SATA
ENTRY TYPE:
WORK TITLE: The Youngest Marcher
WORK NOTES: illus. by Vanessa Brantley Newton
PSEUDONYM(S): Levinson, Cynthia Y.
BIRTHDATE: c. 1945
WEBSITE: http://www.cynthialevinson.com/
CITY:
STATE:
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY: American
LAST VOLUME: SATA 274
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born c. 1945, in Columbus, OH; married Sanford Levinson (a legal scholar); children: two daughters.
EDUCATION:Wellesley College, bachelor’s degree; Harvard University, M.Ed.; attended Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer and journalist. Former teacher of pre-kindergarten through graduate school; former teacher trainer; presenter at schools and workshops.
AVOCATIONS:Travel, cooking, museums, concerts, gardening, yoga, swimming, theater, volunteering.
AWARDS:Young-Adult Nonfiction Award and Notable Books for a Global Society selection, both International Reading Association, Jane Addams Book Award, Golden Kite Award, Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Orbis Pictus Award Honor Book in nonfiction category, National Council of Teachers of English, Notable Children’s Book selection, American Library Association, Julia Ward Howe Book Award, finalist, Parents’ Choice Gold Award, Society of School Librarians International Honor Book for Social Studies selection, New Voices selection, American Booksellers Association, Best Books selection, Bank Street College of Education, Choice selection, Cooperative Children’s Book Center, and numerous state awards, all c. 2012, all for We’ve Got a Job.
WRITINGS
Contributor of articles to periodicals, including Appleseeds, Calliope, Cobblestone, Dig, Faces, and Odyssey.
SIDELIGHTS
A former educator and world traveler, Cynthia Levinson is also a writer and journalist whose diverse interests have inspired the articles she contributes to children’s magazines. Her fascination with the subject of one article, in particular, about a little-known aspect of the civil rights movement of the mid-twentieth century, led Levinson to create her first book-length work, the multi-award-winning We’ve Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children’s March.
Aimed at younger readers, We’ve Got a Job chronicles the effort of over 4,000 black children and their parents to boycott Birmingham, Alabama’s public schools in May of 1963. Organized by the Reverend James Bevel, the march was intended to proceed to the center of Birmingham and there address the mayor with their grievances regarding segregated schools. In staging this dramatic protest, which became known as the Children’s Crusade, participants were confronted by police armed with high-pressure hoses and several were attacked by dogs over the three days of nonviolent protests: 2,500 participants were ultimately arrested and jailed. The brutality of the response by police chief Eugene “Bull” Connor toward young protestors was captured on television and helped fuel support for the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Levinson tells her story through the viewpoint of four young Birmingham protestors: nine-year-old Audrey Faye Hendricks, fourteen-year-old Washington Booker III, fifteen-year-old Arnetta Streeter, and sixteen-year-old James W. Stewart. She includes interviews, sidebars detailing the historical context of the incident, and contemporary photographs in her narrative.
Reviewing We’ve Got a Job for Horn Book, Dean Schneider praised Levinson’s work, noting that “clear and lively writing, well-chosen photographs, and thorough documentation make this a fine chronicle” of the times, while New York Times Book Review writer Pamela Paul termed it a “riveting, significant work of nonfiction.” Writing in Booklist, Hazel Rochman also had praise for We’ve Got a Job, calling it a “fascinating look at a rarely covered event,” while for School Library Journal contributor Ann Welton Levinson’s work stands as a “thought-provoking reading about a time that was both sobering and stirring.”
(open new) In The Youngest Marcher: The Story of Audrey Faye Hendricks, a Young Civil Rights Activist, Levinson tells the story of one of the young civil rights activist who participated in the Birmingham Children’s March. Audrey Faye Hendricks is a nine-year-old African American girl who, even at her young age, has experienced the negative effects of racial discrimination. Her parents are well acquainted with a man they know as Mike, but who is actually Martin Luther King, Jr. Audrey has many opportunities to hear what adults think of their situation, but when King suggests marches and nonviolent protests, most of the adults around Audrey decline to participate. Audrey herself, however, is plenty willing and even eager to get involved in the demonstrations and marches, even expressing a willingness to go to jail if she has to. Through her participation in the Children’s March, she became the youngest of the marchers arrested and taken to jail.
The story relates her experiences in picture book format for younger readers, providing insight into the social and political climate of the time and the courage it took to march and protest. Levinson tells about her time in jail and how the unpleasant conditions and terrible food made her afraid. However, the jails soon fill up with other protesters. After seven days, Audrey is released and is treated to her favorite food—“hot rolls, baptized in butter”—when she gets home. “The well-paced text captures a child’s voice and presents time and place realistically,” observed Horn Book reviewer Claudette S. McLinn. A Kirkus Reviews writer called Levinson’s book a “vivid reminder that it took a community to fight segregation and the community responded.”
Hilary Rodham Clinton: Do All the Good You Can is Levinson’s “easy-to-read biography” of Clinton, a sometimes controversial political figure who shared the White House with President Bill Clinton, who served as U.S. Secretary of State, and who ran for president in the 2016 elections. Levinson covers Clinton’s early life and political development, describing how she gravitated away from an increasingly conservative republican party amid a desire to help those who needed it. Levinson provides details on Clinton’s participation in U.S. government and politics, describing multiple aspects of government operation at the same time. She also describes some of the controversies surrounding the Clintons, putting in them in terms appropriate for younger readers. Jennifer McIntosh, writing in Voice of Youth Advocates, concluded, “Young students interested in Hillary’s life and motivations will get the most use out of this introduction to the presidential candidate.”
Fault Lines in the Constitution: The Framers, Their Fights, and the Flaws That Affect Us Today is written by Levinson and her husband, Sanford, a law professor and Constitutional scholar. In this volume, the authors address several elements of the United States Constitution and how it applies to legal and political issues of today. They explain how they believe many of the political problems that face the United States today originate in the flaws found in the Constitution. Some elements of that founding document, the authors believe, are outdated and should be replaced with new processes. Some can be interpreted as being actively harmful to politics and the country. For example, they note how electoral college has in recent years put republican presidents in office who lost the popular vote. They explain how further amendments to the Constitution can make it more responsive to modern issues and create an environment in which divisive political problems can be solved more easily. Even as they explain the problems caused by flaws in the Constitution, they provide suggestions for how they can be solved. A Kirkus Reviews writer called the book a “fascinating, thoughtful, and provocative look” at the strengths and weaknesses of America’s most important guiding document. Booklist reviewer Ilene Cooper concluded that Fault Lines in the Constitution is “not always an easy read. It is, however, an important one.” (close new)
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, February 1, 2012, Hazel Rochman, review of We’ve Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children’s March, p. 82; June 1, 2015, Julia Smith, review of Watch Out for Flying Kids!: How Two Circuses, Two Countries, and Nine Kids Confront Conflict and Build Community, p. 79; November 1, 2015, Ilene Cooper, “A Hillary For All Seasons,” review of Hillary Rodham Clinton: Do All the Good You Can, p. 38; September 1, 2017, Ilene Cooper, review of Fault Lines in the Constitution: The Framers, Their Fights, and the Flaws That Affect Us Today, p. 84.
Children’s Bookwatch, January, 2017, James A. Cox, review of The Youngest Marcher.
Horn Book, May-June, 2012, Dean Schneider, review of We’ve got a Job; March 7, 2017, Elissa Gershowitz and Katie Bircher, “Five Questions for Cynthia Levinson;” May-June, 2017, Claudette S. McLinin, review of The Youngest Marcher, p. 116.
