extensive and the topic is more appropriate for older children (a lynching is described and depicted, although not graphic in any way), the book works best for middle grade and up. It would make a powerful teaching tool in any middle school and up classroom.

[Angela Massengale · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful and painful book, chronicling a moment in Tennessee history that has been largely forgotten. As a children's librarian in Memphis, just one county away from Fayette, I cannot wait to share this exquisite work of nonfiction with my students, who are predominantly African American. The years of research and dedication that Mrs. Duncan put into this book has produced a truly powerful book. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

When you hear the word erase, depending on your life experiences, it can have different meanings. A wave can erase an afternoon of sandcastle building. A heavy snowfall can erase deer tracks across your yard or wet paper toweling can erase muddy pawprints on a wood floor. If using a pencil, you can erase a written mistake. As an artist, depending on your medium, you can usually erase a wrong color or line or element out of balance with the whole. The delete key can erase something in a matter of seconds, much to your horror sometimes.

Injustice is much harder to erase. It can take decades to right a wrong and then, some people don't see, understand or accept that a change has happened. To them, there was nothing to erase. Evicted!: The Struggle For The Right To Vote (Calkins Creek, an imprint of Astra Books For Young Readers, January 11, 2022) written by Alice Faye Duncan with art by Charly Palmer is about a pivotal time in American history. It focuses on the injustices happening in Fayette County, Tennessee concerning voting rights and specifically the Tent City Movement. You won't be able to turn the pages fast enough as the stories of key figures unfold, intertwine, and challenge oppression.

My full recommendation: https://librariansquest.blogspot.com/...

[Amanda Sanders · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gripping. Intense. Important. This nonfiction book is set in Tennessee at a time when voter suppression was the norm. It is hard for modern-day people to understand the attitudes and actions of the white majority of the time. This book does a fantastic job of doing that. Black teachers were fired if they registered to vote. Black people lost their homes and jobs and lives when they registered to vote. Unregistered adults couldn't vote or serve on a jury. This is only 60 years ago. The author's writing is poetic and the illustrations are powerful. This book is sure to be banned in today's crazy environment.

[Laura Giessler · Rating 3 out of 5]

A picture book that traces Black sharecroppers who were evicted off their land, leaving families stranded. Many settled on a black landowner's farm in Fayette County, Tennessee, creating the Tent City Movement beginning in 1959. Black citizens were free to work, but were prohibited from voting, so when community leaders began organizing registration drives to help Black citizens vote, there were violent attempts to stop it. This illustrated book profiles some of the main leaders of Tent City. It is not a book to read aloud, probably, but I was glad to learn stories of courage and determination that I had not heard before.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

As always, I learned a whole part of history from a children's non-fiction book that I hadn't learn before. In 1959, white landowners fired and kicked out Black sharecroppers who registered to vote. The Black families were invited onto Shepard Towles' property in what became known as Tent City or Freedom Village. Word spread and photographers, journalists, college students, and activists came and brought attention to what was happening. The book is a lot of the intended elementary school aged audience with paragraphs of text and lots of details on each page. I could see this more being used in a high school or college class.

[Karen Meno · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated. The picture book format did not suit the density of text. The writing falls so where between traditional nonfiction and literary nonfiction which made the telling of this important event less impactful than it could have been. For literary nonfiction format it lacked a cohesive storyline and flow. The author conducted interviews and included photos as well as a fantastic list of additional resources for the reader who is interested in learning more about the topic. I appreciated the book as I learned about an historical event I had not learned about previously.

[Jeff Mattison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely oil painted illustrations. Revealed a story I hadn't heard before about getting the right to vote and how black residents dealt with the backlash by employers and landlords upon their attempt to register. Initially I was hesitant to read this to my own children because of the depiction of a lynching, but then I remembered that if an African American child is old enough to experience racism, my children are old enough to learn about it and how to stop it from continuing. This is definitely a story worth telling.

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a powerful picture book about a part of the Civil Right Movement I didn't know existed - the tent cities in Fayetteville. The section entitled "The Ghost of Thomas Brooks", which depicts a lynching (in an age accessible way that is not graphic) is the most impactful, in my opinion, in both word and art. I'm so glad the photographs of the tent city and the voter lines were included.

My only concern here is that although it is beautifully written, with a mix of prose and poetry, I don't know if it is written in a way for the intended audience to easily understand,

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Books like this are great for adults to peruse. The real life stories are concisely told and stunningly illustrated. Most Americans are not familiar with actual US histories like the 1960 Tennessee tent city. This book is a good way to learn about our history as adults, then share the art and photos with the youth in our lives. I recommend that a caring adult read along with anyone under age 12 because the true stories are traumatic. The inspiring example of landowner Shephard Towles demonstrates how we can support the oppressed today, and reminds us to hold onto our land.

[Adelaide McIntyre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Warren county insured voter rights were protected up until 2013. Black people protested for their rights as americans, and with that battle one the war was still on. We must go through life being anti-racist so everyone can have an equal chance at life. This book would be good for ages 8 to 12 I believe as an introduction/ supplementation to what African-American people have suffered in this country.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Evicted!The Struggle for the Right to Vote tells the story of black residents in Fayette County and their struggle to vote in the 1950's and early 1960's. This historical children's book is wonderfully written by Alice Fate Duncan and beautifully illustrated by Charly Palmer. This is a perfect addition to school libraries and children's home bookshelves that combines art and history in a way that children can understand and adults can enjoy. Both my young niece and I highly recommend this book.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short but moving history of the struggle for voting rights by black citizens in the United States. Told with a focus on Fayatte County, Tennessee where white landowners evicted black sharecroppers en masse after they organized a voter registration campaign, forcing them to live in a tent city. The voices of people who lived this history act as an emotional call to action to continue protecting voting rights.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Possible contender for the Mock Caldecott Awards in January 2023. Reading a book like this is almost embarrassing when I realize that this historic event was happening while I was in high school and I never remember hearing anything about it. I certainly knew that Civil Rights was an issue of the day but realizing that people were driven to live in "tent cities" merely because they wanted a voice in governmental elections...unbelievable.

[BiblioBrandie]

I think this is a really important topic about Tennessee’s little known Fayette County Tent City Movement in the 1950s, but for me the writing was hard to follow and made this important event feel less impactful.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fayette County Tennessee was the site of a tent city where Black sharecroppers lived starting in 1960 when they were evicted from their farm homes after registering to vote. This is yet another bit of American history that should not be forgotten. The book is beautifully illustrated.

[Margaret Boling · Rating 5 out of 5]

12/31/20204 ~ Absolutely phenomenal historical nonfiction about a nearly unknown saga of the Voting Rights movement. Share this with upper elementary students (and older) to help folks understand the implications of registering to vote for Black folks.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had never heard of Tent City or any of the figures mentioned in this book before reading this. The information was incredible and the artwork amazing.

[Candelaria Silva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recommend. Great history, appropriate for children, with great illustrations.

[Marcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent picturebook that tells the story of how a few courageous people brought voting rights to Fayette County, TN. Little known moments in Amercian history, brought to brutal life.

[LS Johnson]

There is a lot of detailed information in this book. It would make a good initial book for research.

[Rikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yet another story and group of people from our country’s history I knew little to nothing about. Read it and learn how recently these events occurred. The illustrations are beautiful.

[Constant Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too long for my taste, but still a good intro for kids and middle-schoolers.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emotional and powerful, the illustrations are stunning.

[Yapha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Powerful and important piece of American history and a look at the continuing battle for voting rights. For grades 4 & up.