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Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family's Fight for Desegregation

Questions About Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family's Fight for Desegregation

by Duncan Tonatiuh

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As I was checking out this book at the Morningside Heights branch, in NYC, a lady in the checkout line said to me: "I just want you to be aware that that book has mistakes". I was in a hurry, and didn't ask her to point them out. Any idea of what she may have been talking about?
Cavak That's an interesting comment indeed. The backbone narrative about the Mendez family and the court case are definitely true. With court records and re…m´Ç°ù±ðThat's an interesting comment indeed. The backbone narrative about the Mendez family and the court case are definitely true. With court records and resources to back them up.

I wouldn't call them mistakes, rather creative liberties over specific details. Like the book sorta breezes through the lengthy legal process, its court ruling is simplified, and the school district's following appeal isn't really mentioned in depth. There's a part where Sylvia's mother Felicitas is mentioned to be "working the farm" without mentioning that it was owned by Japanese-Americans sent to internment camps. Its ending also makes it seem like Sylvia and her relatives were automatically loved and accepted by her fellow classmates after the court case. In reality, Sylvia said she was bullied and she felt immense pressure to succeed due to her parents' struggle to get her better education.

But this isn't a college textbook or an in-depth history book, it's a children's book. And I think that Tonatiuh would prefer to pass on that sense of hope, pride, and accomplishment that is felt by righting a social wrong.(less)
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