We Were the Fire: Birmingham 1963
A moving story about a courageous event in the Civil Rights movement that involved thousands of children, pre-teens, and teenagers in Birmingham, Alabama, on a May morning in 1963.
In this story told through the personal narration of Rufus Jackson Jones, Jr., who is Black, the reader quickly experiences life in deeply segregated Birmingham. When Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. comes to the city with his plans for a peaceful march against segregation, Rufus’s parents and neighbors support the ideals of civil rights. Still, they worry about losing their jobs and the potential violence that might occur at the march.
Despite the adults’ fears, Rufus and his friends decide to join a peaceful protest of their own in the city park. At the crescendo of the event, thousands of children join the march and are met by police and firefighters who turn powerful water hoses on them. Despite their fears for safety, the children persevere, and their actions become known as the Children’s Crusade, a significant turning point in the fight for civil rights.
This book should have a solid appeal to middle-grade readers. The characters resonate, the plot is well-paced, and the action is palpable. Laced with concrete details about the event, the novel teaches how courage and perseverance can change the world. Although I wished for a map of Alabama, I highly recommend this book.
