Author Description

It is August 1963, and 13-year-old Clayton Banks is a month away from starting high school. If life were simply about playing baseball, Clayton's life would be perfect. But the Civil Rights Movement is changing the world around him, and Clayton not only wants to understand it, he wants to participate. His brother, John-Two, home from college, exposes Clayton to the movement's ideals of nonviolence as well as the reality of the violence directed at its members. John-Two's beliefs are a catalyst for Clayton to discover what he belives in. The young men's father, a respected dentist, thinks the movement is full of troublemakers, which will only lead to hard times for blacks. Clayton must decide if he wants to degy his father or follow the urgings of his own beliefs.Jamestown's American Portraits explores the growth of different generations and cultures through the lives of young boys and girls. These titles are told from a diverse group of boys and girls, coming from different and unique backgrounds that represent America's own diverse population, spanning from the Jamestown Settlement to the Civil Rights Movement. Titles in this series: - This Generation of Americans: A Story of the Civil Rights Movement, by Fredrick L. McKissack, Jr. - The Road to Freedom: A Story of the Reconstruction, by Jabari Asim - All For Texas: A Story of Texas Liberation, by G. Clifton Wisler - The Worst of Times: A Story of the Great Depression, by James Lincoln Collier - Wind on the River: A Story of the Civil War, by Laurie Lawlor - When I Dream of Heaven: Angelina's Story, by Steven Kroll (1895 Italian Immigrant in NYC) - An Eye for an Eye: A Story of theRevolutionary War, by Peter and Connie Roop - Sweet America: An Immigrant's Story, by Steven Kroll - The Corn Raid: A Story of the Jamestown Settlement, by James Lincoln Colli