These Hands by Margaret H Mason

The poignant story of segregation in the bread industry in the 1960s.
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Resource: picture book
Time: 1960s
Place: America

Summary:
I have two things I would like you to do.  First, go buy this book. then go get some tissues.  This is a story first told by a grandfather, then by a grandson. A story about what hands can do.  They can tie shoes, shuffle cards and play the piano, but in the 1950s and 1960s they could not touch the bread. African American workers in bread factories could sweep and take deliveries but they could not touch the bread dough because people would not want bread made by those hands.  (Side note, my heart just broke.) The workers signed petitions and went on strike.  In the end they obtained the right to work with the bread.  The second part of the book the grandson tells about all things he could not do as a little boy, but could do now, like tie shoes, play piano and bake bread.  There is a page at the end of the book that explains in a little more depth were this story comes from and a bit of the history behind it.  It is gorgeously illustrated in full color by Floyd Cooper.


Potentially Objectionable Content:
none

Reading Level: grade K -3
Lexile Measure: not available
Guided Reading Level: not available


Format Links
Book

Additional Resources:

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