Protest!

Gr. 7^-12. The fabulous cover, a color photograph of an antiwar protest in Washington, will catch the eye and interest of many a teen. But this is not simply a book on protests of the 1960s. Kronenwetter opens with a description of different kinds of protests, from a toddler's refusal to go to bed to an irate patient's stomping out of the doctor's office rather than wait for a scheduled appointment. He connects these common "protests" with those related to such important social issues as war, capital punishment, and civil rights, and provides historical, sociological, and psychological context. The international scope is a particularly nice feature. He considers Gandhi's efforts in South Africa and India, Lech Walesa's work in Poland, and the Tiananmen Square protest in China. The final chapter encourages readers to consider protest as a legitimate tool for social change and seriously investigates the consequences of becoming an activist. Debbie Carton

Grade 9 Up. A useful introduction to and overview of the history of protest in the U.S. and elsewhere. Much of the prose is rather bland, but when Kronenwetter details certain individual protests, the book comes alive. Clear, enlightening black-and-white photographs break up an otherwise monotonous layout. Particularly attention-getting are the chapters on the birth of the women's rights movement and the persistence of the suffragists; on the heroism of Gandhi and his consistent practice of nonviolent protest throughout his long life; and on the role of unions and strikes within the labor movement. A glossary of protest terms and issues, source notes, and a list for further reading will aid students, but they will have to follow these leads to other resources to gather adequate research information.?Susan F. Marcus, Pollard Middle School, Needham, MA
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.