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rainbowbookworm's review against another edition
5.0
Another example of the power of picture books. With simple words and stunning illustrations the story of Memphis’s Sanitation Workers Strike brought tears to my eyes.
jaij7's review against another edition
5.0
I love everything about this book. From the excellent illustrations to the endearing story told from a little girl's perspective of the sanitation strike. This is a fantastic book. Definitely belongs on classroom and school library shelves.
lattelibrarian's review against another edition
5.0
Wow, what a book! I had no idea about the 1968 sanitation strike, and now I'm pleased to say that I know much more about it! Told through vignettes, Memphis, Martin, and the Mountaintop describes the before, during, and after of the strike as a family's life is affected both by the strike and by the rise of Martin Luther King, Jr. With evocative illustrations and a narrative that details the gravity of the strike, this book is both powerful and wise. Great for children who love history, and great for curricula surrounding government workers. Perfect for grades 2-4.
Review cross-listed here!
Review cross-listed here!
mbrandmaier's review against another edition
4.0
Historical fiction about the Memphis sanitation strike of 1968. Lorraine and her parents participate in the strike, and they attend Dr. Martin Lither King's final sermon, "I've Been to the Mountaintop."
This book is so very timely considering the current events of today and all the people who are not being paid a living wage for their work (or in the case of federal workers, no wage at all at the moment.)
This book is so very timely considering the current events of today and all the people who are not being paid a living wage for their work (or in the case of federal workers, no wage at all at the moment.)
kelleemoye's review against another edition
5.0
Full review with teaching tools: http://www.unleashingreaders.com/?p=17289
I was lucky enough to hear Alice Faye Duncan speak about this book. As a librarian, she wanted to tell this story, and, if I remember correctly, she wrote many different versions of this story. And when Boyd Mills Press first acquired her story, she once again revised the text. And wow! I am so happy that she kept going because the book which she, with R. Gregory Christie’s absolutely beautiful illustrations, created a brilliant picture book.
It wasn’t until I read Chasing King’s Killer that I knew the whole story about why Martin Luther King, Jr. was in Memphis at the time he was assassinated. Thirty-six years old is too late to learn about the last fight that MLK was able to stand behind. The story is written in vignettes in a first-person point of view of a Memphis resident who was nine at the time of the sanitation strikes. With the past look, it allowed Duncan’s character to have insight into things a nine-year-old may not while also being able to give a first hand account. The mixture led to a historical narrative filled with emotion and truths.
I was lucky enough to hear Alice Faye Duncan speak about this book. As a librarian, she wanted to tell this story, and, if I remember correctly, she wrote many different versions of this story. And when Boyd Mills Press first acquired her story, she once again revised the text. And wow! I am so happy that she kept going because the book which she, with R. Gregory Christie’s absolutely beautiful illustrations, created a brilliant picture book.
It wasn’t until I read Chasing King’s Killer that I knew the whole story about why Martin Luther King, Jr. was in Memphis at the time he was assassinated. Thirty-six years old is too late to learn about the last fight that MLK was able to stand behind. The story is written in vignettes in a first-person point of view of a Memphis resident who was nine at the time of the sanitation strikes. With the past look, it allowed Duncan’s character to have insight into things a nine-year-old may not while also being able to give a first hand account. The mixture led to a historical narrative filled with emotion and truths.
lisasabella82's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this understandable (even to kiddos), retelling of the Sanitation Strike of 1968.
juliasharkins's review against another edition
5.0
Reading Memphis Martin and the Mountaintop to my family was good medicine. Each page ended beautifully, often bringing me to tears, as Duncan's narrator draws compassion out of you for the poor and the marginalized in the 1960's. It honors the past with truth and dignity and calls on those continuing in the dream to climb on!
rikkir77's review against another edition
5.0
Wonderfully written. Explains the events that led to the assassination of MLK, why he was in Memphis, the Sanitation workers strike and what happened after. Good piece of American History i would say most people don’t know.
yellowdjo's review against another edition
5.0
It's a very informational historical fiction book. It is great for ages 8-10.
daniellesalwaysreading's review against another edition
5.0
A beautiful picture book for teaching about American history, MLK, unions, or collective action. It is good for older children, storytime for 2-4 graders, younger kids if one-on-one reading. It is a combination of prose and poetry and it is sad but with a happy ending. It is about complex subjects like death, racism, and collective action. This is a wonderfully told story about a girl whose father is a striking sanitation worker in Memphis. It would be a great story shared at the end of a lesson about what happened in Memphis; because it is a mix of poetry and prose it will need some introduction.