| Author(s) | Karen Hesse |
|---|---|
| Illustrator(s) | Wendy Watson |
| Age Group | 7-10 |
| Publisher | Scholastic |
| ISBN | 9780439435406 |
| Year | 2004 |
A story of two Jewish sisters, escapees of the infamous Warsaw ghetto, who devise a plan to thwart an attempt by the Gestapo to intercept food bound for starving people behind the dark Wall.
Ruth was so excited to take a trip in her family's new car! In the early 1950s, few Black people could afford to buy cars, so this would be an adventure. But she soon found out that Black travelers were treated very poorly in some towns. Many hotels and gas stations refused service to Black people. Daddy was upset about something called Jim Crow laws. Finally, a friendly attendant at a gas station showed Ruth's family The Green Book. It listed all of the places that would welcome Black travelers. With this guidebook―and the kindness of strangers―Ruth could finally make a safe journey from Chicago to her grandma's house in Alabama. Ruth's story is fiction, but The Green Book and its role in helping a generation of Black travelers avoid some of the indignities of Jim Crow are historical fact.
