Birmingham Sunday - Hardcover

Larry Dane Brimner is the recipient of the 2018 Robert F. Sibert Award for the most distinguished informational book for children for his title Twelve Days in May: Freedom Ride 1961. He is known for his well-researched, innovative, and award-winning nonfiction for young readers, and is the author of multiple acclaimed civil rights titles, including Strike!: The Farm Workers' Fight for Their Rights; and Black & White: The Confrontation between Reverend Fred L. Shuttlesworth and Eugene "Bull" Connor.

Starred Review. Grade 6 Up—September 16, 1963, was one of the most horrific days in American history. On a quiet Sunday morning, the Sixteenth Street Baptist church was bombed, and four little girls were killed. The author successfully blends the facts of the event with the intense emotions of the period in order to bring it to life. The facts regarding Jim Crow, segregation, as well as civil rights successes in bus integration and the Brown v. Board of Education ruling are explored in order to provide the context for the tragic event. These facts propelled African Americans to become even more hopeful and determined to achieve equality while those who opposed equality between whites and blacks became even more invested in seeing their efforts fail at any cost. Thorough research that includes FBI files, police surveillance records, and primary-source documents gives a detailed and fascinating look at the intense, decades-long federal and state investigation. This information, accompanied by the personal reflections from both the families of the victims and the perpetrators, ensures that readers will never forget the human impact of this significant part of the Civil Rights Movement. The book is beautifully designed, with good-quality, black-and-white photos, informative captions, and pertinent pull quotes. A worthy addition to any collection.—Margaret Auguste, Franklin Middle School, Somerset, NJ
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