Kent State

NerdCampMI this past summer. I was SO excited to meet Deborah!
OMG! I am wearing the same shirt today!

When I flipped my author birthday calendar page to May, I circled Deborah Wiles's name on today's date. Happy birthday!

Ever since her 2014 Revolution was released, I've been a fan. We bought a class set and the fifth grade social studies teacher read it aloud as the starting block for a project based history project.  Honestly, that project began in one enthusiastic direction but after many emails back and forth with Deborah and then hitting some dead ends, it took a different turn. It's all good. We used many primary documents in our research and would have made Tom Bober proud.

Here's an audio excerpt from that book:

Book Recording | Revolution on TeachingBooks

and a link to an extensive guide to talking about the civil rights movement.

But today's post is really a belated book birthday (a few weeks late) to Deborah's new book, Kent State.  I took time out of my day (birthday present from her to me?) to take in the book. Having a 17 year old activist who we hope will be leaving for college this fall, it hit home. I queued up the playlist and read. It's a short, strong, important book in verse from many perspectives of the events leading up to the tragedy. It really made me think about government then and today, the role it has in keeping us safe and healthy and how protests have evolved (maybe?) over the years.

At a rally protesting the Vietnam War, four students were killed on May 4, 1970 at Kent State. I wasn't quite a year old at the time and never knew the details of the events.  This book takes us through that weekend in Ohio from the point of view of many: vocal students,  loud townies, members of the BUS (Black United Students), quieter townies, friends of the victims...The book doesn't just end at the conclusion of the story.  Just as important is Deborah's afterword. Not only does she go into detail about Kent State but she directs us to websites and sources because she knows we want to learn more.

Although this book will not be finding a place on my elementary shelves, I plan to pass it on to the secondary library for sure. Should I plan a reunion with the class of 2021? The timing couldn't have been better. Fifth grade 1964 Freedom Summer. Six years later 1970 Kent State.  So yes to a reunion read aloud. Get your copy now and I'll see you soon.

Happy Birthday, Deborah!