If you chose one of the recommended CIVIL RIGHTS book titles, or selected one of your own, please check out this page. Be sure to leave a comment on the bottom of the page that allows us to have a whole grade-level discussion about our reading.
Here are some ideas you can write about:
~a person/character from the story that impressed you
~something that surprised you about what happened in the story
~some new understanding about the topic you selected
~a connection you made while you were reading
There is no need to be wordy; a blog is a way to communicate with others, so just use this space to let us know something meaningful about your summer reading.
Let’s get this conversation going…
Suggested Titles for Civil Rights:
Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry
by Mildred Taylor
The Secret Life of Bees
by Susan Monk Kidd
To Kill A Mockingbird
by Harper Lee
Check out our ThingLink on Civil Rights
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I read "The Secret Life of Bees". It was a very interesting book and I really enjoyed it. T. Ray Lily's dad surprised me at the end when he seemed to soften up. But then as he was leaving and said, "Good riddance." When he let Lily live with the Boatwrights he went right back to the mean she'll he lives in, where nobody has been able to find care since Deborah left him.
ReplyDeleteThe book I read was To Kill a Mockingbird. Some of my favorite chapters was during the trial of an African American and the Jean Louise's father (Atticus) was Tom Robinson’s (the African American) lawyer. The book surprised me when Tom Robinson lost the trail and was sent to jail. This surprised me because all the facts supported Tom Robinson being innocent. In my opinion To Kill a Mockingbird was okay.
ReplyDeleteThis summer, I chose To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. The book is written from a little girl named Scout Finch's point of view. Scout lives with her brother Jem, and her father, Atticus. Atticus is a lawyer in the town of Maycomb, Alabama. Atticus is assigned to the case of Tom Robinson. Tom is accused of raping a woman named Mayella Ewell. Tom and Atticus give evidence on how Tom is innocent, and what surprised me is when the jury ruled Tom guilty. Tom later attempts to escape jail, when he is then shot by the guards. Shortly after the day of the trial, Mayella's father, Bob Ewell harasses many people involved in Tom's case. He goes so far as to following Scout and Jem home and hurting them.To Kill a Mockingbird was a great book and it taught me about the racial tension in the south in that time period.
DeleteOver the summer, I read the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. One character that impressed me on many occasions was Atticus, the main character's father. There were a few parts where Atticus stood out throughout the story, such as when Mrs. Dubose called out cringe-worthy insults to his children, and Atticus remained completely calm. Then when Bob Ewell spat in his face and threatened his life, Atticus didn't react and kept a level head. In my opinion, Atticus was the most memorable and impressive character for his self-control, and in the future when I'm faced with difficult situations, I think I'll try to imagine what he would do.
ReplyDeleteI agree completely because that is his personality throughout the whole story and I think that Atticus really has the best personality in the story because he is never heart broken or confused he is always like you said level headed.
DeleteI agree completely because that is his personality throughout the whole story and I think that Atticus really has the best personality in the story because he is never heart broken or confused he is always like you said level headed.
DeleteI agree completely because that is his personality throughout the whole story and I think that Atticus really has the best personality in the story because he is never heart broken or confused he is always like you said level headed.
DeleteIn the book " To Kill a Mockingbird" the parts that really surprised me had to do with Tom Robinson. The first thing was when he was in court and Jean and Jeremy Finch found out that Tom Robinson had one arm smaller than the other, this was surprising because that would have made it more difficult to hurt a person such as Mayella and do the things that Tom Robinson was accused of, than a man with to of the same size arms. The next thing that really surprised me was when it was Tom Robinson side of the story and told the court that Mayella kissed Tom. The last thing that I was really surprised by was when Tom Robinson was killed, I feel that he would have not done that because he could of had a chance to get out of jail safely. This book really left me hanging at the end and when I finished I just wanted to know how Jeremy was and who Jean grew up to be. Over all " To Kill a Mockingbird is an amazing story and I feel everyone should read this book.
ReplyDeleteThe book I read was The Secret Life of Bees. This book gave me a new perspective on civil rights and the complicated relationship of whites and blacks. I thought it was good-natured of the black family to give a place to stay to a child of a different race. Although one of the sisters, June, did not want Lily to stay in the house, she eventually warmed up to her. It was fascinating to me how Lily’s relationships changed with each of the women in the house during the story. Although there were black and white tensions outside of the house, inside the house they were just family with the same ups and downs as any family no matter what race. This book had a strong impact on me, and I am sure other readers, too.
