The Harlem Hellfighters by Max Brooks, Illustrated by Caanan White

103 years ago African Americans in New York could not simply join up as soldiers in the Federal military. When African American men were finally able to establish an infantry unit, they had to do so within the disrespectful confines of segregation.  The Harlem Hellfighters is the story of Harlem’s highly-decorated trail-blazing unit as told by Max Brooks.  In his author’s note, Brooks explains his personal relationship to this lesser-known part of World War I history and his quest to bring it to light, first through a screenplay and now, here, as a graphic novel with detailed black and white illustrations by Caanan White.  More sophisticated readers will be better equipped to undertake the work of fitting together all of the pieces of the story and tracking characters.  The minimal text (usually less than five sentences per page), however, makes this a useful one for literacy instruction on comprehension strategies for older readers working with ELA teachers, reading specialists, or in pairs of peers. 

Here is a social studies lesson plan created by Thomas Malcolm for eighth graders in 1997.  It does not include Brooks' text, but may be of interest to educators nonetheless.  Here are documentary photographs of the Hellfighters, some of which Brooks includes in his backmatter.  --Jessica Fenster-Sparber

Brooks, Max.  Illustrated by Caanan White.  The Harlem Hellfighters.  New York: Broadway Books, 2014. Print.

N.B. At the time of this writing, Passages' libraries do not yet own a copy of The Harlem Hellfighters.  The copy reviewed for this post was lent to us via the MyLibraryNYC pilot program.  Thank you, MyLibraryNYC! 

Opposing Viewpoints: Military Draft edited by Viqi Wagner

Looking for a book that encourages critical and independent thinking? A book filled with short essays by scholars, professionals and “ordinary” people, who have opinions on big issues from every angle? The Opposing Viewpoints series has all of this and more. In Military Draft, four chapters with questions around the topic of the draft are explored in essays that argue and attempt to persuade from one point of view. These essays are highly opinionated, often controversial, and full of material for discussion and debate. Also useful and appreciated are the bibliographies throughout the book that list additional and suggested reading on the subject at hand. When I ask students to tell me what they think non-fiction means, they often answer “truth” or “facts.” This book (and all the others in the series) is a well-edited example of how truth can mean so many different things to different people -- and it encourages students to think about where the information comes from. While this is not a book that students choose for independent reading, it is certainly recommended for teaching persuasive writing, non-fiction writing, and information literacy skills.

Wagner, Viqi, ed. Military Draft. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. Opposing Viewpoints.