Loving vs. Virginia: A Documentary Novel of the Landmark Civil Rights Case
By Lucinda Dyer,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Powerful true tale of mixed-race couple's fight for justice.
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What's the Story?
LOVING VS. VIRGINIA tells the story of the interracial couple behind one of the landmark legal cases of the civil rights movement. Mildred Jeter, who was African-American, and Richard Loving, who was white, grew up in a small town in rural Virginia, in a neighborhood where whites and blacks often mixed socially but still attended segregated schools. Mildred was the sister of one of Richard's friends and when she was a freshman in high school they began dating. When Mildred became pregnant with their second child, the couple decided to marry. While they had the blessing of both families, marriage between the races was illegal in Virginia in 1958, so the couple married legally in nearby Washington D.C. They returned to their hometown wanting nothing more than to raise their children near family and friends, but only five weeks later, they were arrested by the local sheriff. Tried and convicted, their sentence was suspended if they would promise not to return together to Virginia for 25 years. Leaving the life they treasured behind, they moved to the relative safety of Washington, D.C. In 1963, Mildred wrote to Attorney General Robert Kennedy, told him their story, and asked for his help. Kennedy's office referred her to the ACLU, which agreed to represent them in the extraordinary case that would take the Lovings all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Is It Any Good?
Compelling and heartrending, this true story personalizes the civil rights movement in a way that will make readers who know little about that era eager to learn more. Author Patricia Hruby Powell's use of free verse lets the Lovings tell their story -- from growing up in a neighborhood where "Indians, Negroes, Whites -- all mixed" to dates at the local drive-in "cause no one can see us" to the day Mildred writes "Mama watches me go off with the white men. Get in their car. Go to jail" -- in a simple, accessible way that creates a real intimacy between the reader and the Lovings. The archival photos and Shandra Strickland's illustrations help bring both the time and their story to life.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how the story told in Loving vs. Virginia changed marriage in America. Did it shock you that only 50 years ago, marrying someone of a different race could mean being arrested and sentenced to jail? Why do you think so many people were opposed to interracial marriage?
How do you think interracial couples are portrayed on TV and in the movies — as if it doesn't matter or as something people still comment upon?
What's the greatest injustice you see in your school or community? Is anyone stepping forward to try and change it?
Book Details
- Author: Patricia Hruby Powell
- Illustrator: Shadra Strickland
- Genre: History
- Topics: Activism, Great Boy Role Models, Great Girl Role Models, History
- Book type: Non-Fiction
- Publisher: Chronicle Books
- Publication date: January 31, 2017
- Number of pages: 260
- Available on: Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Kindle
- Last updated: February 26, 2020
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