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The Silence of Our Friends
CCBC Review:
A graphic novel based on a period in the childhood of coauthor Mark Long tells of the friendship between a white TV news reporter (based on Long’s father) and a Black professor at Texas State University during the student demonstrations in Houston in 1967. A white police officer was shot and killed during a demonstration, and five Black students have been charged with his murder. The reporter witnessed the shooting and knows the students are innocent—the officer was accidentally shot by another policeman. But he’s being pressured by his boss at the TV station to remain silent. In a city fiercely divided along racial lines, portions of the story unfold through the eyes of the two men’s children, all of whom are affected by the unease and unrest. The authors acknowledge doing a “balancing act” between fact and fiction in telling the story—many events, including the murder charge and trial—are true and detailed more fully in Mark Long’s note. But the timeline has been adjusted and it would have been helpful to have this clearly delineated. Still, the emotional impact of this tense telling, appropriately illustrated in black-and-white, is powerful. ©2012 Cooperative Children's Book Center
Illustrated by Nate Powell
CCBC Age Recommendation: Age 12 and older
Age Range:
Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-13)
Grades 9-12 (Age 14 and older)
Formats:
Graphic Novel
Novel
Subjects:
20th Century
African Americans
Civil Rights
Historical Fiction
Journalism and Media
Judicial System
Perspective/Point of View
Racism
Truth and Lies
U.S. History
Diversity subject:
Black/African
Publishers:
First Second, Roaring Brook
Publish Year: 2012
Pages: 198
ISBN: 9781596436183
CCBC Location: Non-Fiction, 741.5 Long