Warriors Don’t Cry

It’s 1957 and the Deep South is operating in a segregated world.  Separate public bathrooms, water fountains, entrances…and schools.  That is, until Brown v Board of Education declared “separate but equal” policies were illegal, and schools must make plans to integrate.  The Little Rock Board of Education developed a very slow, gradual plan to integrate their students, starting with Little Rock Central High School.  When officials asked students at the all-black Horace Mann High School that Spring for volunteers to attend Central High the following school year, only a few signed up.  Of those few, nine would walk into Little Rock Central High School that fall.  Warriors Don’t Cry is a personal, provocative memoir by Dr. Melba Pattillo Beals recounting the physical, mental, and emotional trauma she and her eight classmates endured to be the first non-white students to walk those halls.

As a southerner in public schools, the Little Rock Nine were only ever a passing comment in a history book – just a paragraph or two, their story glossed over and reduced to just a brief mention of the struggle between the Arkansas governor and the Federal Government to determine if these students would be allowed to enter the building.  Dr. Beals puts that struggle into greater detail in her book, recounting the threats and retaliation against the families, the physical abuse endured at the hands of her white classmates, and the lack of support from either side in the community. 

I found myself in awe of the resiliency of these students and questioned if I would have been able to withstand the torments at the age of 15.  These students experienced bullying as simple as being tripped or pushed down in the halls, to being stabbed in class or dark corners of the stairwell, to being scalded by hot water in the gym class showers, to being drenched in foul liquids.  Dr. Beals’ grandmother advised her to act with grace and thankfulness at every turn of violence to both refute any reason her attackers had to continue the violence and for her own peace of mind.  The final words of the book show just this and are a call to action for every person: “The task that remains is to cope with our interdependence – to see ourselves reflected in every other human being and to respect and honor our differences” (pg 312).

I give Warriors Don’t Cry 5 out of 5 stars.  Dr. Beals presents her memoir in a way that made me feel as though I was walking those halls with her.  She paints a vivid portrait of how much her life changed that school year not just with the standard changes that come from switching schools, but the loss of community and security she had while attending Horace Mann.  I found myself eager to read more of her reminiscences and wondering how others she encountered would remember the time as well.

I recommend this book to historical non-fiction and memoir lovers.  I would also recommend anyone who grew up in the south like me, and never heard the details of this harrowing experience to review this memoir.  It is an educational and cultural experience that I found very poignant again in 2022 given current race-based discussions.

What I’m reading

• Current print book: The Candid Life of Meena Dave, Namrata Patel
• Current audio book: The Quarry Girls, Jess Lourey
• Book I’m most looking forward to: The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, Barbara Robinson