Kirkus Reviews, January 1, 2012, review of We’ve Got a Job; May 15, 2015, review of Watch Out for Flying Kids!; November 1, 2016, review of The Youngest Marcher; July 1, 2017, review of Fault Lines in the Constitution.
New York Times Book Review, February 12, 2012, Pamela Paul, review of We’ve Got a Job, p. 19.
Publishers Weekly, January 2, 2012, review of We’ve Got a Job, p. 86; October 19, 2015, “Clinton for Kids,” review of Hillary Rodham Clinton: Do All the Good You Can, p. 78.
School Library Journal, May, 2012, Ann Welton, review of We’ve Got a Job; August, 2015, Carol Connor, review of Watch Out for Flying Kids!, p. 128; November, 2015, Mary Mueller, review of Hillary Rodham Clinton: Do All the Good You Can, p. 134; November, 2016, Kathleen Isaacs, review of The Youngest Marcher, p. 116; August, 2017, Jeffrey Meyer, review of Fault Lines in the Constitution, p. 123.
Voice of Youth Advocates, December, 2015, Jennifer McIntosh, review of Hillary Rodham Clinton: Do All the Good You Can, p. 77.
ONLINE
M is for Movement, http://www.misformovement.org/ (October 10, 2017), “Cynthia Levinson: The Youngest Marcher;” interview with Cynthia Levinson.
Cynthia Levinson Website, http://www.cynthialevinson.com (December 17, 2017).
Peachtree Publishers Blog, http://peachtreepub.blogspot.com/ (August 18, 2017), “Author Interview: Cynthia & Sandy Levinson.
Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Austin Website, http://austin.scbwi.org/ (March 28, 2017, “Member Interview: Cynthia Levinson.”
Member Interview: Cynthia Levinson
IMG_2753ac-1
Author Cynthia Levinson-Photo Credit Sam Bond
This month we speak to Austin SCBWI member Cynthia Levinson. She is a huge supporter of our local Austin chapter, a frequent face at meetings and book signings, and an extremely talented writer who discovers fascinating stories and lives and shares them with integrity and honesty. She doesn't shy away from hard subjects, and we are all the better for it. Welcome, Cynthia, and thank you for speaking to us.
FrontDid you always want to be a writer, or did that come later?
No, I didn’t always want to become a writer but a friend of mine always wanted me to. She was right but I had to wait for the right time. I’m awed by writers who also have jobs and children. Having taken care of two of our grandchildren this past week, I’m not sure how Sandy and I managed to raise kids and hold jobs at the same time. I can’t imagine tossing writing into the mix as well. It was only after our children got through college and we paid off those bills could I take the risk of leaving my job and dip a toe into writing.
If someone were to follow you around for 24 hours, what would they see?
Fortunately, my office has a comfy couch because anyone following me wouldn’t get very far. Mostly, I sit at my desk reading, thinking, researching, writing, erasing, and staring. Every couple of hours, I get up to stir the soup or take a walk. But my stalker should bring a good book and settle in for the long haul.
We've Got a Job Jacket PRINTERHow does your everyday life feed your work?
There are two things that feed my work—curiosity and deadlines. The former amounts to my antennae. I’m always listening and reading for possible stories to delve into. And deadlines keep me rooted to my desk.
Tell us about some of your accomplishments that make you proud (work and/or otherwise).
Although I’m touched when teachers tell me that my books have made a difference to their kids, what I’m most proud of are my own kids. They and their spouses are doing truly important and socially valuable work, and they’re great parents. They are what bring tears to my eyes.
HRC cvrWhat surprises you about the creative life?
How hard it is! Creativity takes a lot of work. And, frankly, as a nonfiction writer, I’m not all that creative. Like people who can work, raise children, and write, those who can make up stories, settings, characters, and emotional valence astound me.
Your work is like a gift for your readers. When they open it, what do you hope they find?
Surprise. I hope my readers learn about other people their age who do remarkable things and make a difference.
Five questions for Cynthia Levinson
MARCH 7, 2017 BY ELISSA GERSHOWITZ AND KATIE BIRCHER LEAVE A COMMENT
Cynthia Levinson credit Cat Laine
Photo: Cat Laine
In 2012, Cynthia Levinson published We’ve Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children’s March. In telling the larger story of the civil rights movement, she focused on the lives and work of four African American young people. One of those people was Audrey Faye Hendricks, who at the age of nine was arrested as part of a coordinated effort to “fill the jails…with children!” Levinson’s new picture book The Youngest Marcher: The Story of Audrey Faye Hendricks, a Young Civil Rights Activist (Atheneum, 5–8 years), illustrated by Vanessa Brantley Newton, brings Audrey’s courageous and inspiring story to a younger audience.
1. You first told Audrey’s story in We’ve Got a Job (Peachtree, 12–16 years). What made you want to revisit it in a picture book?
CL: Several publishers, including Atheneum, had expressed interest in my original book proposal on the Children’s March. I was offered contracts both for middle-grade and picture books, but I wanted to begin with the fuller story. Audrey is one of four children featured in We’ve Got a Job. In combination, their stories give a detailed view of the march. As the youngest child to protest and go to jail in Birmingham, Audrey was unique, and I knew her story could stand alone. After We’ve Got a Job was published (by Peachtree), I went back to Atheneum, and they agreed that, all by herself, Audrey portrayed the heart and courage of the children of Birmingham for younger readers.
2. The text’s rhythm and cadence are conversational, yet a lot of information is relayed. How did you strike that reader-friendly balance?
CL: First, thank you! In regard to the information, my research for We’ve Got a Job — including visits to Birmingham and interviews with Audrey (as an adult), her sister, Jan, and many others — deeply informed The Youngest Marcher. I knew the songs the kids sang, the signs they carried, and the streets they marched down. I knew that Klan members were called “Ku Kluxers.” The conversational tone comes from several places. As I wrote, I could hear Audrey and Jan talking (in my head), so Audrey’s personality comes through. Also, the story is told in a mix of third person and first person, which allowed me to both provide background information and channel Audrey’s sass and grit. In addition, the book opens and closes with yummy food. What kid doesn’t love that?
levinson_youngest marcher3. Were you able to talk to any of the marchers’ parents to find out how they felt about their children going to jail for the cause?
CL: I had hoped to talk with Audrey’s parents, but her mother was unavailable and father was deceased — that was true for the parents of most of the teens who had marched in 1963. Audrey’s mother, Lola, was very active in the civil rights movement, so she supported Audrey’s involvement. Audrey’s parents even took her to the church where the marches started and assured her she’d be fine! So did her grandparents and teacher. Many of the teens, however, fibbed to their parents and snuck out of school. One boy’s mother and father watched him get arrested on the evening news.
4. Who are your other personal heroes for social justice?
CL: Before I wrote these books, I would have named famous leaders — John Lewis, Malala Yousafzai, Cesar Chavez. Now, I realize that foot soldiers are equally important. The Women’s Marches on the day after this year’s presidential inauguration had an impact not only because of the people who spoke, but also because of the volume of people who showed up. So I revere everyday heroes — the Clinton Twelve, tribal members who massed at Standing Rock, and students who are rallying now in support of their undocumented classmates.
5. How can children today best effect change?
CL: Fortunately, there are many ways to bring about change without going to jail! Children are collecting books for kids who don’t have them, writing to Congress about issues they care about, urging their neighbors to plant gardens. One of the best ways is simply to treat each other justly and kindly.
From the March 2017 issue of Notes from the Horn Book. For more resources from The Horn Book on social justice and activism, visit our new Making a Difference landing page.
Cynthia Levinson: “The Youngest Marcher”
Interview with Cynthia Levinson, author of The Youngest Marcher: The Story of Audrey Faye Hendricks, A Young Civil Rights Activist, illustrated by Vanessa Brantley Newton (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2017)
AG: Thanks for helping us to launch M is for Movement!
