Fact Friday and Arc Review: Revolution in Our Time: the Black Panther Party's Promise to the People by Kekla Magoon

Image: Candlewick Press

Revolution in Our Time: the Black Panther Party's Promise to the People by Kekla Magoon. 400 p. Candlewick Press, September 28, 2021. 9781536214185. (Review of arc courtesy of publisher.)

Fact Friday features Revolution in Our Time: the Black Panther Party's Promise to the People by Kekla Magoon. Teen readers wishing to learn the history of the Black Panther Party will find an accessible narrative in these 400+ pages. Ms. Magoon provides important historical context, linking the harsh and inhumane treatment of slaves to the Jim Crow laws that severely limited the activities of Black people once slavery was outlawed, through the Civil Rights movement to the formation of the Black Panther Party in 1966 in response to police violence against Black people.

The imagery projected in the media and by law enforcement, including the FBI, was one of militancy and menace, belying the fact that the foundational tenets of the organization were to provide food, education and health care to the community. They armed themselves for protection, not intimidation. Ms. Magoon breaks up the meticulously researched narrative with side stories that highlight various leaders, many of whom were imprisoned or killed. I was riveted.

The book design is pleasing as well, with plenty of white space and black and white, well-captioned photos sized to maximize effect. 75+ pages of back matter includes more information about the key people in the movement, a timeline, a glossary, books and websites for further reading, 32 pages of source notes, an extensive bibliography, image credits, copyright acknowledgements and an index, making this a mentor text for young researchers.

Revolution in Our Time belongs in every school and public library. Adults would do well to read it too. I'm sure that many are not aware of this history. I admit that I was, only because I read Ms. Magoon's debut, The Rock and the River, which planted the seed for this book, and Rita Williams-Garcia's 2010 novel, One Crazy Summer. 

Revolution in Our Time is not due out until September 28, so please put it on your radar. I expect it will make many year-end "Best" lists and there's lots of room on that striking cover for well-deserved awards.

Non-Fiction Monday: We Will Not be Silent: the White Rose Student Resistance Movement that defied Adolf Hitler

We Will Not be Silent: the White Rose Student Resistance Movement that defied Adolf Hitler by Russell Freedman. 104 p. Clarion Books/ Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, May, 2016. 9780544223790. (Review from finished copy borrowed from public library)

Right up front, I will admit my ignorance of the White Rose Movement though it did ring some bells. The arresting cover photo caught my eye on the "New Non-Fiction" shelf at my favorite library and seeing that it was written by Russell Freedman just sealed the deal. Before I even cracked the cover, it went into my book order for the coming school year because anything by Freedman is basically an automatic purchase for me.

In 1943, Hans Scholl was a medical student at university in Munich. He was a former Hitler Youth and regularly needed to leave his studies in order to serve the German military in a variety of capacities, as did his younger sister, Sophie. While initially an enthusiastic participant, he soon became disillusioned with the lock-step order and demand for blind allegiance. An older brother was already serving in the military. He too was critical of Hitler. Scholl formed the secret society and, with the help of a professor, set about printing anti-propaganda leaflets which exhorted the German populace to wake up and take a stand against Hitler's atrocities. 

Succinct and exquisitely written in just over one hundred pages, Freedman weaves an inspiring tale of student activists. It is eerily timely considering the current political climate. He focuses on the Scholl family, specifically Hans and Sophie and their small circle of co-conspirators. He provides historical context. With each step the students take against Hitler, they take one step closer to being caught and tried for treason. Freedman's writing conveys that suspense. The bravery of the three that were captured, Hans, Sophie and Christoph Probst was quite moving. I read the final pages through tears.

Gorgeously designed with plenty of archival photos; meticulously sourced and with plenty of suggested books and films for further reading. We Will Not be Silent is a first-purchase that I cannot recommend enough. This one I will be booktalking frequently. I see a display featuring this, sitting next to The Boys Who Challenged Hitler by Phillip Hoose and Courage & Defiance by Deborah Hopkinson when we return to school.