How It Went Down

High School Fiction

VG/M  Magoon, Kekla.  How It Went Down.  Henry Holt, 2014.  336p.  978-0-8050-9869-3.  17.99.

What really happened when 16yo Tariq Johnson was shot and killed by a Caucasian man on the street? Was Tariq holding a gun or a Snickers bar for his little sister? Much like real events, the Trayvon Martin shooting and the Ferguson, MO shooting, we may never know the answer. Told from multiple perspectives (witnesses of the shooting, the local store owner, family and friends of Tariq and more), the reader gets an idea of what happened that day, what led up to the shooting and the community response to it, but just like reality, doesn’t get all the answers. Not only was this book a great read with short chapters, but it’s a definite conversation starter. Loren Spector, LAPL, Memorial Branch Library

FINEST HOURS

ADULT/YA NONFICTION

V/A  Tougias, Michael & Casey Sherman.  Finest Hours.  Holt, 2014.  161p.  978-0-8050-9764-1.  17.99.

  In a novel-like format, coast guardsmen tell of their heroic rescue of surviving crew members aboard the Fort Mercer and Pendleton oil tankers.  Both vessels -- in the same time period -- literally split in half during a 1952 horrendous New England storm.  Great for book report assignments.  Can also be offered to readers who thrive on adventure and excitement.    E.M. Roublow (ret.)

VOICES FROM THE MARCH ON WASHINGTON

GENERAL YA NONFICTION

G/M  Lewis, J. Patrick & George Ella Lyon.  Voices From the March on Washington.  Chronicle, 2014.  114p.  978-1-62091-785-5.  15.95.
  August 28, 1963's March... surely amazed the six prominent African-American gentlemen who spearheaded its concept as well as the organizers who carried out the plans for this momentous occasion.  Through poetry, we "hear" imaginatively created voices in a multicolored crowd speak to the importance of desegregation and non-discrimination.  Literature and/or history instruction can link this title to studies about the 20th century Civil Rights era.  Mature discussions can also address its relevance to social issues in our current 21st century.    E.M. Roublow (ret.)