Which Side Are You On? the Story of a Song

September 19, 2011
Writing in the folksy voice of the daughter of a Kentucky coal miner, Lyon (All the Water in the World) tells the story of the genesis of a pro-union song written by Florence Reece (the fictionalized narrator’s mother) in 1931. Evoking woodblocks and scratchboard, Cardinale’s (Mr. Mendoza’s Paintbrush) hard-edged illustrations provide the tale’s momentum and amplify its grittiness. The narrator and her siblings are shown hiding under the bed early on, as bullets zing through the windows and walls of their company home; they are meant for the children’s father, a miner and union organizer. Dodging bullets, their mother tears a page from a calendar and writes the eponymous song, a rallying cry for oppressed workers (“Don’t scab for the bosses./ Don’t listen to their lies”); the lyrics appear in ribboned banners throughout, encircling mining tools and rifles. Lyon’s storytelling jumps between speech-balloon dialogue and the girl’s clipped observations (“This is how the night goes: bullets through the walls, talk under the bed, words on the page”). It’s a high-stakes account of grace under pressure. An afterword provides additional historical context. Ages 7–12.

October 15, 2011
"Folk songs are alive," states Lyon in her author's note, and none is more so than "Which Side Are You On?" The song, based on a hymn tune and lyrics, rose up from coal miners' strikes in Harlan County, Ky., in the 1930s. Narrated in the first person by a miner's son, this plainspoken account tells of the physical threat to the Reese family when their father is chased from town and the family comes under attack by Sheriff J.H. Blair's hired and armed thugs. Interspersed with the narration are the words of the song. Cardinale's digitally colored scratchboard art is dynamic and presents a visual reality that strengthens the history of the song and the people who sang it. The author's note adds a concise history of unions, laborers' demands for fair wages, safe conditions and an end of servitude to mine owners. Her explanation of the folk process is clear and shows how words and perceptions change over time. The book will be of great use in explaining U.S. labor history and development of workers' rights. Given that many of the same conditions exist today, only changed by mechanization, the music and lyrics included may well find use in the current generation. Lyon has given today's readers a stirring story about yesterdays. (bibliography, websites) (Informational picture book. 4-8)

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

November 1, 2011

Gr 3-6-When the coal miners in eastern Kentucky went on strike in the 1930s, the company's hired thugs and the local sheriff united forces to convince strikers to return by shooting at their homes and families. Brave and angry, Florence Reece, the wife of a union organizer, tore the calendar off the wall and began to write each time the bullets stopped. Her determination to combat the violence resulted in words for a song of defiance. "Which Side Are You On?" was a demand for social justice and was written to "bring folks together." A progression of busily detailed, full-bleed block-print illustrations, with almost captionlike brief sentences, follows the attacks and opens the Reece home to readers. The brief story is told through the eyes of one of the children, and it captures the danger as well as the fear the family experienced. Views from varied perspectives reveal the seven children with their mother, from above and hiding under the bed and in portraits sharing conversations marked by speech bubbles. Ribbons of song lyrics weave across scenes of the miners' tools of their trade and the guns of hired company toughs. A thorough author's note follows the text, ending with the song's musical notation and one version of the words on the back cover. The use of music as a protest element makes an interesting addendum to resources on union history or the time period.-Mary Elam, Learning Media Services, Plano ISD, TX

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2011
Grades 3-5 Written from the point of view of a striking miner's child, this picture book tells how the song Which Side Are You On? came to be written. When the coal company bosses send gun thugs to terrorize union organizers in eastern Kentucky in 1931, seven children huddle under a bed as bullets crash through their windows. Meanwhile, their mother writes the words to a song. As the kids ask questions, she explains how things work in their company town and what the union wants to change. This is how the night goes: bullets through the walls, talk under the bed, words on the page. When morning comes, the union has a new song. An appended author's note explains the background in detail and provides a bibliography. As unusual as the subject may be for a picture book, the story has real power and so do the best of the illustrations. The music and lyrics appear on the back cover.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)