CL: Thank YOU for giving me this opportunity!
AG: I’m so glad to get a chance to talk with you about The Youngest Marcher: The Story of Audrey Faye Hendricks, A Young Civil Rights Activist, illustrated by Vanessa Brantley Newton.
This true and powerful story of a child activist seems a perfect way to help start this blog’s discussion.
First, can you talk about your own introduction to activism? Has this shaped what you write about?
CL: I wish I could say that, like Audrey, I was an activist at age nine. Alas, I was something of a political late-bloomer. Going to college outside of Boston in the early- to mid-1960s woke me up. At that point, I got involved in protests against the Vietnam War, and I worked in Roxbury, a largely black and low-income neighborhood, to support kids and families.
AG: What initially drew you to Audrey Faye Hendricks as a character?
CL: I learned about Audrey’s audacity while researching my first nonfiction middle-grade book, We’ve Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children’s March (Peachtree Publishers, 2012). The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute has conducted many dozens of interviews not only with community leaders but also with “foot soldiers,” the everyday but very brave people who contributed their time and sometimes their bodies to the cause of civil rights. When I read the transcript of Audrey’s interview, in which she described carrying her board game on a protest march and then to jail, I knew I needed to talk with her.
AG: The picture book form can challenge a writer to get to a story’s conflict very quickly. In the first few pages of The Youngest Marcher, you introduce Audrey, her mother, and leaders of the Civil Rights Movement. You also define segregation and discuss the possibility for change. And, there’s food! It’s seamless. How did you decide where to start the story?
CL: Although this is my first picture book, and I worked on it very hard to get it right, opening the story with Audrey in the kitchen with her mother seemed obvious from the start. First of all, every child can identify with food, especially cooking with a mom. So, I knew that starting with that scene would allow all readers, regardless of their backgrounds, to enter.
In addition, the dishes, such as sweet potato soufflé and hot rolls baptized in butter, that Audrey and her mother cook convey a specific cultural setting. On my first research trip to Birmingham, Audrey invited me to her home—she was still living in the house in which she grew up—and she made a point of showing me her kitchen, including the stove where, she told me, Dr. King would lift a lid from a pot and ask her mother, “What’s cooking, Lola?” It was the fact that they were preparing meals for Dr. King and other activist ministers that allowed me to move quickly into the politics of the time.
In fact, food is political. Protesters picketed segregated restaurants. They sat-in at lunch counters where waitresses ignored them and bystanders poured catsup on their heads. One of the other young people featured in We’ve Got a Job, Washington Booker, told me that what he most craved was an ice cream sundae at Newberry’s but, as a black child, he wasn’t allowed inside. After the city rescinded the segregation codes, just three months after the children marched, both he and Audrey were able to sit at the counter, just as the book shows. So, food, I knew could both open and close the story in meaningful ways.
I was grateful to Audrey’s sister, Jan, for giving me their recipe for Hot Rolls Baptized in Butter.
AG: Vanessa Brantley Newton’s illustrations are incredible and pair so wonderfully with your text. The warmth and vibrancy of food and family is gorgeous. The discomfort and defiance while Audrey is in jail is so moving. I was particularly struck by the spread of Audrey’s small body on the bare mattress in jail, her back to the reader, her pink ribbons trailing down. “At night—a bare mattress with one thin sheet for a cover.” It’s heartwrenching. How did you think about the emotional beats in this story?
CL: That scene is one of my very favorites, too. Vanessa captured Audrey’s loneliness and anguish in a stunning way.
As for thinking about the emotional beats, candidly, I was so new to picture-book writing that I’m not sure I did! It so happens, though, that Audrey’s experiences follow a true narrative arc. One of the stumbling blocks I faced, though, is that because Audrey was a resolute person who was completely dedicated to the cause, she seemed unafraid. In fact, as a child, she accompanied her parents to scenes of racial violence, and she calmly told me, “There wasn’t a bombing I wasn’t at.” She also said that she was convinced that the four white men who interrogated her were going to kill her. (These details are included in the middle-grade book but not the picture book.)
As a result, I wasn’t sure how to convey what must have been her anxieties in a way that conveyed her courage but also her youthfulness. We succeeded in doing that, I think because the text is neutral, almost flat, in its spare description of her surroundings and experiences in jail. But, Vanessa’s illustrations supply the emotional punch.
AG: Such an important part of activism is making the choice to act on values. In The Youngest Marcher the story is grounded deeply in Audrey’s point of view. Seeing injustice and the choice to act through Audrey’s eyes challenges the child (and adult) reader to consider, if I had been in those shoes, what would I have done? This also provides an opportunity to reflect on the question, in the face of today’s struggles for racial justice, what steps am I taking? Did you think about how to convey these questions while writing?
CL: Absolutely. I made a conscious decision, first, to try, even though the book is in the third person, to look through Audrey’s eyes and speak in her voice. For instance, the question raised at the dinner table, “But what could she do?” conveys the plaintive, frustrated mood that I’m sure she felt.
In terms of helping readers ask themselves what would they do, Audrey begins to speak for them by declaring forthrightly what she wants to be able to do: “Sit down inside Newberry’s.” Any child would want that, so the reader is brought along. The issue gets more complicated when she decides to march and go to jail. By now, though, the reader is with her and has to go along for the ride—or, the march. Inevitably, a child has to ask, even vaguely, “Would I really do that?”
AG: The Youngest Marcher focuses on the power of a brave individual while also demonstrating how change takes a movement. Audrey listens to the call of a leader. She steps up and takes action alongside many others. Different tactics are on display: organizing, marching, civil disobedience, speaking up. Many children are going to their first protests this year. What do you hope kids will learn from this story about how movements work?
CL: That’s a good point. The timing of the release of this book has been fortuitous because of recently intensified interest in protest and resistance. The response to it has been gratifying; I can tell that it’s been a helpful way for parents, teachers, and librarians to discuss these issues.
Nevertheless, I wasn’t thinking when I wrote The Youngest Marcher about teaching five- to ten-year-olds about the logistics of protest. (This is a factor in We’ve Got a Job, though, where I even explain how flyers were copied in pre-computer days.) The children in Birmingham, however, were aware that numbers mattered. Certainly, the massive turnout around the world for the Women’s March in January and continuing with the Marches for Science and for the Climate cannot be ignored. The widespread fervor is impressive. So, one message is that it’s important to show up.
Another is that there are many ways to be an activist and to express one’s views—and marching remains a time-honored one. Finally, of course, you’re never too little to make a difference.
AG: You have another new book out, Fault Lines in the Constitution. What inspired this project?
CL: My editor at Peachtree Publishers, Kathy Landwehr, read one of my husband’s books for the adult/academic market, and asked if we could write one for kids. Sandy teaches at the University of Texas and Harvard Law Schools and has been critical of the Constitution, which is his specialty, for years. Although Kathy’s suggestion came out of the blue, we readily agreed. Initially, Fault Lines in the Constitution was supposed to come out in 2016 but I had to postpone it for a year to write Hillary Rodham Clinton: Do All the Good You Can. I was sorry to delay Fault Lines; however, the outcome of the election has spurred interest in our founding document, and the book is now very timely. Because we show the relationship between the Framers’ decisions in 1787 and today, it’s also very current. In fact, we update it twice a month at the blog site www.faultlinesintheconstitution.com. We hope everyone will join the conversation!
AG: What are some of your favorite activist children’s books?
CL: Here are some of my favorites:
Be a Changemaker: How to Start Something That Matters by Laurie Ann Thompson
New Shoes by Susan Lynn Meyer
Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers’ Strike of 1909 by Michelle Markel
Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin
AG: Is there anything else you would like to add?
