Segregation vs. Integeration
About Kristen Levines Novel "The Lions of Little Rock"
Do you believe in Segregation?
This book makes you think about what you believe in. “The Lions of Little Rock” by Kristin Levine, is about a fight for people’s beliefs. The book takes place in 1958-1959 in Little Rock, Arkansas, where Marlee lived with her family. There were many people in Little Rock who believed in segregation. Liz is a 12 year old girl who transferred to Marlee’s school.
There were many people in Little Rock who believed in integration. Marlee and Liz became great friends. Liz teaches Marlee to speak up for a school presentation. For Marlee, this was a very big deal. Liz doesn’t come to school the day of the presentation. Liz was very light skinned colored girl, and she was forced to leave the school. After that, Marlee found a way to stay in touch with her even though the risk of being seen in public together could kill them both. White and colored girls weren’t supposed to be together, let alone best friends.
Marlee stood up for what she believe in. At a time where danger was all around them, Marlee stayed strong, for not only herself, but all the other people to fight against segregation. Liz and Marlee’s friendship just kept growing, and growing. They believed that friendship does not have a color.Liz's brother
Drawing Number 1: This drawing shows that one of the main Characters, Liz, is not a white citizen, but is a little colored girl. She was seen walking out of a negro church with a little black boy holding her hand. It was her brother.
Where is Liz?
Drawing Number 2: This drawing is a picture of Marlee finding out that Liz was not coming back to the school. The teacher did not tell her why, and that was all Marlee wanted to know.
Let's Talk
Drawing Number 3: This drawing is a definitely a turning point because it shows that Liz is not just going to leave the book, she is back, and ready for moving on.
Timeline of the years 1958 through 2012
1970 - On September 18th Jimi Hendrix a famous American musician died because of a drug issue.
1980 - November 4th The Presidential Debut is held and on the Republican canidate Ronald Reagan won up against Democratic Jimmy Carter.
1990 - June 2nd was a huge tornado breakout for the states that got hit, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio, with killing 12 citizens among those states.
2000 - The Millenium Dome closes itself the day of its opening or “ribbon cutting moment”, on December 31st.
2012 - October 24-30 killed 209 citizens of The United States, Bahamas, Caribean, and Canada. Sandy caused huge interuptions everywhere in America.
Key parts
2. Before Marlee knew that Liz was black, she noticed noticed that she had a nice tan, this is said on page 12, “... and a lovely tan, like she’d been at the pool all summer, but I hadn’t seen her there once.”
3. On page 62, Miss Taylor informed Marlee that Liz would not be coming back to Marlees school because she was “ill”.
4. 1945-1991 were the years of the Cold War, and it was a war about segregation with the white and black folk. So after Marlee found out the truth about Liz, she was very confused, and on page 64 Marlee said, “My thumb was throbbing. ‘I...’ I shook my head and ran out of the room. In the bathroom, I thought I was going to cry, but I didn’t.”
5. After Marlee found out, she was devastated and confused. Some people during 1958 didn’t believe in segregation, and that is where the main characters (Marlee) point of view was in the story, by the middle sections and end of the book.
6. The words integration and segregation came up a lot during this book. On page 201 the book mentioned how Marlee joined a women’s group against segregation, “Mrs.Terry walked into the room then placed a large pile of mail addressed to the WEC in front of me.” Marlee didn’t tell anyone why she was doing it.. for Liz.