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    Riot
    Riot
    Riot
    Ebook162 pages1 hour

    Riot

    By Walter Dean Myers

    3.5/5

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    About this ebook

    As the Civil War rages, another battle breaks out behind the lines. During a long hot July in 1863, the worst race riots the United States has ever seen erupt in New York City. Earlier that year, desperate for more Union soldiers, President Abraham Lincoln instituted a draft—a draft that would allow the wealthy to escape serving in the army by paying a $300 waiver, more than a year's income for the recent immigrant Irish. And on July 11, as the first drawing takes place in Lower Manhattan, the city of New York explodes in rage and fire. Stores are looted; buildings, including the Colored Foundling Home, are burned down; and black Americans are attacked, beaten, and murdered. The police cannot hold out against the rioters, and finally, battle-hardened soldiers are ordered back from the fields of Gettysburg to put down the insurrection, which they do—brutally. Fifteen-year-old Claire, the beloved daughter of a black father and Irish mother, finds herself torn between the two warring sides. Faced with the breakdown of the city—the home—she has loved, Claire must discover the strength and resilience to address the new world in which she finds herself, and to begin the hard journey of remaking herself and her identity. Addressing such issues as race, bigotry, and class head-on, Walter Dean Myers has written another stirring and exciting novel that will shake up assumptions, and lift the spirit.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherLerner Publishing
    Release dateAug 1, 2009
    ISBN9781606841969
    Riot
    Author

    Walter Dean Myers

    Walter Dean Myers was the New York Times bestselling author of Monster, the winner of the first Michael L. Printz Award; a former National Ambassador for Young People's Literature; and an inaugural NYC Literary Honoree. Myers received every single major award in the field of children's literature. He was the author of two Newbery Honor Books and six Coretta Scott King Awardees. He was the recipient of the Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in writing for young adults, a three-time National Book Award Finalist, as well as the first-ever recipient of the Coretta Scott King-Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement.

