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Black and White Airmen: Their True Story

Publication Information

Author: Fleischman, John

Illustrator:

Title: Black and White Airmen: Their True Story

Date: 2007

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin

City: Boston

ISBN, paperback: 061856297-4

ISBN, hardback:

Recommended audience:

ABE/ABLE: Yes

ESOL:

Family:

Young Adult: Yes

Picture:

General Information:

Book Type(s): nonfiction, true story, memoirs/reminiscences, biography and autobiography

GED Descriptor(s): social studies

Summary:

The history of airmen in WWII is told through the experiences of two men from Cincinnati, one African American and one Caucasian. Information about race relations at the time is woven throughout the narrative.

Teaching Ideas:

War buffs will certainly enjoy this book. Students may want to synthesize John's/ Herb's experiences and then compare them. Additional study about the Tuskeegee Airmen might prove interesting. Map work can focus on finding places in the European Theater. A 3 level timeline would bring the events of this book into perspective. The center line would be historical events; the top line life events of John and the lower line life events of Herb. The theme running through this book is about social and political situations affecting individual lives so the continuing development of this 3 layer timeline would illustrate how this worked and organize the wealth of information in this book. The men's developing friendship- how and why they became friends- is another interesting aspect of the book.

Teaching Strategies: