Ruth and the Green Book

This book is a good primer about Jim Crow for young readers. Probably many of us who were alive at any point during the span of that apartheid can hardly believe such a system existed during our lifetimes. For younger generations, it must seem downright primitive. But that’s only if they know…

Ruth and The Green Book by Calvin Alexander Ramsey and Gwen Strauss is a narrative that details the realities of segregation in the South. Ruth and her family are excited about traveling from Chicago to Alabama to visit Ruth’s grandmother. This is 1952, and while Ruth’s parents know what it will be like for a “Negro” family to travel in that direction, they choose not to burden her with apprehension. Instead, Ruth discovers quickly and consistently that the Southern definition of “normal” is almost surreal. Gas stations and hotels have a whites-only policy. What keeps the trip from becoming a nightmare for all three travelers is their discovery of The Negro Motorist Green Book, a pamphlet that, I discovered, really existed as of 1949. The publication shows them where they can stop for gas, where they can eat, sleep, and get automotive repair in case of a breakdown. This makes the trip not only a learning experience for Ruth, but an adventure.

The illustrations by Floyd Cooper are quite beautiful, very realistic and with muted colors, and they almost tell the story themselves.