CL: Your readers might like to know that a portion of the proceeds from sales of The Youngest Marcher goes to the Headstart center where Audrey worked.
AG: That’s wonderful. Thanks so much, Cynthia!
Meet the youngest known child to be arrested for a civil rights protest in Birmingham, Alabama, 1963, in this moving picture book that proves you’re never too little to make a difference. Nine-year-old Audrey Faye Hendricks intended to go places and do things like anybody else. So when she heard grown-ups talk about wiping out Birmingham’s segregation laws, she spoke up. As she listened to the preacher’s words, smooth as glass, she sat up tall. And when she heard the plan—picket those white stores! March to protest those unfair laws! Fill the jails!—she stepped right up and said, I’ll do it! She was going to j-a-a-il! Audrey Faye Hendricks was confident and bold and brave as can be, and hers is the remarkable and inspiring story of one child’s role in the Civil Rights Movement.
Age Range: 5 – 10 years
Grade Level: Kindergarten – 5
Hardcover: 40 pages
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers (January 17, 2017)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1481400703
ISBN-13: 978-1481400701
Friday, August 18, 2017
Author Interview: Cynthia & Sandy Levinson
In a conversation about their forthcoming book, authors Cynthia and Sanford Levinson describe their process for creating Fault Lines in the Constitution and explain why it's a much-needed addition to the canon of books about the Constitution for young readers.
Q: When you began working on Fault Lines in the Constitution, did you have any idea how timely and relevant it would be?
Cynthia: When we started working on the book in June 2012, we actually did know that it would be timely and relevant. We just didn’t anticipate in what ways it would be timely or how interested the public would become in the Constitution.
Sandy: I’ve long believed that our founding document is at the root of many problems in American politics but that people aren’t aware of it. My first book on this issue, Constitutional Stupidities, came out in 1998—nearly 20 years ago. Since then, I’ve written three more books on how the Constitution promotes injustice, gridlock, and undemocratic decision-making.
Donald Trump’s Electoral College win and his inauguration as president—despite his loss to Hillary Clinton by nearly three million votes in the popular election—woke up the public to this aspect of the Constitution. People seem even more incensed now than in 2000, when George W. Bush became president after losing the national popular vote to Al Gore. Since Trump took office, people have started paying attention to such obscure sections of the Constitution as the Emoluments Clause and the Twenty-fifth Amendment.
Q: President Donald Trump has said the Constitution is “archaic.” Do you agree?
Sandy: Yes, we agree with the president’s statement that the Constitution is archaic. As we write in the book, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg made the same point during a visit to Cairo in 2012. Their reasons for saying so, though, are probably different from each other’s. The document has proved to be at least somewhat dysfunctional since 1787 and simply does not serve us—a 50-state nation spanning over 5,000 miles and encompassing 325 million people—very well while facing 21st-century threats.
Q: There are many books out there about the Constitution. Why is Fault Lines in the Constitution so important? And why now?
Sandy: Fault Lines in the Constitution is different from other books for young readers in two major ways. First, the book focuses on the structure of our government, rather than on the rights that we have as citizens, as many other books do. Second, it focuses on how the Constitution does not work, rather than on what a great job the Framers did in creating our form of government. So, we don’t proceed through the document in order, explaining each section.
Cynthia: To give examples, with the exception of issues surrounding habeas corpus, we don’t discuss the Bill of Rights much at all. Instead, we highlight the inequities caused by the fact that every state, no matter the size of its population, has two votes in the Senate. Furthermore, we bore in on such problems as states having control over voting procedures and restrictions on running for Congress. At the same time, we unabashedly leapfrog over entire articles!
Q: Why is it important for young people, specifically, to know our Constitution and to look at it critically?
Cynthia: Young people feel fervently about unfairness. They want to live in—and take action to create—a society that is just and equitable. Some aspects of our Constitution promote those qualities; other, fundamental ones undermine them. Helping middle graders and high schoolers understand the underside of our system can encourage them to change it. In the book, we discuss ways they can do so.
Sandy: In addition, they will vote. Fully informed and concerned citizens are essential to establish and maintain a democracy.
Q: What do you think about the state of civics education and constitutional literacy in our youth? And what role can Fault Lines in the Constitution play?
Cynthia: Alas, there is widespread agreement that civics education has been vanishing from our schools over the last several decades. This is especially unfortunate given the increasing numbers of immigrants, who are unfamiliar with our system of government and the role they can play. Even kids and too many adults who have grown up here are unfamiliar with the fundamentals of our democratic system.
Fault Lines can engage young people in civics class because it’s honest. And, it doesn’t all take place in the 18th century! Unlike most books, which laud the Constitution and the Framers, ours is candid about specific ways that the Framers’ compromises affect all of us, including kids, today. We also describe other—frankly, better—ways of doing things, such as registering voters and electing presidents. Our democracy may be the oldest but we’ve hardly worked out all the kinks. Students will find it enlightening to look at other models.
We hope teachers will take advantage of Fault Lines to re-introduce civics into daily debates and discussions. And, surely, everyone will want to give the Constitution a grade, the way we do!
Q: Does Fault Lines in the Constitution present a particular political perspective?
Sandy: We believe the book is fair and even-handed. We are particularly pleased that people with a range of political views support Fault Lines. Journalist Dan Rather and Ted McConnell, who is executive director of the Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools, as well as Wallace Jefferson, a Republican former chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court, all endorsed the book.
Rather says it will be “controversial.” McConnell calls it “entertaining” and “thought provoking.” Jefferson finds it “compelling.” There is something for everyone.
Q: Has co-authoring the book been a challenging process?
Cynthia: Certainly! As we drafted the book, I posted periodically on social media about the process of our co-authoring it. There were even times when it was exasperating! Overall, though, we found it informative and rewarding.
Sandy: I had to agree to eliminate extraneous words I’m fond of, like “indeed.” Cynthia had to figure out how to translate my academic-ese to a kid-friendly narrative. There are still some topics we disagree on—ranging from how to pronounce “gerrymander” to our debate on the necessity (me) or foolhardiness (Cynthia) of another constitutional convention.
Cynthia: But the most challenging part has been keeping the book updated.
Q: Yes! You’ve had to go back and revise certain chapters in the book relating to topics such as gerrymandering, filibusters, the electoral college, and even the passage of an ERA amendment in Nevada. What did you do to address these changes quickly and accurately?
Sandy: Chapter 4, which focuses on requirements for supermajority votes in Congress, particularly for overcoming a filibuster, has been, from the beginning, one of the most uncertain and evolving chapters. Initially, we debated at length whether a chapter on Senate rules belongs in the book altogether. After all, although the Constitution does stipulate that agreement by more than half of Congress is needed for some decisions, such as treaties and overriding presidential vetoes, it doesn’t require senators to filibuster. It merely allows both houses to adopt their own operating procedures. Nevertheless, the filibuster—or the threat of one—is a very prominent way that the Senate operates—or fails to—these days.
Cynthia: Also, Sandy predicted early on that this house might change its rules after the 2016 presidential election. He was right! But we had to send the Advanced Readers Copy to print before they took this action. Three days later, when they did, we re-wrote the chapter and sent the new one to reviewers.
And that was just the beginning of the updates. Given decisions by federal courts on gerrymandering, recent state-level changes in voting requirements, and increased public interest in the Constitution, we’ve made other revisions in both the text and graphics. Our editor has been extremely patient and supportive!
Q: How do you plan to address future changes?
Sandy: Fault Lines in the Constitution is an inherently news-responsive book. We joked that it should be published in three-ring binders, and we’d send loose-leaf updates. I then proposed a subscription website, which was also a joke.
