Through My Eyes

This picture represents this book perfectly.  It is the true story of Ruby Bridges, and how she changed the face of integration in public schools.
This is a picture of little Ruby Bridges at 7 years old, walking to first grade at William Frantz Elementary School, with 4 US Marshall's to protect her.  She is such a young, little thing.  She was one of the first black students to be integrated into this school.  The white people protested and fought hard for a long time against this, but Ruby's parents kept sending her day after day to work with Mrs. Henry, her first grade teacher.  Ruby was the only student in the class for the entire year because no one wanted to go to school with black children.
This book is written by Ruby and describes all the things going on during that time in her life, and how her life was changed because of this situation.  Ruby formed a very close relationship to Mrs. Henry, but then when second grade came, Mrs. Henry was not asked to return, and Ruby was put in a classroom with a mean teacher.  It was still an integrated school, but things had been slowly getting better the second year.
Ruby went on to graduate from high school and went to work in tourism.  She didn't realize how much of an impact her first grade school year had on the country.  She finally realized it when the book was written, and many pictures were inspired by her.  Ruby now travels and tells her story as an inspirational speaker for others.
This book is fabulous.  It truly gives a great insight to what it was like to be a black child in the 1960s, and how it felt to be all alone.  Was the impact on her life a positive one? Was she robbed of a childhood?  Ruby discusses may of these feelings through her book.  It is a great read for older students, especially if it can correlate to history.

Bridges, R. (1999). Through My Eyes. New York: Scholastic Inc.