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    Reviews for Riot

    3.5/5

    44 ratings10 reviews

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    • 3/5
      Even though the subject of the Draft Riots is fascinating, with its conflict between blacks and Irish Americans in 19th century New York City, the treatment by Myers is flawed. It is in the form of a screenplay. It may make a good movie, but when I read a play, I would rather have the story develop in an organic way. The back matter is all, where you get the facts behind the riots, and a timeline. Otherwise, the "play" feels like a fleshed out nonfiction book with characters thrown in who aren't really real.
    • 4/5
      This is a deeply researched, fictional account of the draft riots in New York City in 1863, when Irish immigrants took to the streets to protest the new draft law, attacking property, rich people, and blacks.
    • 3/5
      Written as a screen play, this book explores the New York Draft Riots of 1863 in multiple perspectives. After the battle of Gettysburg, the Union expands the draft. Subsequent clashes erupt between the Irish in New York City and police as well as the military. The main character and her parents, a mixed race marriage of an Irish woman and African-American man, own an inn in the area where much of the unrest is taking place. Clarie starts questioning her identity and the world around her in a way she had not previously. A short read with a well done afterward about the historical context of the book.
    • 3/5
      A poignant tale of race riots in New York during the Civil War draft era, 1863. There are several examples of racism in this book which is written creatively in screenplay format. This alone makes it a great tool for the classroom as it is ready for reader's theater. Characters are forced to make a choice in difficult times and the endings are not always happy, much like war.
    • 4/5
      This would be amazing as reader's theater! This is the story of the New York City draft riots of 1863, when President Lincoln signed the first order for the drafting of soldiers into the Union army during the Civil War. Poor Irish immigrants in the city protested -- violently, because to avoid the draft, you had to pay $300, which at that time was what most of them made for an entire year. Claire is 15, and works in the hotel where her parents (a black man and a white Irishwoman) both work. The hotel is located in lower Manhattan, where the first drawing of names for the draft takes place on July 11 -- and the riots and fires and looting start. Black people around the city are beaten and murdered, and New York is a dangerous place for many days... until the Union Army is recalled to assist the police in restoring order. There are many characters and many sides to the issue within the story: policemen, soldiers, looters, rich, poor, teens and adults. Excellent for historical debates, with reproduced photos, letters and other primary source items from Walter Dean Myers' own collection. Especially good for 8th grade.
    • 1/5
      Revealing! All students studying the Civil War should read. Written as a screen play.
    • 4/5
      This is a deeply researched, fictional account of the draft riots in New York City in 1863, when Irish immigrants took to the streets to protest the new draft law, attacking property, rich people, and blacks.
    • 3/5
      In 1863, in order to swell the ranks of the army, President Lincoln created a draft with a loophole for the wealthy: if they paid a $300 fine, they didn’t have to go. This infuriated the lower class of New York City, and the lottery to draft citizens incited them to riot. Rage was directed not only at the upper class, but also at African Americans, who took jobs for less pay, thus taking employment that Irish citizens needed.All this caused a riot with men and women running through the streets, breaking windows to loot storefronts, throwing rocks at soldiers, and abusing African American citizens. Mobs run through the streets trashing everything they see, including the New York Colored Orphanage, which they set fire to after stealing from the orphans. Clair is caught between worlds. Her mother is Irish and her father is African American. She struggles with her own identity, and with the racism that she hadn’t been truly aware of before the incident. Riot is a quick read that really gives a sense of what happened during the riot from the vantage point of a believable teenage girl. I like that Myers used a script method of presenting the history. While the book was historical fiction, I enjoyed the historical documents presented in the back of the book to show that this was a real event in American history. Themes of racism, patriotism, and family abound in this easily accessible book. It’s especially great for 14 year olds studying American history, as it will give them a glimpse into a often-overlooked event.
    • 4/5
      Myers, W.D. (2009). Riot. New York, NY: Egmont.Grades 7 and up. Walter Dean Myers’s Riot is based on the race riots that occurred in New York City in 1863. Lincoln signed the Conscription Act in March 1863. This Act stated that any male citizen between the ages of 20 to 45 years old must fight in the Civil War unless he can pay $300 or provide a substitute. This was an exorbitant amount for a poor Irish immigrant. Many Irish began to resent the rich, those who supported the war, and African Americans. They especially resented African Americans, because they felt that they were risking their lives for their competitors. (There was tension between the two groups, because they both competed for jobs in the north.) In response to the Conscription Act, the Irish murdered African Americans, looted buildings, and attacked the wealthy. Fifteen-year-old Claire Johnson is half-black and half-Irish. Claire is constantly taunted because of her race. She wishes that people would see her and not her skin color. Riot is an interesting play based on true facts. Myers does an excellent job showing the tension between the Irish and African Americans. He provides insight into Claire’s struggle as an Irish and African American. While the play is engaging, I did not like the ending because it left many aspects unresolved. What happens to Claire’s best friend Priscilla who is African American? Do the two groups ever reconcile? Despite the many unanswered questions, the play is still interesting. It touches upon themes of love, fear, reconciliation, and resiliency. It would make a great addition to a middle school library.
    • 4/5
      “Learn something new every day” is a favorite expression of my dad’s and, I have to say that by reading RIOT, I certainly did learn something new. While I was aware of the terrible poverty, especially of the Irish immigrants and the newly-freed African Americans; the huge class divisions between the haves and have-nots; and the deep-seated bigotry and racism that ran rampant around the time of the Civil War (and, unfortunately, for years after), I didn’t know about the race riots that erupted over the draft (I have since remedied this hole in my education).The story itself is written in screenplay format with a multitude of characters who come from all backgrounds, providing readers with a variety of perspectives. The main character, Claire, is stuck right in the middle—not too rich, not too poor; a black father and a white mother; and both black friends and Irish friends. Having never faced true adversity, she’s never really had to define her beliefs or face her background and roots. Until the riots. The focus on dialogue creates an immediacy that puts the reader right in the middle of the action and allows a glimpse into the minds of variety of characters. The format of the story, without the detailed descriptions found in a traditional novel, makes the actions of the people involved all the more powerful and urgent.I’m always for on the lookout for amazing historical novels that will keep my students’ attention while immersing them in past. RIOT by Walter Dean Myers does just that. In fact, as soon as I finished reading it, I ran it right over to my social studies teacher so I could share it with her. It’s exactly the type of historical novel students can truly benefit from—and enjoy.

    Book preview

    Riot - Walter Dean Myers

    Church

    [FADE IN]

    EXT. NEW YORK CITY—JULY, PRESENT DAY

    AERIAL SHOT. As the camera zooms in, we see the city below, with its skyscrapers jutting boldly into the sky high above the street-level chaos. As the camera comes closer, we see the blur of vehicles in the city streets.

    The camera comes even lower, and we see rapidly moving traffic. The streets of Lower Manhattan are glutted with cars. We see pedestrians darting in between the cars and hear the blare of a hip-hop recording that matches the frantic pace of the traffic.

    The camera zooms in even farther and focuses on a YOUNG WOMAN eating lunch on the white steps of a building. She is on her cell phone as the camera begins to zoom out, and we see the city as a rich mosaic of colors, which turns into an urban gray blur. The blur lasts for a few seconds.

    EXT. NEW YORK CITY—MAY 1954

    AERIAL SHOT, then zoom in. This time the buildings are not as stark, the traffic in the streets not quite so frantic. The cars are older. The camera focuses on a MAN eating lunch on a park bench. The newspaper he is reading has a headline about the Supreme Court’s decision in Brown v. the Topeka Board of Education. We see the date: it is 1954.

    A YOUNG WHITE COUPLE is sitting down not far from the MAN reading the paper. The young man puts his hand on her knee, and she pushes it quickly away. We see her stand and start to walk away as the camera begins to zoom out. She turns to see if he is following as the shot becomes more distant and blurs.

