They Had A Dream, black American history for YA

Jules Archer is apparently quite the force in non-fiction books for young people. During his lifetime he published over 70 books. We read Jungle Fighters recently and loved it. The way that Archer presented the story of defending New Guinea  was approachable and one that young readers could latch onto. With They Had A Dream he writes about four influential leaders of the civil rights movement. Frederick Douglas, Marcus Garvey, Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcom X are written about in this engaging and accessible book.

The book starts out with a series of chapters called The History of the Black Struggle in America. This segment is fascinating to read because it has some information that I learned in school, but had forgotten, some timeless stories that all Americans know and lots of back story that I never heard.

The profiles go in historical order to the way that they happened. Frederick Douglas is first up. His impact was before and during the Civil War.  Douglas’ escape from slavery, journey to the free north and his speeches about the evils of slavery made him a very popular (and effective) person on the speaking circuit both here and abroad. His physical presence was also imposing, standing at over 6” tall, with disctinctive, wiry hair further complemented his bombastic voice that motivated many.

He raised money to buy freedom for slaves on his speaking tours, he then started publication on his own paper, The North Star, thus becoming the first print entity owned by an American black. That paper was also one of the first print outlets to support women’s rights. Douglas became friends with Abraham Lincoln, advised him on reconstruction and became the spokesman and defacto leader of his race.

Much like Archer’s other book that I’ve read They Had A Dream is written in a way that ages 11 and up can digest, learn from and one that they’ll want to read due to its presentation. The length of each chapter varies, but never exceeds nine pages.  It’s also loaded with historical photos that help young readers put a face to the stories that they’re experiencing.

The profiles of Marcus Garvey, MLK and Malcolm X are all equally as descriptive and accessible to read. The vocabulary is age appropriate and the tone of the book is politically neutral. You don’t have to be a young reader to enjoy They Had A Dream. This is history from a learned and evolving perspective. The book was originally released in 1993, but has an epilogue entitled The Black Struggle More Recently that talks about event and happenings post 1990.