Little Rock Nine

There are moments in every country’s history when decisions are made and actions are taken that will change the course of that country’s future. Turning Points historical graphic novels bring these moments in American history to life. Sixteen-year-old William McNally and fifteen-year-old Thomas Johnson both live in Little Rock, Arkansas, in the summer of 1957. They both love baseball and teasing their little sisters. There’s just one big difference — William is white, and Thomas, the son of William’s family’s maid, is black. After the Supreme Court rules in favor of desegregating public schools, Little Rock Central High School prepares to enroll its first nine African-American students, and William and Thomas are caught in the center of a storm.

Author Biography

Marshall Tillbrook Poe is an American historian, writer, editor, and founder of the New Books Network, an online collection of podcast interviews with a wide range of nonfiction authors. He has taught Russian, European, Eurasian, and world history at various universities including Harvard, Columbia, University of Iowa, and, currently, the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Poe is the author or editor of a number of books for children and adults.  

Ellen Lindner is the author of the Ignatz Award–nominated graphic novel The Black Feather Falls, as well as The Cranklet’s Chronicle, a history of women, baseball, and social change in America. Her comics have appeared in The Lily, Spiralbound, World War 3 Illustrated, and a variety of other publications and anthologies. Ellen is also an editor and educator, and her activist art has been acquired by the Smithsonian Institution. She lives in upper Manhattan. Visit her online at LittleWhiteBird.com.