    EXT. NEW YORK CITY—JULY 1900

    AERIAL SHOT, then zoom in again. The streets of Lower Manhattan are still clogged, but this time with horse-drawn carriages. Men in bowler hats chat amiably on one corner. On another corner two NEWSBOYS, one white and one black, fight as other boys cheer them on. The camera focuses on a YOUNG WHITE MAN reading an illustrated paper as he leans against a lamppost.

    The camera pans away from the YOUNG MAN and onto a crowded street on which we see pushcarts and Jewish vendors. Here we see a YOUNG BLACK GIRL feeding bread crumbs to pigeons. She tries to shoo away a larger pigeon. It refuses to move, and she stamps her foot, sending the small covey of birds into the air as the camera zooms out again to a blurred view of the area.

    EXT. NEW YORK CITY—JULY 11, 1863

    AERIAL SHOT, then the sound of music rises as the camera slowly moves in once again. The streets of Lower Manhattan are indistinct but sharpen gradually. We hear the clicking of telegraph keys, and words appear on the screen, moving from right to left:

    July 11, 1863. Generals optimistic after Gettysburg. Losses heavy. Lincoln urged to call up more men.

    Behind the words, we see the streets. There is a brief stop on a row of crudely built wooden dwellings. We see a heavy WOMAN selling fish on the streets and a YOUNG MAN getting a haircut from a sidewalk BARBER.

    The camera pans past several streets, on one of which a number of YOUNG WHITE PEOPLE are arguing. Their dress is poor, the men in patched pants and ill-fitting shirts, the women in shabby long dresses, some with dirty aprons over them. The camera pans past, then stops and returns to the activity for a long moment.

    EXT. FIVE POINTS AREA—SAME DAY (CONTINUOUS)

    FIRST YOUNG WOMAN

    From the way the papers are reading, I thought the bloody war was almost over. What do they need a draft for? Stealing our young men away for nothing.

    SECOND YOUNG WOMAN

    As long as they’re keeping it far away from Henry Street, they can do with it what they want is what I’m saying. The good Lord has his face turned away from the likes of us, and that’s for sure.

    FIRST YOUNG WOMAN

    Johnny McCall was down at the office where the government men pulled the names out of a drum. He said you would have thought they were pulling the names of the first men to waltz their way through the pearly gates, what with all the speeches and the chests sticking out. He said the firemen are hopping mad. Can you imagine the firemen having to leave to fight a war when we need them right here?

    SECOND YOUNG WOMAN

    Well, if I was a man, it would be over me dead body they’d be reaching for their tea! Imagine, poor men leaving their wives and homes to go fight while the rich men pat their bellies and wave them off with their silk hankies!

    FIRST YOUNG WOMAN

    Ay! And you can bet your sweet life on that, too.

    The camera moves on, and we see a NEWSBOY selling a paper to a wounded SOLDIER. The SOLDIER is tall, gaunt. He carries a bundle stuck in his crutch. He looks up toward the camera and then quickly away.

    INT. THE PEACOCK INN—JULY 13, 1863

    The Peacock Inn is a shabby-genteel restaurant-tavern on Bedford Street, run by JOHN and ELLEN JOHNSON, who live upstairs with their daughter, CLAIRE.

    CLAIRE JOHNSON (15) and her best friend, PRISCILLA SKINNER (also 15), are sitting at one of the rectangular tables. They are sewing a quilt.

    CLAIRE is thin and pretty, with skin color light enough to pass for Caucasian. She has soft brown eyes, sharp features, and chestnut-colored hair, which she has combed up until it almost forms a halo around a sweet face. She is wearing a flower-patterned cotton dress and a neat apron.

    PRISCILLA is dark, obviously African American, and is dressed similarly. She is also pretty, with a round face that is quick to smile.

    PRISCILLA

    So, if you were feeling sick, would you let a doctor examine you?

    CLAIRE

    Are you feeling sick?

    PRISCILLA

    No, I was just wondering. What would you do if he asked you to undress?

    CLAIRE

    I’d do it—as long as he had his eyes closed and his hands behind his back and he was at least a hundred and twelve! And you?

    PRISCILLA

    I’d faint dead away, and then he could do whatever he wanted to me.

    CLAIRE

    Priscilla!

    ELLEN JOHNSON (37), CLAIRE’s mother, enters with a mop and bucket. She looks somewhat older than her age but is attractive, and the resemblance between her daughter and her is clear.

    ELLEN

    And what are you girls up to?

    CLAIRE

    Priscilla’s got her squares wrong. I’m straightening them out for her.

    PRISCILLA

    They aren’t wrong, Mrs. Johnson, just different from what Claire had in mind. You know how bossy she can be.

    ELLEN

    (looking at the quilt)

    So what did you have in mind?

    CLAIRE

    Priscilla was telling me how

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