ReplyDeleteI read the book "To Kill A Mockingbird". Before I was talking to the auther of the book "The Lake House" she was telling me about the book. For example how it is a true story, about a trial between a black man v.s. a white man. So when I started to read the book I was very surprised that it was told by the child of the lawyer. I was expecting it be told by the black man and his thoughts. Another thing that surprised me was how different they talk in that time period compared to the way we talk now. I was sad that Tom Robinson died but he was not likely to get out of jail even though all the evidence supported him. So I can understand that he didn't want to spend the rest of his life behind bars. I think this book is okay but I liked "The Secret Life of Bees" better.
ReplyDeleteI read To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee for my summer reading book. The part where the trial went on in the book is a scene that surprised me. When Tom Robinson tells his side of the story it put the situation into a whole other perspective. The evidence against what Mayella said was very strong, and the only evidence that Mayella had against Tom was her word. The surprising part was even though all of the evidence pointed to Tom telling the truth, the court still said that he was guilty just because of his skin color being dark and Mayella’s being light. The court's decision showed just how bad it was for people with a darker skin color even after there were laws to make it so they had rights. All in all this book was very good and I think that more people should be reading it.
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ReplyDeleteThis summer, I read To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I really enjoyed reading this book because of how well it described life in the past. I also liked many of the characters, such as Scout and Jem. However, my favorite character was Atticus Finch. He was always very empathetic and kind towards others. For example, during the trial when he stood up for Tom Robinson even though many people in Maycomb did not agree with this. There were also many instances where he kept calm instead of losing his temper, such as when people in the town would make fun of him and his family. Another thing I liked about this book was how everything was perceived through Scout’s perspective. I thought that To Kill a Mockingbird was a great book, and I’m glad that I read it.
This summer, I read "The secret Life of Bees". I enjoyed expanding my knowledge about civil rights during the reading of this book. I learned more about the relationship between black and white people and the way they interacted during the time when segregation was fading away. I liked how they made it clear that it was hard for black women to get their voting writes during this time period. Rosaleen had a very hard time her first try when they were in Sylvan, and ended up being put in jail when she tried protecting herself when three men got in her way. But she was successful in Tiburon her second try. I am glad that I read this book. I learned from it and enjoyed it a lot.
ReplyDeleteI read To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Earlier this year, I actually got to watch the play version of this novel. And now, after reading the book as well, I can compare the two. There was one particular scene that really stood out to me and that was the trial with Tom Robinson. I thought that that part of the story was a great portrayal of how unfair it was for African Americans during the mid 1900s. Even though Tom Robinson seemed completely innocent, he was still thrown in jail (and later killed) because of the color of his skin. This novel was thought-provoking, and informative.
ReplyDeleteThis summer, I read To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I enjoyed this book very much. My favorite character was Scout, because she has to learn to become a lady and she is struggling with understanding what her father is going through and making the right decisions.The part in this book that surpsrised me is when Tom Robinson lost the trial. I found it wrong that because of his skin color, his word wasn't considered the truth over Mayella's word. I also feel like this event changed Scout. She was able to tolerate people more, and learned how to not let taunts about Atticus upset her. My favorite part in this book is in the end, on Halloween when Boo Radley saved Jem and Scout. It showed how quick people can be to judge someone based on the rumors about them, when in reality the person can be nothing like the accusations.
ReplyDeleteAs I've read, LOTS of you have read To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and I did too. This book was VERY hard to understand and I couldn't really fit the events together strongly. Confusing for me, but perhaps it's just not a type of book I've familiar with; not my style. The only part of the book that I found easy to comprehend was the trail of Top Robinson. I firmly held my belief that he was innocent, but just because his skin was unfavorable in color compared to others, he was 'guilty' and jailed (in turn was eventually killed because of this). But to say the least, this genre of book was quite unfamiliar with me, which may explain my confusion. Maybe watching the movie could help.
