ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book examines a body of literature for children that address the legacies of legalized desegregation. It considers the mutations of public discourse about Brown and the politics of the school publication market in order to explore why some novels in this study may receive more attention than others, and why some address Brown more directly than others. In various ways, these novels attempt to take up the conversation that the author dropped, narrating stories of the struggle to achieve racial justice both within and by means of the classroom. The ways in which stories are framed, and the aspects of desegregation they pull into focus, can help to draw the attention of both students and teachers to classroom dynamics that deserve open discussion and reflection. The focus is on middle-grade and young adult American novels that highlight the challenges of desegregated schooling.
