WEBVTT Kind: captions Language: en 00:00:01.934 --> 00:00:03.801 -Good morning, everyone, and welcome to the webinar. 00:00:03.801 --> 00:00:05.501 My name is Shelby Johnson. 00:00:05.501 --> 00:00:07.667 I'm the Distance Learning Specialist here 00:00:07.667 --> 00:00:11.267 at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans, 00:00:11.267 --> 00:00:12.701 and before we get started, 00:00:12.701 --> 00:00:16.667 I want to go over a few housekeeping things today, 00:00:16.667 --> 00:00:20.367 so first things first. 00:00:20.367 --> 00:00:23.033 We're going to take a review of the technology. 00:00:23.033 --> 00:00:26.601 So, everyone should see something like this 00:00:26.601 --> 00:00:28.601 on their screen right now. 00:00:28.601 --> 00:00:31.868 If you look on the right side of your window, 00:00:31.868 --> 00:00:33.868 you'll see a question mark. 00:00:33.868 --> 00:00:36.634 That is how you're going to ask a question. 00:00:36.634 --> 00:00:38.534 So if you have any questions 00:00:38.534 --> 00:00:41.334 about the technology not working, 00:00:41.334 --> 00:00:43.601 or if you have a question for myself 00:00:43.601 --> 00:00:46.300 or our author, Kirby Larson, 00:00:46.300 --> 00:00:48.033 you can type that in there 00:00:48.033 --> 00:00:49.834 and we'll answer those questions 00:00:49.834 --> 00:00:52.434 at the end of this presentation. 00:00:52.434 --> 00:00:56.267 In addition, if you look just below the questions icon, 00:00:56.267 --> 00:00:57.868 there's a handouts icon, 00:00:57.868 --> 00:01:00.467 and that includes the teacher guide 00:01:00.467 --> 00:01:03.200 that was e-mailed to you earlier. 00:01:07.267 --> 00:01:11.667 You should now be seeing a page showing the cover of the book, 00:01:11.667 --> 00:01:15.868 and if you pre-order the book in the museum store 00:01:15.868 --> 00:01:17.801 using the link below 00:01:17.801 --> 00:01:20.501 which was also included in the teacher guide, 00:01:20.501 --> 00:01:22.734 you will get a 20% discount 00:01:22.734 --> 00:01:25.033 if you use the code "WEBINAR." 00:01:25.033 --> 00:01:26.734 So if you haven't already purchased the books, 00:01:26.734 --> 00:01:28.133 you haven't already read them, 00:01:28.133 --> 00:01:31.033 that's a great place to get started. 00:01:31.033 --> 00:01:35.133 Now, today we are presenting Liberty: The Home Front 00:01:35.133 --> 00:01:38.200 Through Historical Fiction with Kirby Larson, 00:01:38.200 --> 00:01:40.501 and Kirby is going to start us off 00:01:40.501 --> 00:01:42.767 by talking to us about her research 00:01:42.767 --> 00:01:45.234 and why she choice to write this book. 00:01:45.234 --> 00:01:47.200 Then she's going to hand it over to me. 00:01:47.200 --> 00:01:50.033 I'll review some of the themes, the World War II themes 00:01:50.033 --> 00:01:51.567 that she covers in the book, 00:01:51.567 --> 00:01:55.467 and then at the very end we're going to do our Q&A session. 00:01:55.467 --> 00:01:59.133 So, without further ado, I would like to introduce 00:01:59.133 --> 00:02:01.634 to everyone Kirby Larson. 00:02:01.634 --> 00:02:05.300 She is a Newbery Honor award winner 00:02:05.300 --> 00:02:07.834 and we're so glad to have to you here with us today, Kirby. 00:02:07.834 --> 00:02:09.501 Thank you for joining us. 00:02:09.501 --> 00:02:10.634 -Thanks, Shelby. 00:02:10.634 --> 00:02:12.300 There is nothing I love more 00:02:12.300 --> 00:02:14.067 than talking about historical fiction, 00:02:14.067 --> 00:02:17.267 so I'm really excited to share 00:02:17.267 --> 00:02:19.534 the behind-the-scenes story of "Liberty" 00:02:19.534 --> 00:02:22.701 with the students participating in the webinar. 00:02:22.701 --> 00:02:27.634 So, should we get started with the slide show here? 00:02:27.634 --> 00:02:29.267 -Yes, and I'm going to go ahead 00:02:29.267 --> 00:02:32.467 and I'm going to mute myself and turn my camera off, 00:02:32.467 --> 00:02:34.701 but I'll still be available if you need me, 00:02:34.701 --> 00:02:37.901 and like I said to our watchers, if you have any questions, 00:02:37.901 --> 00:02:39.267 you can type them in 00:02:39.267 --> 00:02:41.868 and we'll get to them at the end of this presentation. 00:02:41.868 --> 00:02:44.868 So, Kirby, I'm going to switch this over to you. 00:02:47.033 --> 00:02:50.534 -All right. 00:02:50.534 --> 00:02:52.667 Oh, where'd it go? 00:02:56.067 --> 00:02:57.267 All right. 00:02:57.267 --> 00:03:01.000 I'm hoping everybody sees that. 00:03:01.000 --> 00:03:05.868 So you saw me greeting you. 00:03:05.868 --> 00:03:07.534 I was not always an adult. 00:03:07.534 --> 00:03:10.234 I was a kid once, just like you, 00:03:10.234 --> 00:03:12.267 asking many of the same questions 00:03:12.267 --> 00:03:15.601 you probably ask, like, "What will I be when I grow up?" 00:03:15.601 --> 00:03:18.567 And I had lots of different ideas for myself. 