ReplyDeleteI chose to read To Kill a Mockingbird this summer. I found that it was really different than the types of books that I usually read. However, I still found this book very interesting. This story helped me see the injustice there was between African Americans and whites during the early 1900’s. I was frustrated that an equal man was denied his innocence simply because he had a different skin color, and that the people of the town couldn’t see past his darker skin. I felt that this book was well written because it really showed how unfairly the African Americans were treated and how anyone who sided with them were immediately disgraced.
ReplyDeleteI read The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. I was deeply impressed by the character Rosaleen and her strength and independence. She was very brave to attempt to register to vote despite the anger, fear, and prejudice that still faced African Americans. I was reminded that just because a law was passed doesn't mean that it's accepted by the community. It surprised me that most of the story was conjured from Sue Monk Kidd's imagination, as she states in the interview at the end of the book. This revelation shocked me because most of the book was in such vivid detail that I assumed she must have had vast experience with the subject matter. Overall I enjoyed the book and was impressed with the ongoing mystery surrounding Deborah.
ReplyDeleteI read 'The Secret Life of Bees' by Susan Monk Kidd. This book was intriguing in many ways; for one it is about a very interesting part of our history. This novel is set during the time when the government first established the Civil Rights Act, and when the nation was still getting used to it. Some people were not supportive of the government's decision to pass this law, that outlawed discrimination, while other Americans who had been treated unfairly were already lining up to vote. One of these fully supporting people were none other than Roseleen, an African American woman not afraid to speak her mind, and who also happens to be a "stand in mother" and the caretaker/housekeeper for Lily, the main character of this book.
ReplyDeleteLily's mother died when she was very young, in a tragic gun accident. When Roseleen was on her way to town, ready to register to vote, she ran into the largest racists in town. When they insulted her, she - unwisely - poured "snuff juice" on their shoes; writing her name in cursive. She, along with Lily who had come with her, were escorted to jail. Lily's father, T. Ray, who is both verbally and physically abusive to her, bailed Lily out of jail but not Roseleen.
Lily broke Roseleen out of jail, and they went on the run together for Timburton, South Carolina. Lily decided on this location from a small array of her mother's things she had found before she left. She had brought them with her, and on the back of one of the artifacts, the Black Mary, was written 'Timberton, South Carolina'. The book continues, with Lily meeting The Calendar Sisters - August, May and June - and their assistant beekeeper, Zack. As the story progresses, Lily and Roseleen learn the ways of bees and the ways of living with The Calendar Sisters. This book is really good, and I cannot recommend it enough.
For my first book I chose to read To Kill a Mockingbird, which has been an American classic for about 50 years now, and now that I have read the novel I can justify that. The book always kept me interested, as it always had some action in it and you could never tell what would happen next. The main character, Jean Louise (or Scout,) comes face to face with one of the biggest issues in the world, racism. Although she herself is white, her father is a lawyer and has to defend a black man, Tom Robinson, as he was accused of rape. When the author first said he was accused of rape, I was thinking that he did do it, and Jean Louise's father, Atticus, had no chance because everybody in their county, Maycomb, thought the same as me. After hearing the testimonies though, it seemed fairly obvious he in fact did not do it, and had been falsely accused. Unfortunately, the jury was so racist they convicted him regardless. Afterwards Scout was questioning her father on why they said he was guilty. Atticus explains and Scout becomes very angry, and says everybody should be treated the same. Atticus responds by telling her that should be the way things are, but it just isn't. To Kill a Mockingbird sends a strong message and I would recommend this book to anybody.
ReplyDeleteFor my second book, I decided to read Go Set A Watchman since I had just read To Kill A Mockingbird. Coming in, my expectations were low considering what I had heard from friends and family, and the reviews I read online. Therefore, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I thought it was a fairly good book. It certainly wasn't as good as To Kill A Mockingbird, but it was good nevertheless. This book is set about twenty years ahead of To Kill A Mockingbird, around the 1960's. At this point, Jean Louise is 26 and Atticus is 72. Jean Louise now lives in New York, and has come back to Maycomb for a visit. She was having a wonderful time with Atticus and her kind-of-sort-of boyfriend Henry, or Hank, when she catches them going to a town meeting about preserving segregation. She was absolutely furious, and completely lashed out on Hank the next day. Then she runs into Atticus, and is even angrier with him, as she had never seen him do anything wrong; he was perfect in her mind. After a little while and a talk with her Uncle Jack, she realizes she's made an awful mistake and runs to apologize to Atticus. She finally realized her father was not perfect, but he was still a good man. Go Set A Watchman didn't quite have the same action as To Kill A Mockingbird, but personally I thought it was a very good book.
