Little Rock Girl 1957 - (Captured History) by Shelley Tougas (Paperback)

About the Book

Nine African-American students made history when they defied a governor and integrated an Arkansas high school in 1957. It was the photo of one of the nine trying to enter the school--a young girl being taunted, harassed and threatened by an angry mob--that grabbed the world's attention and kept its disapproving gaze on Little Rock, Arkansas. In defiance of a federal court order, Governor Orval Faubus called in the National Guard to prevent the students from entering all-white Central High School. A chilling photo by newspaper photographer Will Counts captured the sneering expression of a girl in the mob and made history. Years later Counts snapped another photo, this one of the same two girls, now grownup, reconciling in front of Central High School.

Book Synopsis

Nine African American students made history when they defied a governor and integrated an Arkansas high school in 1957. It was the photo of a young girl trying to enter the school being taunted, harassed and threatened by an angry mob that grabbed the world's attention and kept its disapproving gaze on Little Rock, Arkansas. In defiance of a federal court order, Governor Orval Faubus called in the National Guard to prevent the students from entering all white Central High School. The plan had been for the students to meet and go to school as a group on September 4, 1957. But one student didn't hear of the plan and tried to enter the school alone. A chilling photo by newspaper photographer Will Counts captured the sneering expression of a girl in the mob and made history. Years later Counts snapped another photo, this one of the same two girls, now grownup, reconciling in front of Central High School.

Review Quotes

"Captured History" is the perfect name for a fascinating series from Compass Point.-- "School Library Journal, "Flashback: These Books of Historical Photographs Transp"

In Little Rock Girl 1957: How a Photograph Changed the Fight for Integration (Compass Point, 2012; Gr 6 Up), Shelley Tougas tells the story of the students that came to be known as the Little Rock Nine through the iconic photograph that shocked a nation and a world. The author begins by describing the events of September 4, 1957, and the experience of Elizabeth Eckford, the young African-American woman whose image is seared into our national memory, and the fate of the other eight students that day. Later chapters discuss how the events in Little Rock also "tested the federal government's authority over state and local government" and provide background on school segregation and Brown v. Board of Education, the photographer Will Counts, and individuals whose role in the events in Little Rock (Governor Orval E. Faubus, Thurgood Marshall, and Daisy Gatson Bates) are well known. The slim volume is filled with large black-and-white photos. Tougus makes it clear that once in the school, the Little Rock Nine continued to be harassed. Ernest Green, a senior during the 1957-8 school year, was the only one of the nine to graduate from Little Rock Central High School. During the years that followed, the remaining eight students left the school to continue their educations elsewhere. . . .Begin by sharing Little Rock 1957 with your students. Ask them about their impressions of the book's cover photo, and then offer some background on when it was taken and by whom. Discuss other photos in the book and the impact they had across the country. Once your students are familiar with the Central High story, booktalk or read aloud Kristen Levine's novel. Ask them how they think they would have reacted as members of this community and why. Discuss peer pressure and crowd mentality. Have they ever been pressured into behaviors or attitudes they felt uncomfortable with? Consider what happens when the white community of Little Rock is forced to examine their attitude toward integration and take a stand. Would the previously neutral members of the white community have taken a stand if the education of their children was not at risk? Students are likely to be interested to learn what became of the Little Rock Nine. Tougas provides that information, as well as a photo of a reunion of the group that took place in 1997 at anniversary ceremony, and another of a meeting years later, of Hazel Byran Massery, the white student seen screaming at 15-year old Elizabeth Eckford in Will Counts's historic photo.-- "SLJ Curriculum Connections"

Informative, includes index, timeline, glossary and a page for online resources. Touches upon journalism and the impact of a photo, and text itself is diverse enough for a broad range of grades (3rd and up). Haunting quote "I had to learn...how to get from that door to the end of the hall without dying." Another Capstone winner.-- "NetGalley"

The focus here is the shocking photograph of 15-year-old Elizabth Eckford being viciously jeered by a white peer as she and her fellow black students integrated Little Rock Central High School in 1957. Tougas explains the context of the photograph and how the iconic image affected history.-- "School Library Journal, "Everyday Heroes""

This is an e-book I received from netGalley. Goodreads does not have a summary for me to post for you, but I will begin by just saying...wow. In 1954 the Supreme Court of the United States decided to begin integration. In 1957 the first integration into schools in Little Rock, Arkansas was to occur. This integration did not go well. The images shown in this book make you feel the emotion both the whites and blacks were feeling during that time. I couldn't imagine growing up in a time such as this. I wish that my grandparents were around so I could ask them questions about what they remembered, and how they felt, but unfortunately I was young when my grandparents died (on both sides) and they are no longer here to give me their perspective. In 1972...schools in Arkansas finally saw full integration. 1972?! It took 15 years to finally have schools integrated? It's heartbreaking to see what African-Americans have gone through to obtain equal rights in our country. What happened to "land of the free"? In a way, this book brought up my feelings of disgust for the way in which this country handles those of another color. We are all equals. We all deserve the same basic human rights. We should not be discriminating against anyone. Although this book is short (64 pages). I recommend reading it because it may open your eyes to the horrors others have had to experience. My only complaint is the formatting of the book on my Kindle, but I believe that is due to the book being sent as a pdf file. I do not have complaints about the content. This is a very moving and thought-provoking novel. http: //lillyreader.blogspot.com/2011/07/little-rock-girl-1957-by-shelley-tougas.html-- "Lilly Road blog"