Celebrate Multicultural Children's Book Day 2023!!

 Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2023 is 10 years old! This non-profit children’s literacy initiative was founded by Valarie Budayr and Mia Wenjen, two diverse book-loving moms who saw a need to shine the spotlight on all of the multicultural books and authors on the market while also working to get those books into the hands of young readers and educators.

Young Adult - Non-Fiction

Men of the 65th: The Borinqueneers of the Korean War (Talia Aikens-Nunez)

Honor and Fidelity. That is the motto of the 65th Infantry Regiment, also known as the Borinqueneers, the only Puerto Rican unit in the United States Army.

Since the regiment’s creation in 1899, the men of the 65th have proudly served the US through multiple wars, despite facing racial discrimination. Their courage, loyalty, and patriotism earned them hundreds of accolades, including the Congressional Medal of Honor in 2014.

But the honor and fidelity of the men of the 65th came into question in 1952, in the midst of the Korean War, when ninety-one Borinqueneers were arrested and tried for desertion and disobeying orders. How could this happen in one of the most distinguished and decorated units of the Army?

Thoughts

The book does a good job of providing history in an age-appropriate way, without being too graphic (which can be difficult with war stories).  The story of the 65th is one that most people have never heard, but with a Borinquen background and a grandfather who served in Korea, I happened to have heard the name...I just didn't know their story.  My boys enjoyed the 'meat' of the text more than I did, but only because they are naturally more drawn to war stories than myself.  The island stories interested me more as I could picture those places today.  For families wanting to include lesser-known stories of diversity and history, this is a good addition to the home library.

Worth noting - There are several fantastic photographs, both modern and historic, to help illustrate the text, as well as a timeline of events.  :: Publisher site

Pick up the complete unit study for this novel, and seven others, in the Diversity Literature Unit Study Bundle!

Bring modern history to life with living literature that represents several different groups!  Includes eight unit studies covering cultural stories from around the world. Each unit addresses a historic era from a new perspective, and these are told in living history format.  Each unit has introductory text, which will give the student basic background information about the topic at hand.

Product sample:   The Button Box

Includes:

• The Year of the Panda
• The Button Box
• Men of the 65th: Borinqueneers of the Korean War
• Killers of the Flower Moon
  • Indigenous People insert
• Genius Under the Table
• Anna Strong & the Culper Spies
• Inoyo of the Congo Forest
• The Forgotten Finca

Get the Bundle