In the wake of recent events, I read many books on race and racism. All those who have visited my blog regularly also I have published posts about many of those books as well(links included later in this). Today’s post is about one other such book titled Someday Is Now: Clara Luper and the 1958 Oklahoma City Sit-Ins.

The Book Review

Someday Is Now: Clara Luper and the 1958 Oklahoma City Sit-Ins

Book Info

Description

More than a year before the Greensboro sit-ins, a teacher named Clara Luper led a group of young people to protest the segregated Katz drugstore by sitting at its lunch counter. With simple, elegant art, Someday Is Now tells the inspirational story of this unsung hero of the Civil Rights movement.

My Thoughts

“Everything they ate tasted so good, sprinkled with hope, spiced with justice.”

This was how Clara Luper and her students felt while on a trip to New York as they found themselves in a place free of segregation rules. And when they returned to their own segregated Oklahoma, they decided that enough was enough, and that “someday is now” – the someday free of segregation.

Clara Luper’s family and her own experiences growing up had ensured she believed in and studied to prepare for that “someday.” She became a teacher to prepare young minds for that “someday” as well. After the New York trip, she taught her students about the four steps on non-violence: “investigation, negotiation, education, and demonstration.” Her students took these to heart and went about it step-by-step, finally leading to organized sit-ins at their local Katz drugstore. And the results were gratifying and historical.

What I Loved

• The messages of standing up (or rather, sitting down!) for what is right, and of the power of nonviolent activism and the power each and every one of us have to change the world, no matter who we are. It was amazing indeed to read about these young activists and what they were able to accomplish.
• That I learned so much from the important history lessons included in this story, of another unsung hero in the civil rights movement.
• How Rhuday-Perkovich makes the concepts of segregation accessible to her young readers, as well as the effective use of highlighted text throughout the book to emphasize these concepts.
• Appreciated that both the author and the artist do not shy away from depicting the humiliation that segregation brought to these young activists.
• Also enjoyed reading the back-matter which includes a brief yet informative biography of Clare Luper.

In Summary

Another useful and inspiring addition to bookshelves, which is a great introduction to activism and the power of positive change to young readers.

Side-notes

I had not heard about Clara Luper until this book; and realizing I have repeated this statement so many times in the recent past, I wonder how many more unsung heroes are around that I have not heard about yet. But I did try to find out more and sharing a couple things I think you will enjoy:

• This article contains photos of that original sit-in along with some other details. Worth reading.
• This video is a wonderful watch as well.

And those other posts I mentioned earlier on my blog:

• Book review of Kid Activists
• Book review of Sing a Song
• A List of Books to enable conversations about race

Get It Here

 Book Depository || Target || Barnes and Noble || IndieBound

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Disclaimer: Thank you to Edelweiss and the publishers for providing me with digital review copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Would You Rather

Today’s WYR

Would you rather watch read a novel based on a true story of someone you know or a fictional novel where a character is based on you?

Is this a repeat? Oh well.. if it is, feel free to make up your own WYR and answer it in the comments. As for me, I think I would pick the first option. Unless I was writing the fictional novel based upon well, me!

And Now, the End of This Post

Dear reader, had you heard about or read about Clara Luper? Any recommendations about other unsung heroes?

Linking up to the Ultimate Blog Challenge  and to IMWAYR at Teach Mentor Texts

For previous posts, click on the links below:

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