Birmingham Sunday - Hardcover

Brimner, Larry Dane

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1590786130 ISBN 13: 9781590786130

Publisher: Calkins Creek, 2010

Synopsis

Racial bombings were so frequent in Birmingham that it became known as "Bombingham." Until September 15, 1963, these attacks had been threatening but not deadly. On that Sunday morning, however, a blast in the 16th Street Baptist Church ripped through the exterior wall and claimed the lives of four girls. The church was the ideal target for segregationists, as it was the rallying place for Birmingham's African American community, Martin Luther King, Jr., using it as his "headquarters" when he was in town to further the cause of desegregation and equal rights. Rather than triggering paralyzing fear, the bombing was the definitive act that guaranteed passage of the landmark 1964 civil rights legislation. Birmingham Sunday, a Jane Addams Children's Honor Book, NCTE Orbis Pictus Honor Book, and Kirkus Reviews Best Children's Book of the Year, centers on this fateful day and places it in historical context.

About this title

About the Author

Larry Dane Brimner is the recipient of the 2018 Robert F. Sibert Award for the most distinguished informational book for children for his title Twelve Days in May: Freedom Ride 1961. He is known for his well-researched, innovative, and award-winning nonfiction for young readers, and is the author of multiple acclaimed civil rights titles, including Strike!: The Farm Workers' Fight for Their Rights; and Black & White: The Confrontation between Reverend Fred L. Shuttlesworth and Eugene "Bull" Connor.

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. Grade 6 Up—September 16, 1963, was one of the most horrific days in American history. On a quiet Sunday morning, the Sixteenth Street Baptist church was bombed, and four little girls were killed. The author successfully blends the facts of the event with the intense emotions of the period in order to bring it to life. The facts regarding Jim Crow, segregation, as well as civil rights successes in bus integration and the Brown v. Board of Education ruling are explored in order to provide the context for the tragic event. These facts propelled African Americans to become even more hopeful and determined to achieve equality while those who opposed equality between whites and blacks became even more invested in seeing their efforts fail at any cost. Thorough research that includes FBI files, police surveillance records, and primary-source documents gives a detailed and fascinating look at the intense, decades-long federal and state investigation. This information, accompanied by the personal reflections from both the families of the victims and the perpetrators, ensures that readers will never forget the human impact of this significant part of the Civil Rights Movement. The book is beautifully designed, with good-quality, black-and-white photos, informative captions, and pertinent pull quotes. A worthy addition to any collection.—Margaret Auguste, Franklin Middle School, Somerset, NJ
(c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

About this edition

• Publisher: Calkins Creek
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 1590786130
• ISBN 13: 9781590786130
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 48