- We've Got a Job
- The 1963 Birmingham Children's March
- Written by Cynthia Levinson
- Age 10-99
- Hardcover: $19.95
- ISBN: 978-1-56145-627-7
- Total Pages: 180
- Size: 8 7/8 x 9 3/8
- Language: English
- Rights: World, except audio
- Status: active
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- Leveling Information
- Accelerated Reader
- AR Quiz#: 148812
- AR Reading Level: 7.4
- AR Points: 8
- F&P (Fountas & Pinnell)
- F&P Level: Z
- F&P Grade: 7th & up
- Additional Info
- Color Info: 54 black and white photographs
- Categories
- None
We've Got a Job
The 1963 Birmingham Children's March was a turning point in American history. In the streets of Birmingham, Alabama, the fight for civil rights lay in the hands of children like Audrey Hendricks, Wash Booker, James Stewart, and Arnetta Streeter.
Through the eyes of these four protesters and others who participated, We've Got a Job tells the little-known story of the 4,000 black elementary, middle, and high school students who voluntarily went to jail between May 2 and May 11, 1963. The children succeeded - where adults had failed - in desegregating one of the most racially violent cities in America.
By combining in-depth, one-on-one interviews and extensive research, author Cynthia Levinson recreates the events of the Birmingham Children's March from a new and very personal perspective.
Author & Illustrator
Cynthia Levinson interviewed dozens of participants in the Birmingham Children's March and spent four years researching and writing We've Got a Job to share their stories. A former teacher and educational policy consultant and researcher, she has also published articles in Appleseeds, Calliope, Dig, Faces, and Odyssey. She divides her time between Texas and Massachusetts.
You can visit Cynthia Levinson’s website here.
Reviews
“This extensively researched account of the Birmingham Children's March is enriched by Levinson's in-depth interviews with dozens of its student participants and by its intimate focus on four of those children, two boys and two girls...Black and white photos and excerpts from documents of the time round out this riveting, significant work of nonfiction.” ―The New York Times
“...The author takes her inspiring tale of courage in the face of both irrational racial hatred and adult foot-dragging (on both sides) through the ensuing riots and the electrifying September bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church...A moving record of young people rising at a pivotal historical moment, based on original interviews and archival research as well as published sources.” ―Kirkus Reviews, * STARRED REVIEW *
“...Yet the most compelling component is Levinson's dramatic recreation of the courageous children's crusade and the change it helped bring about in the face of widespread prejudice and brutality. Powerful period photos and topical sidebars heighten the story's impact.” ―Publishers Weekly, * STARRED REVIEW *
“...this highly readable photo-essay will hold YA readers with its focus on four young people who participated in the Birmingham Children's March...The format will hook readers with spacious type, boxed quotes, and large black-and-white photos on almost every double-page spread, from the horrifying view of the Klan marching with children to the young protestors waiting to be arrested. A fascinating look at a rarely covered event for both curriculum and personal interest...” ―Booklist, * STARRED REVIEW *
“...This is the story I have been missing all my life as it takes an importance series of children's protests to explain the events of the Civil Rights movement and how individuals affected the greater movement. Here is the story that shows the confusion, the determination, and the ups and downs of civil protests. It is amazing and I urge you to rush to purchase this from Peachtree Publishers...” ―SchoolLibraryJournal.com, Practically Paradise blog
“...a strongly recommended retrospective on the civil rights movement and one event that gained much ground in making it all matter.” ―Midwest Book Review
Awards
Editors' Choice Book ―The New York Times 2012
New Voices ―American Booksellers Association 2012