The Wedding Portrait

October 1, 2017

Gr 3-5-An introduction to social justice through a framing device in which Nagara tells his grandson about a photograph from his wedding, where he and his wife were arrested for protesting nuclear bombs. Nagara's story grows in scope to encompass different forms of protest, from the civil rights movement to Black Lives Matter, and expands beyond the United States to include stories of social activism from other countries, including India and Colombia. Warm, bright illustrations provide the text with a sense of urgency, and the individuals portrayed in the images complement the diverse scope of Nagara's journey. The book veers away from didacticism by grounding its descriptions of various forms of protest with human touches (notably, the central story of Nagara and his wife's arrest). The book also emphasizes the difference between simple "disobedience" (i.e., refusing to do your chores) and "civil disobedience." By concluding the work with a description of his arrest, Nagara taps into some of the challenges and risks associated with protest. The book ends on a note stressing the importance of community and collaboration and learning from each other. VERDICT An intriguing and timely purchase for young readers that provides a valuable introduction to social activism and protest.-Maryanne Olson, Queens Borough Public Library, NY

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2017
Nagara's newest activist story (Counting on Community, 2016, etc.) uses the author's wedding portrait to introduce civil disobedience. "When kids visit our house," starts Nagara, "they often ask about a particular photo that hangs on the wall." It's of his wedding. "But as you can see, there is something different about this wedding portrait!" (He and his wife smooch in front of a riot squad.) The following pages attempt to explain various protests around the world, from the Colombian oil blockades to the campaign for Indian independence to Black Lives Matter. Such terms as SIT-IN and SOLIDARITY are capitalized and loosely defined, though this technique is inconsistently applied. The illustrations are powerful and attractive but cannot save the text from cloying didacticism, a dizzying lack of structure, and too much complicated information combined with not enough developmentally appropriate depth. For example, a discussion of farmworkers' rights asks, "If someone offered you a cheap tomato, but it was cheap because it was picked by a kid just like you who had to work all day for no pay and wasn't allowed to go home, would you buy it anyway? I didn't think so." But children usually don't control their groceries, and most Americans benefit daily from the exploitation of others; readers are given no opportunity to reflect on this reality. Young readers need the lessons offered here, but this poorly written attempt is more likely to confuse and bore than inspire. (Informational picture book. 6-10)

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August 28, 2017
When is it okay to break the rules? While explaining the backstory of a family photo that shows a bride and groom in front of a row of armed police officers, Nagara (A Is for Activist) unpacks the idea of nonviolent civil disobedience in simple, accessible language. He opens with the example of segregation. The protests led by Claudette Colvin and others weren’t raucous. First one bus rider refused to move, then another, then another, “and guess what? In the end, the laws were changed. This is called civil disobedience.” Examples of boycotts and other forms of protest follow, taking readers from India to Colombia and into the present day with the formation of Black Lives Matter. And the photograph on the wall? It commemorates the wedding day of Nagara and his wife, who celebrated by attending an antinuclear demonstration. Nagara’s collages represent each story with the impact of political posters. He lays out the different ways that oppressive laws have been successfully resisted while remaining essentially lighthearted, as when he describes spending his wedding day under arrest: “It was like a super long time-out.” Ages 6–9.

July 1, 2018
Nagara uses a photograph of his own wedding, bride and groom kneeling before a row of riot police, as the springboard for a broader discussion on civil disobedience. Delving into campaigns in history--such as boycotts to get fair wages for farmworkers and blockades to stop oil drilling on Indigenous People's land--the personable, if rather heavy-handed, storytelling-style text is illustrated with fiery graphic art.

(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)