Book details
Opening the Road : Victor Hugo Green and His Green Book
Description
During the late 1930s when segregation was legal and Black Americans couldn't visit every establishment or travel everywhere they wanted to safely, a New Yorker named Victor Hugo Green decided to do something about it. Green wrote and published a guide that listed places where his fellow Black Americans could be safe in New York City. The guide quickly became popular, and customers soon requested a national version to help them travel and vacation safely across the nation. With the assistance of his mail carrier co-workers and the African American business community, Green expanded his guide, allowing millions of African Americans to travel safely and enjoy traveling across the nation. Keila Dawson and illustrator Alleanna Harris share the story of the man behind The Green Book and how this travel guide contributed to a safer, more equitable America in the first picture book about its creation and distribution.
Age
4-8
Text complexity
proficient
Length
40 pages
Why to read
- The book provides a fascinating look at the history of the Green Book, a travel guide for African Americans during the Jim Crow era. It highlights the struggles and challenges faced by black travelers and the ways in which the Green Book helped them navigate a segregated society.
- The book sheds light on the life and work of Victor Hugo Green, the creator of the Green Book, and his contributions to the civil rights movement. It provides a nuanced portrayal of Green's motivations and the impact of his work on the lives of African Americans.
- The book offers a unique perspective on the intersection of race, travel, and identity in America. It explores the ways in which the Green Book both reflected and challenged the dominant ideologies of its time, and how it continues to resonate with contemporary issues of race and inequality.
- The book is well-researched and engagingly written, making it accessible to a wide range of readers. Dawson Keila V. uses a variety of sources, including interviews, archival materials, and historical documents, to create a rich and compelling narrative that draws the reader in and keeps them engaged until the very end.