Cynthia: Thankfully, we have a blog on which we’ll post updates both regularly and on an as-needed basis. We look forward to getting readers’ responses, including suggestions from students that might entail revisions prompted by the news.
Q: Lastly, what do you hope readers get out of this book?
Cynthia: My previous books all dealt with social justice in various ways—through civil rights in We’ve Got a Job and The Youngest Marcher, through racial, national, economic, and religious diversity in Watch Out for Flying Kids, and through doing good in Hillary Rodham Clinton. Fault Lines in the Constitution also follows this pattern. I hope it helps further very important discussions taking place today among young people.
Sandy: We state at the outset that the Preamble sets worthy goals for the Constitution. One of these is to “establish justice.” In the end, we grade the document on how well it meets the goals, and we give it a low score on this one. We hope the book will encourage young people to revise or work around the Constitution so that our system is more just.
Find more information about the book here. Fault Lines in the Constitution will be at your local library, indie bookstore, or Barnes & Noble on September 1st!
About Me: An SAQ (Sometimes Asked Questions)
It’s hard for me to talk about myself without asking myself questions! Otherwise, I don’t know where to start. Here are some SAQs, partially purloined from my beloved Austin SCBWI, which interviewed me for its website.
First, some basics. Where do you live?
That should be an easy one. But our friends often wonder about this, too. My husband, a law prof, and I live in two places. Most of the year, we hang out in Austin, Texas. In the fall, we’re in Boston, Mass.
Did you always want to be a writer?
No, I didn’t always want to become a writer but a college friend always wanted me to. She was right but I had to wait for the right time. I’m awed by writers who also have day jobs and children at home. It was only after our children got through college and we paid off those bills that I could take the risk of leaving my job at a state education agency and dip a toe into writing.
Did you say, “children?”
Yep. We’ve got two of them. And each of them has two. We’re inordinately proud of our daughters and their spice, who do phenomenal change-the-world things in education, health, law, and social justice. And we’re always tickled by our grandchildren, who do pretty much age-appropriate things. Bruno, the Whoodle grandpuppy is ever-amusing, too.
Do you write other things besides books?
I’ve written LOTS of magazine articles for kids about pandemics, Moko, the mind-body problem, civil rights, and a bunch of other topics.
If someone were to follow you around for 24 hours, what would they see?
Fortunately, my office has a comfy couch. Anyone following me wouldn’t get very far. Mostly, I sit at my desk reading, thinking, researching, writing, erasing, and staring. Every couple of hours, I get up to stir the soup or take a walk. But my stalker should bring a good book and settle in for the long haul.
Do you do anything else?
When I have the headspace, I like to cook—anything with saffron and lemongrass but nothing with okra. Blech. I also go to plays, movies, concerts, museums, and art galleries. I garden—mostly plants that tolerate my indifferent watering “schedule.” And we travel—six continents, so far, of which we’ve lived on three. What else? Yoga, gym, swim. READ—I’m in three book groups. But, mostly, I write—or try to.
How does your everyday life feed your work?
There are two things that feed my work—curiosity and deadlines. The former amounts to my antennae. I’m always listening and reading for possible stories to delve into. And deadlines keep me rooted to my desk. (See question above.)
What surprises you about the creative life?
How hard it is! Creativity takes a lot of work. And, frankly, as a nonfiction writer, I’m not all that creative. Like people who can work, raise children, and write, those who can make up stories, settings, characters, and emotional valence astonish me.
When your readers open one of your books, what do you hope they find?
Surprise. I hope my readers learn about other people their age who do remarkable things and make a difference, just as they can.
Happily, I am represented by the Erin Murphy Literary Agency. I’ve blogged at EMU’s Debuts and blog regularly at Fault Lines in the Constitution. I support We Need Diverse Books, An Open Book, and First Book.
A Hillary for all seasons with the 2016 election only a year off, the current Democrat frontrunners are Hillary, Hillary, Hillary, and Hillary
Ilene Cooper
Booklist. 112.5 (Nov. 1, 2015): p38.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2015 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist_publications/booklist/booklist.cfm
Listen
Full Text:
Over the summer, a reporter e-mailed to ask about Hillary Clinton books aimed at kids for an article she was writing. I replied that almost all of the titles available were in series about first ladies or famous women, but that as election time grew closer, there should be more.
[...]
Cynthia Levinson's Hillary Rodham Clinton: Do All the Good You Can, aimed at a slightly younger crowd, covers much of the same territory, though the emphasis here, as the subtitle indicates, is how a predilection for service is the key to understanding Clinton. Levinson, who attended Wellesley at the same time as Clinton, includes some original research amid interviews with friends and advisors. Denser detail gives way to more bullet-point-style writing here, but readers will still come away with a sense of what makes Hillary run, even in the face of overwhelming odds.
Clinton for kids
Publishers Weekly. 262.42 (Oct. 19, 2015): p78.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2015 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Listen
Full Text:
Four books examine the life of Hillary Clinton.
[...]
Hillary Rodham Clinton: Do All the Good You Can
Cynthia Levinson. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, $16.99 (352p) ISBN 978-0-06-238730-1
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Chronicling the life of the notoriously impenetrable Clinton has challenged many biographers; writing a version for middle-grade readers that describes and interprets the moments that led to her becoming the First Lady, a U.S. Senator, and Secretary of State is even tougher, because so much of Clinton's story is about her troubled marriage, thwarted ambitions, and political infighting with Republicans. Levinson (Watch Out for Flying Kids!), a classmate at Wellesley, succeeds in being evenhanded while taking a mile-wide, inch-deep approach. She briefly recapitulates some of the scandals (Whitewater, Monica Lewinsky, Benghazi) that have made Clinton a polarizing figure in American politics, but the unifying theme is ? the presidential hopeful's life of service: the subtitle refers to a Methodist ethos that Clinton has subscribed to her entire life, beginning with buying a first communion dress for a migrant worker's daughter and continuing to the gauntlet she threw down in China in 1995, when she declared that "Women's rights are human rights." A time line, source notes, and an eight-page photo insert are included. Ages 8-12. Agent: Erin Murphy, Erin Murphy Literary Agency. (Jan.)
Fault Lines in the Constitution: The Framers,
Their Fights, and the Flaws That Affect Us Today
Ilene Cooper
Booklist.
114.1 (Sept. 1, 2017): p84.
COPYRIGHT 2017 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist_publications/booklist/booklist.cfm
Full Text:
* Fault Lines in the Constitution: The Framers, Their Fights, and the Flaws That Affect Us Today. By Cynthia Levinson
and Sanford Levinson. Sept. 2017.192p. Peachtree, 519.95 (9781561459452). 342.7302. Gr. 7-10.
Lately there's been dismay that civics, government, and history have taken a backseat in classrooms. This smartly
conceived book goes a long way toward reintroducing students to those subjects. After an informative introduction that
dissects the Preamble and covers the leap from the Articles of Confederation to the Constitution, the Levinsons link
both history and current events as they offer an illustrative group of examples that show where the Constitution got it
right--and wrong. The nine chapters cover a wide range of topics, including bicameralism, presidential vetoes,
gerrymandering, term limits, and voting rights. Each chapter begins with a controversial news event or court case.
These are well-chosen: whether John McCain, born in the Canal Zone, was eligible to run for president; how a 101-
year-old Texas woman was deprived of her vote because she lacked an approved ID; FDR's right to run for a third term.
