Resist!: Peaceful Acts That Changed Our World gives young readers an overview of the history of civil disobedience and the importance of standing up for what is right. The book contains short biographies of individuals who made an impact on the world through peaceful protesting, drawn from history beginning with the America Civil War and ending in the present.

This book is informative, and the profiles share details that bring to life the historical figures that students may have heard about, possibly only in passing, in their social studies and history classes. In addition, it contains information about some people who may not make it into an elementary history book, since textbooks only have so much space and often leave out all but the most prominent individuals. Even though some stories deal with weighty or mature topics, they are told in a way that is suitable for young audiences, and each includes colorful artwork so that children can visualize the person they are reading about. In addition to being informative, this book is inspirational, and the afterword actively challenges children to do something if they see an injustice or wrong being done, and it encourages them that no one is too young to change the world.

Review of a Digital Copy provided by the Publisher

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language:  None

Violence/Gore:  A verbal threat; report of “death squads” in civil wars; report of a massacre of thousands of citizens by their government; report of many people, mainly children, killed in a natural disaster; peaceful protesters are attacked by soldiers; report of bombings; peaceful protestors, including children, are sprayed with water hoses or attacked by police dogs; a window is shot with a gun; a teen commits suicide; a few reports of school shootings that leave many people dead. (All of the violence in this book is in a historical context, and none of it is graphically detailed.)

Sex/Nudity:  None

Mature Subject Matter:

Slavery; discrimination based on gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation; racial discrimination and segregation; religious discrimination; Nazism; the Cold War; war (World War II; civil wars in other countries); bullying; discrimination based on medical status (HIV/AIDS); terminal illness; government corruption; suicide; school shootings.

Alcohol / Drug Use:

None