Loretta Little Looks Back by Andrea Davis Pinkney illustrated by Brian Pinkney*

 After participating in a live Writers on Writing (WOW) workshop on Read Aloud Revival with Mrs. Pinkney, I requested this book, her newest.  

First of all, the format, theatrical monologue vignettes in first-person narratives, is an incredible accomplish and also attest to Mrs. Pinkney's creativity and ability to write.  She creates a strong voice for each of the characters.  Skillfully, she weaves in historical facts and events into the monologues.  

Three different members of the Little family, Loretta, 1927-1930, Roly, 1942-1950 and Aggie B., 1962-1968, share their experiences of suffering under the bondage of sharecropping, the Jim Crow laws, and Klu Klux Klan.  Their grit and self-respect allow them to endure.  The narratives end with Loretta and Aggie B. working diligently to help their fellow African-Americans claim their right to vote.  Initially the Democratic party would not allow them to join, so the African-Americans created their own party, Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party.  During the Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City, LBJ, the Democratic presidential candidate at the time, even diverted attention away from them by calling all the television networks for an emergency press conference.  

*Highly recommend.

-Borrowed from the library.

Points to discuss/Warnings: cruelty/violence, a monologue where Aggie B. is almost beaten to death