Common Sense Media Review
By Barbara Saunders
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Weighty poems retell civil rights history.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
When AND WE RISE begins, it is 1877. Reconstruction, the time when U.S. federal troops occupied the states of the former Confederacy, has ended. Jim Crow laws, which dictate rules for segregation of the races, are on the ascent. This sets off a fight for equal rights for Black people that continues in the 21st century.
Is It Any Good?
The poems in this book offer a thought-provoking balance of information and emotion. In And We Rise, debut author Erica Martin uses a range of writing and graphic layout techniques to deliver her message. Some stories are told directly in simple narrative, in free verse or rhyming couplets. Others use heavy repetition for effect. (For instance, "Signs Everywhere You Go" consists of the words "Whites Only" over and over, and a poem about the Montgomery bus boycotts is a count of the days.) Iconic photographs supplement the text. This book could be a great conversation starter and inspire kids to do more research.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the teens who made a difference in history, commemorated in And We Rise. What change would you like to see in your lifetime?
Why is it important to remember history?
In some poems, the author uses the visual effects of words on the page to communicate ideas and feelings. What do you think of that technique?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : History
- Topics : Activism , History
- Book type : Non-Fiction
- Publisher : Viking Books for Young Readers
- Publication date : February 1, 2022
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 12 - 17
- Number of pages : 160
- Available on : Paperback, Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Kindle
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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