Going Places: Victor Hugo Green and His Glorious Book by Tonya Bolden and Eric Velasquez - ESSENTIAL

Going Places: Victor Hugo Green and His Glorious Book by Tonya Bolden and Eric Velasquez. NON-FICTION PICTURE BOOK. HarperCollins. 2022. $18. 9780062967404

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - ADVISABLE; ADULTS - ESSENTIAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

In the early 1900’s, traveling while black was a risky proposition. But with automobiles becoming more accessible, Blacks wanted to travel just as much as anyone.  Victor Green, a mailman in New York, saw the need for guidance - safe towns, good motels, welcoming restaurants - and created his first booklet in 1936 and it quickly grew to cover the entire US and even international destinations.

The beginning of the book is quite wordy and seems to try to be poetic. As a teacher, I would skip Green’s personal history and go straight to why there was a need for The Green Book.  The end also glosses over the fact that the Civil Rights Act didn’t actually end the need for The Green Book.  I am curious why the last Green Book was published in 1966 - seems to me its advice could come in handy even today.

Victor Greene and most of the other people in the illustrations are Black.

Cindy Mitchell, Library Teacher, MLS