Raise Your Voice

November 15, 2019
In tribute to this country's long tradition of grassroots protests, a dozen significant clashes. Opening with a claim that we humans are "hardwired" to respond with disgust to anything seen as "fundamentally unfair," Kluger offers a roster of flash points--most of which marked change rather than directly causing it but all milestones in the annals of American social discourse and attitudes. Some, such as Stonewall, were more or less spontaneous uprisings; others, from the March on Washington in 1963 to the 2017 Women's March, were carefully (if sometimes hastily) orchestrated. Likewise, if the Seneca Falls convention and 1982's immense anti-nuke rally in New York were (relatively) peaceful, aggressive police responses made the demonstrations outside the Democratic National Convention in 1968 and the Dakota Access uprising in 2016-17 anything but. Unfortunately, Kluger never explains that in framing his account of the Dakota Access Pipeline resistance as one battle in a centurieslong struggle of the "Great Sioux Nation" against a mythic "black snake," he is not contriving a metaphor but paraphrasing Native American protesters' statements. Nevertheless, in every case he expertly brushes in historical contexts and properly notes that not every proud "liberation tale" here resulted in unqualified, or even partial, success. Photos at each chapter head not seen. Cogent reminders that armed rebellion isn't the only answer to social injustice. (source note, index) (Nonfiction. 10-16)

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December 23, 2019
In his latest work, Kluger (Disaster Strikes!) showcases 12 renowned U.S. protests, from the Boston Tea Party in 1773 to the Women’s March of 2017 (the largest demonstration in U.S. history) and the Dakota Access Uprising, 2016–17. Each chapter explains in clear, often stirring language the social and political circumstances of each protest and the triumphs and setbacks involved, presenting the facts in an unbiased, forthright style. Rosa Parks, who inspired the Montgomery Bus Boycott; Larry Kramer of ACT UP; and Gaylord Nelson, who founded Earth Day, are among the featured leaders who, after experiencing injustice, oppression, or life-threatening circumstances, decided “they’d well and truly had enough.” Descriptions of how early protests succeeded without the aid of the internet—and sometimes, as in the case of the Stonewall Uprising, without organization at all—show how one person can inspire many to exercise constitutional rights to “peaceably... assemble and petition the government for a redress of grievances.” Together with an informative introduction, a helpful note on sources makes this a strong resource for students. Final photographs not seen by PW. Age 10–up.

January 1, 2020

Gr 6 Up-Kluger's latest book covers specific activist events in United States history, beginning with the Boston Tea Party and concluding with the Standing Rock/Dakota Pipeline dispute. The work relays the details before, during, and after each protest, incorporating historical context throughout. The author conveys the setting and mood of each dissent or the events that ignited them within well-organized chronological chapters. For example, active verbs and potent imagery effectively capture the frenzy of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in 1911: "They raced as fast as their elevator cars could carry them to the burning floor, where the workers jammed inside as soon as the doors opened." Quotes, which allow readers a perspective from the time, are effectively interspersed throughout the text. The afterword discusses Kluger's use of sources like Time, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune, U.S. government websites, social activist sites, and a critical evaluation of Wikipedia. VERDICT Readers will become absorbed in each protest's narrative due to Kluger's adept writing.-Hilary Writt, Sullivan University, Lexington, KY

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2020
Grades 7-10 The author of To the Moon! (2018) and Disaster Strikes! (2019), Kluger introduces 12 protests and demonstrations throughout U.S. history. While his audience may know something about the Boston Tea Party, Earth Day, the March on Washington, and the Montgomery Bus Boycott, they're less likely to be familiar with the Seneca Falls Convention, the union workers' strikes triggered by the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, the 1968 Democratic Convention, the Stonewall uprising, the 1982 March against Nuclear Weapons, the ACT UP movement in response to the AIDS crisis, or the Dakota Access Pipeline protests. Some readers may have even participated in the 2017 Women's March without understanding its origins and timing. In this well-researched book, Kluger offers a straightforward account of each protest, while also explaining historical context as well as main issues, events, and outcome. His appended Note on Sources provides practical tips on researching the past, including a discussion of the real but limited usefulness of Wikipedia. An informative introduction to the history of American protests and their ongoing role in our society.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)