Yankee Girl, by Mary Ann Rodman, is a newer book I picked up when the 7th graders were working on their "obstacles" unit. Alice and her family have just moved from Chicago to Jackson, Mississippi. It is 1964, the summer is hot, and people are not as open-minded as they were in Chicago. Alice's father is an FBI agent who has been assigned to the area to help protect the rights of blacks. As Alice struggles to make friends in a new school, another new student does as well. Valerie Taylor is the first black student to integrate the public schools. The treatment that Valerie receives from the "in" clique of girls is appalling. Violence toward Valerie and her family escalate. This book shows the racism of the 1960's up close.
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