Title: Separate is Never Equal 
Author: Duncan Tonatiuh 
Genre: Non-fiction 
Awards: Bluebonnet, Pura Belpre Illustrator Honor,  Robert F. Sibert Honor
Age Group: 8-11


Summary:
This book is about Mexican-American students, in California who wanted to end discrimination at their school and all over. Sylvia Mendez, and her family tried to send her to a school near their farm but was sent to a  “Mexican school." Her father was upset that she wasn't able to attend the whites school, which was the better school, even though she was a citizen and could speak, what we could consider good English.  The father was so upset that he filed a law suit, even though other Mexicans didn't want him to cause trouble. After the lawsuit, her family received a lot of support from civil rights organizations. Once the trial is set, they hear first hand the awful insults that the superintendent has to say about Hispanics and how whites are inferior to them. They win the lawsuit, and an appeal is filled. Then the case is taken to the supreme court, and Sylvia and her family wins again. Sylvia and her family endure some hardships, but win a major battle, and she gained many friends from many different backgrounds.

Teacher Evaluation:
I had to read this book online, which was extremely difficult for me; however, this was a case that I didn't know about so it was a very interesting read. This isn't something that I was taught in school, so I would definitely incorporate this into my classroom if I was teaching the older grades, and I would have this book as a required class reading, leading up to the Brown vs. Board of Education lesson.

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