Maria Vicuña
Opening The Road: Victor Hugo Green and His Green Book
Author: Keila V. Dawson
Illustrator: Alleanna Harris
This book tells the story of Victor Hugo Green, an American postal employee best known for developing and writing what became known as The Green Book which was a travel guide for African Americans in the United States that informed them of safe places where they were welcomed.
This book not only informs students of this country’s past but will also open students’ eyes and can lead to a discussion on the Jim Crow era. It may also lead students to learn more about this era if they don’t know much about it.
The objective of the lesson for this book would be:
Students will read Opening The Road: Victor Hugo Green and His Green Book and make critical connections between the text and their lives today.
Introduce students to the book by asking them where they would travel if they had an opportunity to go anywhere in the world. Then ask students how they would react/feel if they were denied to visit that place based on the way they looked. Then, read the book and ask students to “Write a Letter” to Victor Hugo Green about his work and how it changed how people are able to travel today.
This book will raise topics of racism, anti-racism, and community building. Students will learn about and discuss the book which talks about African Americans being denied entry to places because of the color of their skin and how Victor Hugo Green and the community came together to create a book that guided African Americans to safe places.