Non-Fiction

Warriors Don't Cry
By: Melba Pattillo Beals
1994

The story that everyone is familiar with, the Little Rock Nine, but with an actual face behind the story. This story puts human emotions and reactions behind an event that we, as a culture, have become numb to. Learning about history is easy until you hear from the real people involved. This memoir is a heart breaking story about a young girls strength and courage in the face of so much hate in America during the times of integration. Throughout the story you will read about different events that took place during the integration of Central High School in the 50's, but you will hear it through one of the African American student's perspective of the event.
While reading I got the sense that Melba was trying to keep her emotion out of the book so she could just write the facts about the events. However, behind the straight facts of what happened, you cannot help but feel her pain as you read through her diary excerpts scattered within the book. The nine students who attended Central High School had so many negative feelings in association with white people after this time, but eventually had a chance to resolve some of those feelings in an interview years later.
This memoir is an unbelievably powerful and emotional read. I believe that this memoir speaks more about the racism that exists in this country more than a lot of literature that adolescents are reading today. This is a book that can open the door rich discussion in whatever setting you may find yourself in; a classroom, book club, or family.

Watch the interview with Oprah -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAsh_PDr1cc
Another blog on this book --http://lifelaughterliterature.weebly.com/blog/the-importance-of-nonfiction
More about the students -- http://www.littlerock9.com/
Article from Life Magazine -- http://life.time.com/history/little-rock-nine-1957-photos/#1
Video from the History Channel --http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/civil-rights-movement/videos/little-rock-nine-rev
Excerpt from the Encyclopedia of Arkansas -- http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=723
An Interview with Melba Pattilla Beals -- http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/interview-melba-pattillo-beals
More about Melba and her Experience -- http://www.democraticunderground.com/11383264
Article from Stanford.edu -- http://mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu/index.php/encyclopedia/encyclopedia/enc_little_rock_school_desegregation_1957/