Disclaimer: I received this e-arc and finished copy from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: A Mighty Long Way: My Journey to Justice At Little Rock Central High School
Author: Carlotta Walls LaNier and Lisa Frazier Page
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 5/5
Diversity: Black MC and characters
Recommended For…: young adult readers, required reading, memoirs, Little Rock Nine
Publication Date: January 17. 2023
Genre: YA Memoir
Age Relevance: 13+ (religion, terrorism, racism, war, colorism, cursing, slavery, murder, death, police brutality, segregation, violence, suicide, vomit gore, illness)
Explanation of Above: The book has passages describing real-life moments of terrorism, racism, war, colorism, slavery, segregation, and police brutality in detail. There are mentions and passages talking about the Christian religion. There is some mild cursing. There are mentions and discussions about murder, death, and one scene describing a supposed suicide. Physical violence is shown and mentioned. There is one passage mentioning vomiting. There are a couple of mentions of cancer and dementia as well.
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Pages: 304
Synopsis: Follow the story of Carlotta Walls LaNier, who in 1957 at the age of fourteen was one of nine black students who integrated the all-white Little Rock Central High School and became known as the Little Rock Nine.
At fourteen years old, Carlotta Walls was the youngest member of the Little Rock Nine. The journey to integration in a place deeply against it would not be not easy. Yet Carlotta, her family, and the other eight students and their families answered the call to be part of the desegregation order issued by the US Supreme Court in its 1954 Brown v. Board of Education case.
As angry mobs protested, the students were escorted into Little Rock Central High School by escorts from the 101st Airborne Division, which had been called in by then-president Dwight D. Eisenhower to ensure their safety. The effort needed to get through that first year in high school was monumental, but Carlotta held strong. Ultimately, she became the first Black female ever to walk across the Central High stage and receive a diploma.
The Little Rock Nine experienced traumatic and life-changing events not only as a group but also as individuals, each with a distinct personality and a different story. This is Carlotta’s courageous story.
Review: This is a truly impactful read. The book is the real-life account of Carlotta Walls LaNier, who was one of the Little Rock 9. If you’re unfamiliar with the Little Rock 9, that stands as a testament to one of the darker times in American history that states and government are actively trying to cover up. The Little Rock 9 was a group of students who volunteered to be the first Black students to attend an all-white school when integration was being introduced. The horrors and hardships they, and more specifically Carlotta, endured during that time and afterwards are detailed in this book in very good detail. The book is an adaptation for young readers and is suitable for anyone who wants to learn the history that American history textbooks refuse to recite. I consider this required reading for anyone at any age. The book itself is very well written and you honestly feel like you’re in conversation with Carlotta.
The only issue I had with the book is that sometimes the pacing was a bit wonky in places, but that’s not unusual for memoirs and such.
Verdict: It was great and I highly recommend everyone add this to their required reading repertoire.
Book Info:
A Mighty Long Way (Adapted for Young Readers): My Journey to Justice at Little Rock Central High School by Carlotta Walls Lanier and Lisa Frazier Page
Genre: Middle Grade Biography
Publishing Date: January 17, 2023
Synopsis:
Follow the story of Carlotta Walls LaNier, who in 1957 at the age of fourteen was one of nine black students who integrated the all-white Little Rock Central High School and became known as the Little Rock Nine.
At fourteen years old, Carlotta Walls was the youngest member of the Little Rock Nine. The journey to integration in a place deeply against it would not be not easy. Yet Carlotta, her family, and the other eight students and their families answered the call to be part of the desegregation order issued by the US Supreme Court in its 1954 Brown v. Board of Education case.
As angry mobs protested, the students were escorted into Little Rock Central High School by escorts from the 101st Airborne Division, which had been called in by then-president Dwight D. Eisenhower to ensure their safety. The effort needed to get through that first year in high school was monumental, but Carlotta held strong. Ultimately, she became the first Black female ever to walk across the Central High stage and receive a diploma.
The Little Rock Nine experienced traumatic and life-changing events not only as a group but also as individuals, each with a distinct personality and a different story. This is Carlotta’s courageous story.
Content Warning: racism, violence, segregation in education
Book Links:
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61356562-a-mighty-long-way-adapted-for-young-readers
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0593486757/
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-mighty-long-way-carlotta-walls-lanier/1141693662
Book Depository: https://www.bookdepository.com/Mighty-Long-Way-Adapted-for-Young-Readers-Carlotta-Walls-Lanier-Lisa-Frazier-Page/9780593486757
Indigo: https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/a-mighty-long-way-adapted/9780593486757-item.html
IndieBound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780593486757
About Carlotta Walls LaNier:
Carlotta Walls LaNier attended Michigan State University and graduated from Colorado State College–now the University of Northern Colorado, on whose board of trustees she sits. After working for the YWCA, she founded her own real estate brokerage firm, LaNier and Company. A sought-after lecturer, LaNier speaks across the country, and she has received the Congressional Medal of Honor and two honorary doctorate degrees. She is the mother of two children, Whitney and Brooke, and lives in Englewood, Colorado, with her husband, Ira.
Carlotta Walls LaNier is available for select readings and lectures. To inquire about a possible appearance, please contact Penguin Random House Speakers Bureau at speakers@penguinrandomhouse.com or visit http://www.prhspeakers.com.
Carlotta’s Links:
Website: https://www.prhspeakers.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2894950.Carlotta_Walls_LaNier
About Lisa Frazier Page:
Lisa Frazier Page, an editor and award-winning reporter at The Washington Post, is the co-author of the New York Times bestseller The Pact: Three Young Men Make a Promise and Fulfill a Dream. A graduate of New Orleans’s Dillard University, Page holds a master’s degree from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. She grew up in Bogalusa, Louisiana, and lives in the Washington, D.C., area with her husband. They have four children.
Lisa’s Links:
Website: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/91369/lisa-frazier-page/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lisafpage
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/411862.Lisa_Frazier_Page
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