Martin Luther King Mitzvah

Description

Adam Jacobs, a seventh grader at Beachmont Middle and the son of a Holocaust survivor, is tired of Hebrew School and tired of being bullied because he is Jewish. The bright spot in Adam's day is when he follows Sally Fletcher--and her irresistible blonde ponytailhome from school. But it is 1966, and Sally is Catholic. Jews and Catholics don't mix in the suburban town of Beachmont, New York. Inspired by the reclusive writer and activist, Gladys McKinley, and horrified by the religious and racial divisions of their suburban town, Adam and Sally organize a kids' march to protest the Vietnam War. In the heady weeks that follow, the two are featured in a local newspaper, interviewed on the radio, and meet the charismatic Martin Luther King who is shaping the civil rights movement of their day. As his bar mitzvah approaches, Adam must grapple with newfound notions of race and religion, of division and unity, of peace and war. The Martin Luther King Mitzvah tells the timeless story of two kids who defy the odds, unite a town, and make a brave stand against discrimination.

For more than thirty years, Mathew Tekulsky has dedicated himself to photographing birds in various places around the world. Mathew Tekulsky is the author of Backyard Bird Photography, The Art of Hummingbird Gardening, and The Art of Butterfly Gardening. He is the author of a column, "The Birdman of Bel Air," at NationalGeographic.com. His bird photographs have been featured in field guides such as the National Geographic Field Guide to Birds: California and the Smithsonian Field Guide to the Birds of North America. Mr. Tekulsky's short stories have been published in numerous literary magazines.

"The Martin Luther King Mitzvah was a great book to read. I finished it in about 3 days because it was so interesting. I have never read a book like it. I love reading Holocaust books, but this was a little different because it took place in the sixties, not in World War II. There were no parts that I didn't like. I liked reading this book because I learned more about Judaism. I also learned what it was like between Jews and Catholics at that time, and the characters were great to read about. There are multiple themes in this text, but I think the most important one is that discrimination is not right and that you should not judge someone by their race, religion, culture, beliefs, gender, and ethnic background. We should spend time with someone and get to know them before you draw conclusions. I would rate this book 5 of 5 stars, and I would recommend this book to ages 11 and up." momo.book , Reviewer for LitPick