Memphis, Martin, and the Mountaintop: The Sanitation Strike of 1968, Written by Alice Faye Duncan, Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie
         This book details the events of the 1968 Sanitation Strike through the eyes of a Lorraine, a young girl when the strike happened. The strike occurred because the sanitation workers, who were mostly black, were not treated well by the city and severely underpaid. Lorraine's father was one of these workers and went on strike with the rest of the workers. Their family struggled financially during the strike but never lost hope. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. also worked and marched with the sanitation workers of Memphis, but the Mayor remained stubborn in not working with the sanitation workers. During the strike, Dr. King gets assassinated and his wife carries on his legacy. The community grieves his loss but does not lose hope. Eventually, the President goes over the mayor's head and gives the sanitation workers better conditions and a pay raise. The book ends with resources and a timeline of the Sanitation Strike.
        This book is most appropriate for fourth and fifth graders. Some of the content could be too overwhelming for younger students and there are a lot of words on each page. The number of words could overwhelm second and some third-grade students. This book expertly and engagingly details the events of the strike. This book would accompany a Civil Rights history lesson or Black History Month lesson very well. One of the most memorable phrases of the book is when the author says that "Freedom is never free." This would make a great writing prompt for students to write about what this means to them. The students could create an artistic expression of their writing as well, just like the writer and illustrator of this book did. This allows students to personally and deeply reflect on an important part history and extend their learning past a history book.