Then the chapters pivot ("Meanwhile, Back in 1787") and describe the framers' thinking on the topic. Other repeated
sections examine the relevant topic in-depth; describe alternate methods, used by other states or countries, to deal with
the issue; and explain how that issue played out and the effects it may continue to have today. Although the font, charts,
and well-written text make this appealing, it's not always an easy read. It is, however, an important one.--Ilene Cooper
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Cooper, Ilene. "Fault Lines in the Constitution: The Framers, Their Fights, and the Flaws That Affect Us Today."
Booklist, 1 Sept. 2017, p. 84. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA509161630&it=r&asid=b4a4d055ae32891ab51dae594f6d3206.
Accessed 30 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A509161630
10/30/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1509415671741 2/13
Levinson, Cynthia: FAULT LINES IN THE
CONSTITUTION
Kirkus Reviews.
(July 1, 2017):
COPYRIGHT 2017 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Levinson, Cynthia FAULT LINES IN THE CONSTITUTION Peachtree (Children's Informational) $19.95 9, 1 ISBN:
978-1-56145-945-2
The United States Constitution has been amended 27 times since its 1788 ratification, but the Levinsons make the
reasonable and compelling case that further revision will make it even more efficient and just. Cynthia Levinson, the
author of We've Got a Job (2012), teams up with her husband, Sanford Levinson, a constitutional law scholar and
professor, to explain how many of the political issues we struggle with today are rooted in flaws in the U.S.
Constitution. Among the issues explored, in lively, accessible prose, are bicameralism, the Electoral College,
emergency powers, gerrymandering, the presidential veto, and voter-identification requirements. In the chapters
examining these issues, real-life examples illustrate each constitutional flaw (the 2000 election illustrates the problems
in the Electoral College, for instance). Putting it in historical and contemporary context, the authors explain the
problem, make comparisons to constitutions of other nations, and suggest viable solutions. The Levinsons grade the
Constitution's success in meeting its primary goals as outlined in the Preamble, giving it a C-plus overall. The text
concludes with the authors debating the pros and cons of a second Constitutional Convention. A fascinating, thoughtful,
and provocative look at what in the Constitution keeps the United States from being "a more perfect union." (timeline,
bibliography, endnotes) (Nonfiction. 10-18)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Levinson, Cynthia: FAULT LINES IN THE CONSTITUTION." Kirkus Reviews, 1 July 2017. General OneFile,
go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA497199630&it=r&asid=e4b985b492f9b73106c3e97020e456f9.
Accessed 30 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A497199630
10/30/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1509415671741 3/13
The Youngest Marcher: The Story of Audrey
Faye Hendricks, a Young Civil Rights Activist
Claudette S. McLinn
The Horn Book Magazine.
93.3 (May-June 2017): p116.
COPYRIGHT 2017 The Horn Book, Inc.. A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Sources, Inc. No redistribution
permitted.
http://www.hbook.com/magazine/default.asp
Full Text:
The Youngest Marcher: The Story of Audrey Faye Hendricks, a Young Civil Rights Activist
by Cynthia Levinson; illus. by Vanessa Brantley Newton
Primary Atheneum 40 pp. 1/17 978-1-4814-0070-1 $17.99
e-book ed. 978-1-4814-0071-8 $10.99
Levinson tells the true story of Audrey Faye Hendricks, the youngest participant in the 1963 Birmingham Children's
March. Growing up in Alabama, nine-year-old Audrey knows all about segregation as a way of life. And listening to
the grownups talk at church, she hears hateful stories that make her squirm. When the visiting preacher--Martin Luther
King Jr., known to Audrey's family as "Mike"--announces his plan for the congregation to fight segregation by
marching and getting arrested, the adults demur. Then the idea for a Children's March is floated, and Audrey is eager to
join in: "She was going to break a law and go to jail to help make things right." Levinson goes on to describe Audrey's
week in jail, with its loneliness, bad food, boredom, and intimidation--it "was harder than she'd thought"-and her
jubilation when she realizes that the Children's March has been a success. The well-paced text captures a child's voice
and presents time and place realistically. Brightly colored digital collages clearly depict both the hopeful spirit and the
rawer emotions of one community involved in the civil rights struggle; a double-page spread of Audrey curled up on a
bare mattress in her jail cell is particularly effective. A timeline, sources, and recipe for "hot rolls baptized in butter"
(Audrey's favorite food) are included; an author's note provides additional background. CLAUDETTE S. MCLINN
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
McLinn, Claudette S. "The Youngest Marcher: The Story of Audrey Faye Hendricks, a Young Civil Rights Activist."
The Horn Book Magazine, May-June 2017, p. 116. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA492995647&it=r&asid=41b449dd71a7bb9e4a3e136b38b11db1.
Accessed 30 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A492995647
10/30/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1509415671741 4/13
The Youngest Marcher
James A. Cox
Children's Bookwatch.
(Jan. 2017):
COPYRIGHT 2017 Midwest Book Review
http://www.midwestbookreview.com/cbw/index.htm
Full Text:
The Youngest Marcher
Cynthia Levinson, author
Vanessa Brantley Newton, illustrator
Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
1230 Avenue of the Americas, 4th floor, New York, NY 10020
www.simonandschuster.com/kids
9781481400701 $17.99 hc/$10.99 Kindle amazon.com
The Youngest Marcher: The Story of Audrey Faye Hendricks, a Young Civil Rights Activist is a children's picturebook
about the youngest known child to be arrested for a civil rights protest in Birmingham, Alabama in the year 1963.
Audrey Faye Hendricks was a nine-year-old black girl who wanted to join the movement to end Birmingham's
segregation laws. She was one of many brave people who picketed segregated stores, marched in protest, endured
arrest, and filled up the jails to order to convince society to change its unjust laws. An author's note, a timeline, and a
recipe for "Hot Rolls Baptized in Butter" round out this excellent addition to school and public library nonfiction
picturebook collections.
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Cox, James A. "The Youngest Marcher." Children's Bookwatch, Jan. 2017. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA479406073&it=r&asid=d78b9f365c172043e3221bd8c791a5e5.
Accessed 30 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A479406073
10/30/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1509415671741 5/13
Levinson, Cynthia: THE YOUNGEST
MARCHER
Kirkus Reviews.
(Nov. 1, 2016):
COPYRIGHT 2016 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Levinson, Cynthia THE YOUNGEST MARCHER Atheneum (Children's Picture Books) $17.99 1, 17 ISBN: 978-1-
4814-0070-1
Readers can decide whether, were they in Audrey's shoes, they would make the same dangerous decision.Nine-year-old
Audrey and her mother are happily preparing a meal for their special guest, whom they call Mike--otherwise known as
Martin Luther King Jr. It is this environment that helps her decide to march in Birmingham in May 1963 and get
arrested--all to fight segregation peacefully. The adults are too fearful to march, so Audrey proudly volunteers to join
other children and go to "j-a-a-il!" Her parents and her grandparents support her decision, and so, to the sounds of civil
rights-era music, she is arrested. The time behind bars is unpleasant, but the cells soon fill up. Audrey comes home after
seven days to her favorite food: "hot rolls, baptized in butter." Eating at an integrated lunch counter follows. Levinson,
who wrote for older readers in We've Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children's March (2012), here carefully tailors
her text to a level suitable for a younger audience. Newton's digital illustrations burst with color against a white
background. Audrey smiles and looks fearful, as appropriate. A double-page spread of her in a jail cell, all in gray, is
especially effective. A vivid reminder that it took a community to fight segregation and the community responded.
(author's note, timeline, recipe, sources) (Informational picture book. 7-10)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Levinson, Cynthia: THE YOUNGEST MARCHER." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Nov. 2016. General OneFile,
go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA468388951&it=r&asid=fdb8900e0013ad9e985121258ae194c6.
