Victor Hugo Green and His Glorious Book
A TRUE TALE WITH
A CHERRY ON TOP
Quill Tree Books
(HarperCollins Publishers)
(pub.10.4.2022) 40 pages
Author: Tonya Bolden
Illustrator: Eric Velasquez
Character: Victor Hugo Green
Overview:
" As a mail carrier, Victor Hugo Green traveled across New Jersey every day. But with Jim Crow laws enforcing segregation since the late 1800s, traveling as a Black person in the US could be stressful, even dangerous.
So in the 1930s, Victor created a guide—The Negro Motorist Green-Book—compiling information on where to go and what places to avoid so that Black travelers could have a safe and pleasant time. While the Green Book started out small, over the years it became an expansive, invaluable resource for Black people throughout the country—all in the hopes that one day such a guide would no longer be needed."
Tantalizing taste:
" As much as Victor Hugo Green loved his book, he yearned for the day
when it would no longer be needed,
when ugly, hateful signs came down,
when all across America,
hotels and motels,
inns
cottages,
campsites,
cafes,
diners,
and fancy-fine restaurants
welcomed everyone.
.The day sundown towns ceased to be."
And something more: Illustrator Eric Velasquez's dedication: "For all those brave African American souls who have traveled throughout America, with the simple hope of arriving safely at their destination free of trauma or terror."