ReplyDeleteFor my first book I read To Kill A Mockingbird. The author is Harper Lee. My mother adores this book, so my expectations for the book were high. But unfortunately I didn't like it. It wasn't badly written, it just did not intrigue me. I understood the message of the book, but in most of the book I found it unentertaining and bland. The novel starts out with a young girl named Jean Louise (Scout) Finch. She lives in the poor town of Maycomb County in Alabama. She has a father and her older brother that she lives with, along side with her African-American maid, Calpurnia. The first highlight of the book was when Scout and her brother, Jem, met a young boy named Dill and became friends. Then one day as they were playing in Scout's front yard Dill noticed a large, scary house on the end of their street. He asked who lived there and Jem and Scout explained the story of Arthur (Boo) Radley, and how he was insane and dangerous, and hasn't been seen in years. This intrigued Dills interest and he was suddenly infatuated with the idea of wanting Boo to come out. They spent the rest of their summer trying to get a glimpse of Boo and failing. Then Scout and Jem started school again and things were fine until their father, Atticus who is a lawyer, was assigned to defend a black man who was accused of rape. The author then explains how Scout and Jem went through months of torment from their classmates about their fathers case. Then Harper Lee writes about the actual trial which Scout and Jem attend, unbeknownst to their father, and Atticus loses the case (in which the black man is not guilty). One night several weeks after the trial Jem and Scout are walking home from a play Scout was in at their school and are attacked by the rape victims father. Jem gets badly injured, but suddenly someone comes and helps Scout and Jem by wrestling their attacker to the ground and killing him. He then proceeds to carry Jem back to his home, Scout following suit. Jem is then helped by a doctor and Scout figures out that the person that helped them was Boo Radley. She explains how he was not insane, but the public labled him that way. The book ends as Scout and Atticus sit by Jems bed and read. (Sorry this was so long.)
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ReplyDeletei read september, 11, 2001, attack on new york. it is a book that gives the perspective of people in new york on what happened at 9/11. it has the pespective of a blind man, a fire fighters perspective, and other peopes way of what happened. it is a amazing book. it shows before it happened, during the crisis, and the after math of it.
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ReplyDeleteI read To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee and I chose this book because I've always wanted to read this since I first heard the name and I thought it literally meant how to kill a real mockingbird but it was really about a girl named Scout and her brother who met a person named Dill. After they met Dill he noticed the scary and quite big sized house down the street, where Dill asked about it and Scouts brother told him about it despite Scouts efforts. More into the story Their father Atticus has to defend an African American named Tom Robinson in the real trial in the 1930's. In the end Atticus efforts are turned into dust when even Tom is proven innocent and Tom has to go to jail which shows just how much prejudice there was even after they had their rights given to them. After reading this book in one sitting I was speechless of the true story that happened and how this could really be real. But my favorite part was at the end when Boo Radley saved Scout and her brother and he was completely different then all of the rumors circling around him and really goes to show to not be prejudice against others.
ReplyDeleteFor my second book I decided to read " The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd. In the book my favorite character was Zach he really interested me because of how driven he was to become a lawyer and how he treated Lily and said that they will be together. The one part of the book that really surprised me was Mays suicide note the fact of how happy and sincere it was really seemed like she was happy to be leaving. This book tells a great story during the civil rights movement.
ReplyDeleteThe other book I read was “To Kill a Mockingbird”. The story is told by Scout she is the daughter of Atticus Finch, who was called on to represent Tom Robinson, a black male. In the time of the book racism was wide spread, especially in the south where the story takes place. Although Atticus made a great appeal, Tom Robinson is falsely convicted . The trial came down to a white man's word versus a black man's word, and unfortunately, due to racial bias, the innocent person lost. It was a great story, but I thought this book was slow to start off with, and was glad the pace picked up as the story progressed. My favorite part of the book was when we got to the court scenes. They gave a lot of information, and really helped to move the story along. It was also a pivotal point in the story.
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