Accessed 30 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A468388951
10/30/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1509415671741 6/13
Levinson, Cynthia. Hillary Rodham Clinton: Do
All the Good You Can
Jennifer McIntosh
Voice of Youth Advocates.
38.5 (Dec. 2015): p77.
COPYRIGHT 2015 E L Kurdyla Publishing LLC
http://www.voya.com
Full Text:
3Q * 3P * M
Levinson, Cynthia. Hillary Rodham Clinton: Do All the Good You Can. Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins, 2016. 352p.
$16.99. 978-0-06-238730-1. Index. Photos. Biblio. Source Notes. Chronology. Appendix.
Levinson offers young readers a chance to uncover Hillary Clinton's personal life in this easy-to-read biography.
Organized chronologically, the book highlights Hillary's most important life events from childhood to the present.
Hillary was born in 1946 and grew up in Illinois during a time when women did not dare dream of running for
president. Although she was very influenced by her Republican father, Hillary also agreed with her soft-hearted
Methodist mother, who thought people should do all the good they can for as many people as they can. She found
herself drawn to wanting to help her poor, black neighbors. As the Republican Party grew more conservative, Hillary
leaned away from her "Republican mind" and more toward her "liberal heart."
Levinson includes helpful notes throughout the book to further explain some of the more confusing aspects of politics
(like the electoral college), as well as interesting nuggets of information (Chelsea Clinton's code name was "Energy"
during Bill Clinton's presidency). Although the various scandals that have plagued the Clintons are included, Levinson
does not go into sordid details, instead giving the basic information a young reader needs to know. Levinson explores
the mistakes that Hillary has made, but this is not a critical look at her political career. Young students interested in
Hillary's life and motivations will get the most use out of this introduction to the presidential candidate.--Jennifer
McIntosh.
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
McIntosh, Jennifer. "Levinson, Cynthia. Hillary Rodham Clinton: Do All the Good You Can." Voice of Youth
Advocates, Dec. 2015, p. 77. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA438130262&it=r&asid=0be0a93c8b6dd9467436533300d7ea61.
Accessed 30 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A438130262
10/30/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1509415671741 7/13
Watch Out for Flying Kids! How Two Circuses,
Two Countries, and Nine Kids Confront Conflict
and Build Community
Julia Smith
Booklist.
111.19-20 (June 1, 2015): p79.
COPYRIGHT 2015 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist_publications/booklist/booklist.cfm
Full Text:
Watch Out for Flying Kids! How Two Circuses, Two Countries, and Nine Kids Confront Conflict and Build
Community. By Cynthia Levinson.
Aug. 2015. 224p. illus. Peachtree, $22.95 (97815614582191.796.47. Gr. 5-8.
Social circus exists as a way to provide a positive, safe environment for kids of different backgrounds to come together
as a unified troupe. This book looks at two such youth circuses--one in the United States (the St. Louis Arches), the
other in Israel (the Galilee Circus)--to tell the story of how a shared passion can change lives. After presenting the
origin of both circuses, Levinson profiles the founders and troupe members, highlighting racial diversity and the
socioeconomic challenges facing many involved. A good deal of Israel's cultural and political history is covered, but
readers will be most interested in the descriptions of acrobatics, juggling, contortion, and aerial acts. When the two
groups begin traveling and performing together as the Galilee Arches, their mission of unification is taken to a new
level. This inspirational story easily lends itself to classroom use, as it encompasses a broad spectrum of values and
subjects. Ample photos, an Arabic and Hebrew pronunciation guide, and youth-circus resources round out the text.--
Julia Smith
Smith, Julia
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Smith, Julia. "Watch Out for Flying Kids! How Two Circuses, Two Countries, and Nine Kids Confront Conflict and
Build Community." Booklist, 1 June 2015, p. 79. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA421080350&it=r&asid=61d9a6cf9dc03efa9c0276cf49584e98.
Accessed 30 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A421080350
10/30/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1509415671741 8/13
Levinson, Cynthia: WATCH OUT FOR FLYING
KIDS!
Kirkus Reviews.
(May 15, 2015):
COPYRIGHT 2015 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Levinson, Cynthia WATCH OUT FOR FLYING KIDS! Peachtree (Children's Nonfiction) $22.95 8, 1 ISBN: 978-1-
56145-821-9
Welcome to a particular type of circus--where the child performers may just change the world "one acrobat,
contortionist, and flyer at a time." The mission of a youth social circus is to bring together young people who don't
ordinarily meet and to teach them to work together as circus performers. The young performers of Circus Harmony in
St. Louis and the Galilee Circus in Israel demonstrate what happens when people of different backgrounds work
together to perform--to "fly above the fray" and "walk the tightrope of politics and friendships." Levinson expertly
establishes the historical context behind the circuses--the legacy of racial segregation in St. Louis and the troubled
history of Arabs and Jews in Palestine--and shows that, in spite of the world around them, "Jews and Arabs...blacks,
whites, Muslims, Christians--all kids--can get along. And that circus is an especially enchanting means in which to do
so." The text itself is a juggling act as she follows nine young performers, two circus directors, and the coaches in
telling the story, based on 120 hours of personal interviews. Color photographs, sidebars, and a lengthy pronunciation
guide to Arabic and Hebrew names, words, and expressions used in the text round out a thoroughly enjoyable volume.
Enchanting indeed--and inspiring as well. (Nonfiction. 9-14)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Levinson, Cynthia: WATCH OUT FOR FLYING KIDS!" Kirkus Reviews, 15 May 2015. General OneFile,
go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA413234286&it=r&asid=c26daceeb7ba4addc70a1c78a8325d89.
Accessed 30 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A413234286
10/30/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1509415671741 9/13
Levinson, Cynthia & Sanford Levinson. Fault
Lines in the Constitution: The Framers, Their
Fights, and the Raws That Affect Us Today
Jeffrey Meyer
School Library Journal.
63.8 (Aug. 2017): p123.
COPYRIGHT 2017 Library Journals, LLC. A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution
permitted.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/
Full Text:
* LEVINSON, Cynthia & Sanford Levinson. Fault Lines in the Constitution: The Framers, Their Fights, and the Raws
That Affect Us Today. illus. by Adela Pons. 192p. Peachtree. Sept. 2017. Tr $19.95. ISBN 9781561459452.
Gr 6-8--Gerrymandering. Filibusters. The electoral college. The authors tackle these and other constitutional issues in
this insightful work. The book functions differently than a straightforward explanatory text on the U.S. Constitution.
Rather, the authors examine the fissures and issues that arise when it comes to the actual application of the Constitution:
Why does a small state have the same power in the Senate as a state with exponentially higher population? How can
certain stipulations in the Constitution deter otherwise popular legislation? The text discusses current conflicts, such as
the irony of "Taxation Without Representation" in regard to Washington, DC, and Senate filibusters that kill potentially
popular legislation before it can even be voted on. Historical situations are also examined, such as the Sedition Act of
1918 that barred anti-war speech during World War One. The book provides readers with a broad context of
constitutional law; the text explores how various parts of the U.S. Constitution compare with individual state
constitutions and other nations' constitutions. The authors not only raise timely issues, but provide readers with options
of how a seemingly obsolete stipulation can be amended. Many examples of amended laws, e.g., the repeal of
Prohibition, illustrate the evolving nature of the law. At times, the authors seem to express their support of a more direct
democracy. They also provide a "report card" on the Constitution's ability to handle its objectives, such as "Form a
More Perfect Union" and "Promote the General Welfare." Pons's helpful illustrations resemble infographies, pulling out
startling facts from the text and repackaging them visually. VERDICT Much food for thought on the application and
relevance of many of the Constitution's stipulations. Essential for class discussions, debate teams, and reports.--Jeffrey
Meyer, Mount Pleasant Public Library, IA
KEY: * Excellent in relation to other titles on the same subject or in the same genre | Tr Hardcover trade binding | lib.
ed. Publisher's library binding | Board Board book | pap. Paperback | e eBook original | BL Bilingual | POP Popular
Picks
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Meyer, Jeffrey. "Levinson, Cynthia & Sanford Levinson. Fault Lines in the Constitution: The Framers, Their Fights,
and the Raws That Affect Us Today." School Library Journal, Aug. 2017, p. 123+. General OneFile,
go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA499597995&it=r&asid=5bbfe6532b624dc160cb900f7bcb390e.
