10th Grade Extended Research Project (ERP): 16 - Peace, Justice & Strong Institutions

Bolden’s adaptation of Anderson’s New York Times bestseller chronicles the rollbacks to African American participation in the vote since the 2013 Supreme Court decision that eviscerated the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Known as the Shelby ruling, this decision effectively allowed districts with a demonstrated history of racial discrimination to change voting requirements without approval from the Department of Justice.

Focusing on the aftermath of Shelby, Anderson follows the astonishing story of government-dictated racial discrimination unfolding before our very eyes as more and more states adopt voter suppression laws and . . . explains how voter suppression works, from photo ID requirements to gerrymandering to poll closures. And with vivid characters, she explores the resistance: the organizing, activism, and court battles to restore the basic right to vote to all Americans. AVAILABLE: WSA Library and Port Townsend Library

Reynolds’s adaptation of Kendi’s National Book Award–winning title teaches readers to think critically about racism and antiracism in the United States and the Western world. Arguing that there are three mind-sets—segregationist, assimilationist, and antiracist—the authors evaluate the actions of figures such as Thomas Jefferson, W.E.B. DuBois, and Angela Davis as they eloquently challenge the common narrative. AVAILABLE: WSA Library, Kitsap Regional Library, and Port Townsend Library

Bryan Stevenson was a young lawyer when he founded the Equal Justice Initiative, a legal practice dedicated to defending those most desperate and in need: the poor, the wrongly condemned, and women and children trapped in the farthest reaches of our criminal justice system. One of his first cases was that of Walter McMillian, a young man who was sentenced to die for a notorious murder he insisted he didn’t commit. The case drew Bryan into a tangle of conspiracy, political machination, and legal brinksmanship—and transformed his understanding of mercy and justice forever.

Just Mercy is at once an unforgettable account of an idealistic, gifted young lawyer’s coming of age, a moving window into the lives of those he has defended, and an inspiring argument for compassion in the pursuit of true justice. AVAILABLE: Kitsap Regional Library, Port Townsend Library, and Ms. Garvin's classroom

March is a vivid first-hand account of John Lewis' lifelong struggle for civil and human rights, meditating in the modern age on the distance traveled since the days of Jim Crow and segregation. Rooted in Lewis' personal story, it also reflects on the highs and lows of the broader civil rights movement. Book One spans John Lewis' youth in rural Alabama, his life-changing meeting with Martin Luther King, Jr., the birth of the Nashville Student Movement, and their battle to tear down segregation through nonviolent lunch counter sit-ins, building to a stunning climax on the steps of City Hall. AVAILABLE: WSA Library, Kitsap Regional Library, and Ms. Garvin's classroom

A graphic novel in which Rorschach, an aging superhero, digs up the past in his search for answers about the death of one of his former colleagues. The novel chronicles the fall from grace of a group of superheroes plagued by all too human failings. The concept of the super hero is dissected and inverted as strangely realistic characters are stalked by an unknown assassin. AVAILABLE: WSA Library, Kitsap Regional Library, and Port Townsend Library

Journalist Joe Sacco spent four months in Bosnia in 1995-1996, immersing himself in the human side of life during wartime, researching stories rarely found in conventional news coverage. The book focuses on the Muslim enclave of Gorazde, which was besieged by Bosnian Serbs during the war; Sacco spent four weeks in Gorazde, entering before the Muslims trapped inside had access to the outside world, electricity or running water. Graphic nonfiction. AVAILABLE: WSA Library and Kitsap Regional Library

Inspired by true events, this graphic novel examines life on the streets of war-torn Iraq, raising questions about the meaning of liberation through the experiences of four lions who escaped from the Baghdad Zoo during a raid in the spring of 2003. Lost and confused, hungry but finally free, the four lions roamed the decimated streets of Baghdad in a desperate struggle for their lives. In documenting the plight of the lions, the book raises questions about the true meaning of liberation — can it be given, or is it earned only through self-determination and sacrifice? And in the end, is it truly better to die free than to live life in captivity? AVAILABLE: Kitsap Regional Library, Port Townsend Library, and Ms. Garvin's classroom