There is an iconic photo taken at the sit-in at Woolworth’s where there are three people sitting at the counter: a white man, a white woman and a black woman. All of them are covered in different condiments and drinks. The white woman has her head turned away from the camera. Her name is Joan Trumpauer Mulholland. This book is the story of her involvement in the Civil Rights movement. It is the story of wanting to make a difference in the world that she lived in. It is about viewing the skin color of another person and seeing past the visual difference and looking at the similarities. It is about her choice to fight for change in the world around her. It is a moving story that looks at one person who chose to walk along the side of black people and help make change possible. From sit-ins, jail-ins, marches and picketing to meeting Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and listening to him speak. Joan was a part of history and it’s time to learn her name.
I’m glad I read this book for many reasons. It gives me faith in humanity. Sometimes we need to be reminded that there is still good in people and this book helped do that for me. Joan didn’t have to take part in the Civil Rights movement. As a white women she was nowhere near as affected by what was going on in the world as the black population and yet she risked her life to make a difference because she knew what was happening wasn’t right. It wasn’t just. She made a decision to be a part of the change instead of a bystander. It shows that when people work together changes can be made.
As it’s written right now, I feel like this book still needs some editing. The transitions through topics can be better. Young readers will find this easy to understand but it may be a little hard to follow in its current state. The artwork was done very well and the book presents itself nicely. Overall I found this to be a worthwhile story that needs to be told.