The Story of Ruby Bridges

The Story of Ruby Bridges - Robert Coles
Scholastic - 1995

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Reading Level: 8+  Number of Pages: 20 Genre: Biography

Summary: This book is true a story of a little girl who attended school in New Orleans in 1957, at the very beginning of the attempted integration of black and white schools. The book tells of how Ruby was escorted to her school by armed Federal Marshals, how she walked past white protesters, and how she would attend school by herself (the parents of the other children would not allow them to go to school if she was attending). The book tells of how Ruby would walk to school each day, thronged by crowds of angry people who shouted at her, and then would attend school by herself. At one point, Ruby stopped in the middle of the crowd, and it seemed as though Ruby was speaking to the people in the crowd. When her teacher asked her what she was saying, Ruby replied that she was praying for the protesters.

    

"'Please, God, try to forgive those people. Because they say those bad things, they don't know what they're doing. So You could forgive them, just like You did those folks a long time ago when they said terrible things about You.'"

My Impressions: This remarkably powerful book is a fairly accurate depiction of a true event. At first I was struck at how unique the story is--there are remarkably few biographies about children, and Ruby Bridges is a fantastic example of courage and stoic faith. At first I was a little confused by the author's intention of including Ruby's prayer in the story; I was touched by her faith, but I wondered if the author was editorializing to prove a point. Truthfully, this is an accurate portrait of Ruby as a child. Her mother taught her to pray for the protesters, and she did. On that day, she had simply forgotten until she was met with the crowd. For more information on Ruby Bridges, click here.

Parent's Guide: The book details some horrific events. Imagine being threatened every day you had to attend school! But I feel the author manages to present the horrors Ruby experienced in a simple yet clear way without focusing on exactly how bad the threats became. Parents should note that Ruby prays for those who berated her, and should choose for themselves whether the lesson this book teaches is valuable for their children or not.

Recommendations: Interestingly, this little girl became a component of our nation's history. She is a role-model for children because she was a child when she went through these trials. Her story shouldn't just be read to children who share her heritage, but should be an educational tool for all children.