Accessed 30 Oct. 2017.
10/30/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1509415671741 10/13
Gale Document Number: GALE|A499597995
10/30/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1509415671741 11/13
Levinson, Cynthia. Hillary Rodham Clinton: Do
All the Good You Can
Mary Mueller
School Library Journal.
61.11 (Nov. 2015): p134.
COPYRIGHT 2015 Library Journals, LLC. A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution
permitted.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/
Full Text:
LEVINSON, Cynthia. Hillary Rodham Clinton: Do All the Good You Can. 352p. bibliog. ebook available. index. notes.
photos. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray. Jan. 2016. Tr $16.99. ISBN 9780062387301; pap. $6.99. ISBN 9780062387295.
LC 2015940617.
Gr 7 Up--This comprehensive, well-documented account of Hillary Clinton's life and public service begins with her
Chicago childhood and ends with the early days of her current presidential candidacy. The book draws on many
sources, especially the politician's own accounts of her life, to describe how Clinton's desire to "do all the good you
can" has guided her beliefs, choices, and actions. The author is admiring of Clinton, praising her many
accomplishments and framing some of Clinton's mistakes as the result of her drive to "do good" and achieve her
personal and public policy goals. Levinson is critical of Clinton's vote to authorize the war in Iraq but is more
understanding of some of her missteps and occasionally blames politics as the motivation for those who criticized or
opposed her. Clinton's life has been covered in numerous YA biographies, and this volume offers much more detail than
titles such as Michael Burgan's Hillary Clinton (Raintree, 2014). However, at least some of those details, such as lists of
the reasons why Clinton's healthcare initiative failed, her improvements to the White House, and the intricacies of the
Democratic presidential delegate selection process, are dry and detract from the main narrative. The level of
information in this book will be helpful to report writers, but there's a little too much praise of Clinton to make this truly
well-balanced. As Clinton's candidacy progresses, this title may date quickly. VERDICT A supplemental purchase.--
Mary Mueller, Rolla Public Schools, MO
Mueller, Mary
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Mueller, Mary. "Levinson, Cynthia. Hillary Rodham Clinton: Do All the Good You Can." School Library Journal, Nov.
2015, p. 134. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA433878182&it=r&asid=d8f87d9b1238087143218147d1bf1a39.
Accessed 30 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A433878182
10/30/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1509415671741 12/13
Levinson, Cynthia. The Youngest Marcher: The
Story of Audrey Faye Hendricks, a Young Civil
Rights Activist
Kathleen Isaacs
School Library Journal.
62.11 (Nov. 2016): p116.
COPYRIGHT 2016 Library Journals, LLC. A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution
permitted.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/
Full Text:
LEVINSON, Cynthia. The Youngest Marcher: The Story of Audrey Faye Hendricks, a Young Civil Rights Activist.
illus. by Vanessa Brantley Newton. 40p. bibliog. chron. photos. S. & S./Atheneum. Jan. 2017. Tr $17.99. ISBN
9781481400701.
K-Gr 4--Levinson's We've Got a fob followed nine-year-old Audrey Faye Hendricks and three other youths who were
among the thousands of children and teens who marched for freedom in Birmingham, AL, in 1963. Here, she pulls from
that material, including personal interviews, to highlight Hendricks's story for younger audiences, telling it from her
subject's perspective. The author introduces the Hendricks family's frequent dinner guests, Mike, Fred, and Jim--the
ministers Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Frederick Shuttlesworth, and James Bevel, respectively. She also describes the
indignities of African American life in Alabama at the time. When Mike's campaign to protest segregation and "fill the
jails" doesn't work, young Audrey eagerly volunteers for Jim's new idea--getting children to march. Digital collage
illustrations show a young, pigtailed Audrey and her family mostly smiling and happy leading up to the march--she
even brings a new board game to pass the time. Pictures and words combine to depict the discomfort of Hendricks's
actual experience: loneliness, unpalatable food, angry white interrogators, and even solitary confinement. Like young
Audrey, readers will be relieved when her weeklong sentence is up and she goes home to "hot rolls, baptized in butter,"
and the promise of a brighter future. VERDICT Simplified and sweetened, but still a significant portrayal of Audrey
Faye Hendricks and the Children's March. For collections in need of history materials for the younger set.--Kathleen
Isaacs, Children's Literature Specialist, Pasadena, MD
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Isaacs, Kathleen. "Levinson, Cynthia. The Youngest Marcher: The Story of Audrey Faye Hendricks, a Young Civil
Rights Activist." School Library Journal, Nov. 2016, p. 116. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA468699330&it=r&asid=c9b4361ec8c4711f17c1b85c01afc103.
Accessed 30 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A468699330
10/30/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1509415671741 13/13
Levinson, Cynthia. Watch Out for Flying Kids!:
How Two Circuses, Two Countries, and Nine
Kids Confront Conflict and Build Community
Carol Connor
School Library Journal.
61.8 (Aug. 2015): p128.
COPYRIGHT 2015 Library Journals, LLC. A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution
permitted.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/
Full Text:
LEVINSON, Cynthia. Watch Out for Flying Kids!: How Two Circuses, Two Countries, and Nine Kids Confront
Conflict and Build Community. 224p. index. photos. Peachtree. Aug. 2015. Tr $22.95. ISBN 9781561458219. LC
2014018539.
Gr 5-8--Levinson brings together the story of nine young people of different backgrounds, religions, races, and
socioeconomic status who all share a common love--the circus. Circus Harmony in St. Louis, MO--a city known for its
racial turbulence--is made up of both black and white and inner-city and suburban youth. Readers meet Kellin Quinn
Hentoff-Killian, who has been around the circus since he was an infant and who mastered the art of juggling as a
toddler while watching his older siblings. Kellin's mother, Jessica Hentoff, is the artistic and executive director of
Circus Harmony, a nonprofit that teaches kids circus skills with the goal of encouraging them to learn cooperation,
develop perseverance, and meet and befriend those from different backgrounds. The book also focuses on the Galilee
Circus in Israel, directed by Marc Rosenstein and one of the few places in the country where Arab and Jewish youth
could come together. Hentoff and Rosenstein decided that these two cultural ambassador circuses should meet. With
sidebars and easy-to-read short vignettes, this book nevertheless packs in a lot of information. The accompanying
photos break up the dense text, but readers may prefer to approach the book in small doses. More inspiring than
investigative, this title may find more of an audience among adults looking for ways to motivate youth. VERDICT
Suitable for larger libraries with multicultural or inspirational collections.--Carol Connor, Cincinnati Public Schools,
OH
Connor, Carol
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Connor, Carol. "Levinson, Cynthia. Watch Out for Flying Kids!: How Two Circuses, Two Countries, and Nine Kids
Confront Conflict and Build Community." School Library Journal, Aug. 2015, p. 128. General OneFile,
go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA424106213&it=r&asid=1c51cafa22836f0090b8769d6d800fbd.
Accessed 30 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A424106213