By Terri Schlichenmeyer

What do you think?

You may remember the first time a respected adult asked you in earnest for your opinion, and you felt like you had arrived. Ten feet tall, you were. Suddenly a grown-up with viewpoints and thoughts that mattered. What do you think about sports, fashion, food, school, a new apartment or neighbor? In the new book “If We Are Brave,” author Theodore R. Johnson asks, ‘what do you think about current events?’

Every summer for most of his childhood, Johnson traveled with his family from North Carolina to Georgia to visit relatives. There, Johnson always tried to insert himself in with the menfolk and was usually turned away – until one day, an uncle asked his opinion.

He still remembers it. Listening to your elders, he says, “you learn who your people are.”

And yet, Johnson was a curious child, never wanting to take anyone’s word, preferring instead to make up his own mind. When a church leader at prayer call told him that “God has a special plan for your life,” Johnson was humbled but he knew the prophesy came with baggage.

His thirst for understanding hasn’t diminished since then; in fact, it’s ballooned.

Here, he dives into democracy in America. Over the past months, you’ve undoubtedly heard about the subject, and you have probably noticed that the word’s meaning can be ambiguous.

Johnson believes that these days, democracy can be used to do undemocratic things, and most people hardly blink.

To “save democracy,” we need to question all the things that affect it, and then re-imagine it. We must examine why racism still exists, for example, and how it affected the last five election cycles. We shouldn’t worry about changing democracy because we’re already in the midst of change. We can look at history for proof of that. And we need to be very watchful.

Says Johnson, when elected officials use the “instruments of government to divide and polarize” voters and public institutions, they can easily send democracy into a “death spiral.”

It may seem like the kerfuffle over the election has eased some.

Whether your candidate won or lost, you’ve had time now to let it settle in. So read “If We Are Brave” and get ready to have everything you thought you knew shook up like a snow globe.

Like the Black churches he writes so lovingly about, Johnson “don’t play.” Once you’re pulled into one of his stories, find a good seat; you won’t want to go anywhere anyhow. Johnson uses tales of his childhood and his classrooms to lead readers into understanding how we got to this point, politically, and how we should have seen some foreshadowing during last election — had we just known where in history to look.

Reading this book is like having a private civics lesson, only way more interesting than it ever was in high school. It’s sense-making, at a time when many things don’t make sense. Start “If We Are Brave” and see what you think.

Author: Theodore R. Johnson, c.2024, Amistad, $30.00

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By Terri Schlichenmeyer

So, who will you vote for?

That’s easy: nobody yet, because you’re still a kid — but you have your opinions. Even so, how much do you know about this important grown-up job? Learn more by reading these three great books on voting…

It was a cold and rainy early November day when Mama said they had to go out. They had a job to do “that, by definition, no one can do for us…” In “Show Up and Vote” by Ani Di Franco, illustrations by Rachelle Baker (Penguin Workshop), the job is done in a big, official building that’s staffed by friendly people. Mama knew a lot of folks there because a lot of people come to vote, and “no matter the weather we do this together…”

Step by step, this book takes little readers from beginning to end of the voting process, showing them how important the “job” is and the many people involved. Adults will love the pride that oozes from these words; kids ages three to five will love the artwork.

Once was a time when the right to vote was shaky, at best. If your child needs to know that history, then “The Day Madear Voted” by Wade Hudson, illustrated by Don Tate (Nancy Paulsen Books, Penguin) is the book to find.

It’s 1969, and Charlie and Ralph’s Madear has been looking forward to this day for most of her life. Up until then, Black people had been turned away from the voting booth, but on this day, the boys’ mom dresses up and heads out, taking them along. This is important!

It was “just like being at church” because people were dressed nicely, and they were very excited! Most of them never thought they’d see the day they’d be allowed to vote. When it was over, Madear came out of the booth with the biggest smile on her face! Ralph and Charlie asked her what it felt like, and her words peek into the future.

This look at a chapter in American history is perfect for kids who are trying to grasp the realities and processes of voting, and the act’s importance. Your five-to-seven-year-old will love it.

Here’s another story of a big milestone: “Leo’s First Vote!” by Christina Soontornvat, illustrated by Isabel Roxas (Knopf).

Leo’s dad just became an American citizen and this fall, he’ll be able to cast a vote for the President! Leo knows how great this is, and he’s very excited – but there are a lot of things he doesn’t understand. His teacher holds a mock election, which helps. Leo’s father helps, too, as he tries to learn all about the issues that are important. Leo listens as the adults debate politics and oops! his dad almost didn’t get registered, which is essential.

For parents of kids ages 5-to-7 who want to understand the process, so is this book.

If these aren’t enough to satisfy your young reader, check with your librarian or bookseller for more. In this election year, these books should get your vote!

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By Terri Schlichenmeyer

You give, and you give, and you give.

No problem. If you can be of service to your community, then that’s what you’ll do. You’ll volunteer where you’re needed. You’ll offer up your time to organize events and gather other helpers. You’ve dedicated your life to public service because, as in the new biography, “John Lewis: A Life” by David Greenberg, you’ve got it to give.

Born into a large but poor family in 1940, John Lewis became a widely respected U.S. Congressman who represented Georgia and fought to advance civil rights legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1987 through 2020.

Lewis grew up dodging chores in his father’s fields. Instead, he spent most of his time reading anything he could get his hands on. Lewis’s extended family – numbering in the hundreds – never minded much. They knew young John as someone who had big plans for getting off the farm and making something of himself.

Though he was already a victim of Jim Crow laws, and racism kept him from the books and education he craved, Greenberg says that “John’s teenage years coincided with the emerging civil rights movement,” and that became Lewis’s focus. He avidly followed the radio broadcasts of Martin Luther King, Jr., who became a beacon for him.

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When it was time to choose a college, Lewis attended the American Baptist Theological Seminary in Nashville, but he “began… to ‘drift away’” from the church because it frowned on his interest in the NAACP. He chose another church and eventually made a name for himself there as a gentle, level thinker and a leader.

By 1960, Lewis had become more active in the effort for equality. In 1961, he met King, who “had a high opinion of Lewis.”

King, in fact, offered Lewis a job but Lewis “felt committed to SNCC,” and turned the great man down.

Still, Lewis kept in contact with King after he went to work with Robert Kennedy in 1968. He was organizing on behalf of Kennedy in Indianapolis when Dr. King was assassinated; he was in New York when Kennedy was shot.

It’s almost impossible in a small article like this to explain the breadth and depth of John Lewis’s days, or of this book. There’s so much to learn, so many anecdotes to explain his work and his life. Since distilling what author David Greenberg offers won’t do justice to either subject or saga, just know that “John Lewis” is about as comprehensive as it gets.

Using archives and other, newer sources, Greenberg dives into Lewis as a whole, taking us back even before he was born. Readers who’ve spent considerable time studying the politician will be pleasantly surprised to find new information here; those who are familiar with Lewis’s Civil Rights work or his politics will devour the until-now unfamiliar parts, making each page a pleasantly dramatic new discovery, like a treasure hunt with an old friend.

Be aware that Greenberg peoples this account of Lewis’s life and his career abundantly, which can be overwhelming unless you devote your time well. “John Lewis” is a book for students, historians, biography-lovers, political fans, and activists.

Find it for yourself. Consider it for gift-giving.

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