"Noliwe Rooks’s Integrated is a powerful, heartbreaking ode to the sustained determination of Black parents and their children to access quality education only to have that quest thwarted at every turn by governors, white parents, and judges. The personal and societal consequences are devastating. Unfazed or maybe even heartened by the debris of shattered lives and dreams, separate and unequal remains the preferred, disastrous societal policy in America. Through memoir, data, studies, and histories, Rooks lays the responsibility where it rightfully belongs and demonstrates that systemic educational inequality is not sustainable for a viable democracy."
—Carol Anderson, New York Times bestselling author of White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of our Racial Divide
“An indispensable and brilliantly crafted examination of the impact of integration on Black children and the broader trajectory of America’s democracy. Rooks is one of the most admired scholars in education today, and her writing style is nothing short of magical. With remarkable ease and accessibility, she weaves together generations of history and meticulous research into deeply engaging and thought-provoking narratives that are essential for understanding the future of education...With so much uncertainty facing education today, Integrated is a book that must find its way into the hands of every teacher, parent, and high school student, as it reminds us that the failures of the past do not have to become the permanent reality of our future.”
—Bettina Love, New York Times bestselling author of Punished for Dreaming
“Education can be a great societal equalizer, but as Noliwe Rooks deftly shows in Integrated, the pathway to education’s promise is too often impeded by the ghosts of racial, ethnic, economic and geographic segregation haunting public schools in the United States. Viewed through the prism of Noliwe’s family story, this book is a powerful reminder of the children too often left out of our national discussions about the promise of public education. Integrated is a book as committed to our nation’s must vulnerable children as it is to sparking the conversations necessary to bring about transformative change.”
—Soledad O’Brien, award-winning host of Matter of Fact with Soledad O’Brien
“As the son of two educators, I grew up knowing about the importance and value of education. I also saw firsthand the fight to bend the arc of educational justice so that all might benefit from the promise of public education. That battle is ongoing. A masterfully told story, Integrated is also a clarion call to action. It asks readers to confront the present reality of present-day ethnic, economic, language and race-based segregation.”
—Van Jones, CNN host & New York Times bestselling author of Beyond the Messy Truth
“This illuminating study . . . is a paradigm-shifting reassessment of a milestone of the civil rights movement.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred)
“A vivid account of the emotional and economic damage done to generations of children of color. . . . A powerful and uncompromising indictment of the public school system.”
—Kirkus Reviews