Picture Book 16

A.    Author: Ruby Bridges

B.     Title: Through My Eyes

C.     Illustrations:

D.    Readability: 5.6

E.      Genre: Autobiographical

F.      Subgenre:   History

G.    Theme: Civil Rights Movement, African American History, Tolerance, Courage, School

H.    Primary and secondary characters: Ruby

I.       Award(s) date of publication:  Newbery

J.       Publishing company: Scholastic

K.    ISBN number:0-590-18923-9

L.     Brief summary: 7lb baby girl, born in Mississippi in 1954. Her grandparents, were sharecroppers, a vegetable and dairy farm.  Ruby would spend her summers visiting her grandparents with her cousins. Soon her family moved to New Orleans, living in a two bedroom house, her and seven other siblings piled in one of the rooms. She started 1^st grade, but her family did not have education, they spent too much time working to keep the family afloat. When Ruby started school they attended Johnson Lockett, it was an all-black school.  Soon New Orleans started to being the integration of blacks into white schools. In order to be admitted to the new schools, they started testing children. The test was very hard, but Ruby was one of the very few who passed it. Her parents soon fought over the idea of experiencing segregation verses better education. In September, Ruby retuned to Johnson Locket because government slowed the process of non-segregated schools. On November 14^th, Ruby started at her new school. There was only 4 African American students. She was escorted to school by the U.S. Federal Marshals. Ruby doesn’t remember seeing any faces, but she was only 5 years old.  Ruby remembers seeing parents, white parents, rush into the principal’s up in arms about the new colored students, they would point and pull their children from class. As she went home, a person held a black doll in a coffin, frightening her the most. Soon her friends and her jumped rope to the words “two, four, six, eight we don’t want to integrate.” Those words had no meaning to the little girls, they just were fun to jump to. The first real day in the classroom Ruby was the only child, with two rows of desks she would not be allowed outside or to eat lunch with the cafeteria. The third day, her mother could no longer go to school with Ruby.  John Steinbeck, was driving through New Orleans, he observed the horrific things and wrote in his book, Travels with Charley,  about Ruby and her horrid experience as she entered the school. Not only did riots break out in front of the school, but all across the city. Bricks spewed at passing cars, flaming bottles of gas flew across cars. The KKK tormented the blacks and their homes. Because of the integration the grocery store no longer want the families money, their grandparents no longer wanted to come for Thanksgiving because their lives would be endangered. Money was sent to help support Ruby’s family, as for presents and toys as well! Ruby’s name was on all the packages but her mother said, she must share, though Ruby didn’t agree. Barbra Henry, loving and caring had only one student, Ruby. Ruby even started to talk exactly like Mrs. Henry, since she was northern, she had a different accent. Ruby began to quit eating, thinking she could become like every other student. Ruby began to understand that her life would be about bettering herself, that she will BE someone. Towards the end of the year, white students began to come back. This is when Ruby understood why people were acting in the stand-off manner. This is when she realized, she was different, because she was black. As second grade started, there were no escorts, and she was no longer the only student, she was one of twenty!  She was left alone, no one helping her, she found out Mrs. Henry  had returned to Boston during the summer.  Since the 2^nd grade Ruby graduated from an integrated high school. Her parents had separated. She says the reason she got through her tough life, was her discipline, and her being the oldest and required for the most responsibility.  Ruby had the choice of college, but those doors didn’t open so easily. She was the first African American  to work for American Express, a travel agency.  Ruby’s brother was shot, and she realized  she must help. She returned to Frantz School, she became a parent liaison . She wanted to turn inner city schools around, the kids deserve it. After the book The Story of Ruby Brudges was published, she was reunited with Mrs. Henry, on the Oprah Winfrey Show.

M.   Description of how you would use the book with students: Ruby’s story  was moving. She WAS that little girl. I would ask the students to read and reflect. The emotions in the book are powerful I want to get how these students felt when reading it. I will have a choice, photographs of feelings or writing.