Warriors Don't Cry: A Back to School Book Review

Are you ready to go back to school?  I bet a lot of you are shaking your head no and I have to say, I understand.  So would Melba Patillo Beals, the author of Warriors Don't Cry: The Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High  (phew, talk about a book title!). But trust me, after you read this book you'll think that going to school in Ridgewood is a piece of cake.

Melba Patillo Beals was one of the Little Rock Nine: 9 black teenagers who were the first to attend Central High, an all-white high school in Little Rock, Arkansas.  It was not easy.  First, it was a legal battle that required the schools to integrate immediately.  Then it was a daily battle for the Little Rock Nine.  It wasn't just the students who wanted to keep Melba and her eight companions out of the school.  It was the governor and the National Guard and many members of the community  Imagine going to school accompanied by a soldier because going to school endangered your life.  Not easy.

What made this situation bearable for Melba were two things:

1. The teachers and students who helped her succeed, who offered secret smiles and assistance to help avoid the worst of the bullies.
2. She knew how important her role in integration was.  Melba had been to the North and seen that things could change--that she could be respected as a young black woman.

You know that eventually Melba and the integrationists succeeded but what makes this story so powerful is that when she was there, Melba didn't know if she would succeed.  She didn't even know if she would live through the school year.  Even though I knew the outcome, I still feared for Melba's life as I turned the pages of this book.

Warriors Don't Cry may not be an easy back-to-school read, but it is certainly an inspiring one.

Posted by Alexa Hamilton, Library Assistant