00:03:18.567 --> 00:03:20.868 I thought I might be a circus performer, 00:03:20.868 --> 00:03:23.734 but then I realized I am terrified of heights 00:03:23.734 --> 00:03:27.801 and could not swing on the trapeze 00:03:27.801 --> 00:03:28.901 like I had dreamed about, 00:03:28.901 --> 00:03:31.400 so that wasn't going to work for me. 00:03:31.400 --> 00:03:33.934 I loved the "Encyclopedia Brown" books, 00:03:33.934 --> 00:03:36.267 so I thought about being a detective, 00:03:36.267 --> 00:03:40.968 but my mom said that would be too dangerous, 00:03:40.968 --> 00:03:44.534 and lots of girls my age ended up being nurses, 00:03:44.534 --> 00:03:46.367 but I faint at the sight of blood, 00:03:46.367 --> 00:03:49.367 so I was not a good candidate for a nurse. 00:03:49.367 --> 00:03:52.601 But ever since I learned to read, I loved reading, 00:03:52.601 --> 00:03:54.067 and I loved books, 00:03:54.067 --> 00:03:56.701 and so I decided that maybe being a writer 00:03:56.701 --> 00:04:00.767 was the path for me. 00:04:00.767 --> 00:04:04.834 So I wrote a bunch of stories and I mailed them out, 00:04:04.834 --> 00:04:08.534 and I was so excited because I would be sitting at home, 00:04:08.534 --> 00:04:11.868 and this was in the old days when you actually got letters, 00:04:11.868 --> 00:04:14.534 and I was just waiting for the letter from the publisher, 00:04:14.534 --> 00:04:17.467 those are the people who make your stories into books, 00:04:17.467 --> 00:04:20.133 telling me that they were going to turn my story into a book, 00:04:20.133 --> 00:04:24.000 and I was so excited until I got these letters, 00:04:24.000 --> 00:04:26.334 which are called rejection letters. 00:04:26.334 --> 00:04:30.868 And I actually stopped counting after about 250. 00:04:30.868 --> 00:04:34.267 These letters said basically, "We do not like your stories, 00:04:34.267 --> 00:04:36.734 and we don't want to make them into books." 00:04:36.734 --> 00:04:38.901 Now, of course, I was very depressed about that 00:04:38.901 --> 00:04:42.334 because I was so excited about being a writer, 00:04:42.334 --> 00:04:45.601 but I didn't realize I was making a really huge mistake, 00:04:45.601 --> 00:04:47.501 and in my excitement, 00:04:47.501 --> 00:04:50.601 and finally figuring out what I wanted to do with my life, 00:04:50.601 --> 00:04:55.234 I was making the big mistake of sending out my first drafts. 00:04:55.234 --> 00:04:57.167 And as you're probably way smarter than me, 00:04:57.167 --> 00:05:01.200 you know that first drafts are never our best effort, 00:05:01.200 --> 00:05:04.801 but it took me a long time to figure that out. 00:05:04.801 --> 00:05:08.000 And what I have learned in my experience as a writer 00:05:08.000 --> 00:05:12.133 is that writers and dogs have a lot in common, 00:05:12.133 --> 00:05:13.968 and I happen to know that firsthand 00:05:13.968 --> 00:05:18.400 because about 9 years ago this little dog 00:05:18.400 --> 00:05:20.367 named Winston B. Larson -- 00:05:20.367 --> 00:05:25.167 he likes to dress up for Halloween -- came into our home. 00:05:25.167 --> 00:05:29.267 Now, I had written two books with my good friend 00:05:29.267 --> 00:05:32.434 Mary Nethery about dogs, 00:05:32.434 --> 00:05:35.267 and though I'd never had a dog in my whole life, 00:05:35.267 --> 00:05:38.234 I decided I wanted to be owned by one. 00:05:38.234 --> 00:05:41.167 And so we got Winston, and he was so adorable, 00:05:41.167 --> 00:05:44.601 and then I realized I didn't know anything about dogs, 00:05:44.601 --> 00:05:45.868 and so the first thing 00:05:45.868 --> 00:05:49.701 I did was to sign up for an obedience class with Winston. 00:05:49.701 --> 00:05:52.734 And when we were in that class, the very first command 00:05:52.734 --> 00:05:56.067 that we were taught for the dog was sit, 00:05:56.067 --> 00:06:00.601 and then the second command we learned was stay, 00:06:00.601 --> 00:06:04.200 and it was then that I realized how much writers 00:06:04.200 --> 00:06:05.834 and dogs are alike. 00:06:05.834 --> 00:06:11.334 Because if a writer doesn't sit and stay in her office chair 00:06:11.334 --> 00:06:15.300 working on her stories until they just sparkle, 00:06:15.300 --> 00:06:17.901 she is never going to get a book published. 00:06:17.901 --> 00:06:20.000 And so when I finally figured that out, 00:06:20.000 --> 00:06:21.767 that first drafts weren't going to cut it 00:06:21.767 --> 00:06:24.334 and that I had to do my very best work, 00:06:24.334 --> 00:06:27.033 I began to get books published, and these are some of my books. 00:06:27.033 --> 00:06:33.434 I actually think my 29th book got published recently. 00:06:33.434 --> 00:06:35.567 So now I know that writing is like a job, 00:06:35.567 --> 00:06:37.367 and I am in my office every day. 00:06:37.367 --> 00:06:40.000 There's Winston helping me. 00:06:40.000 --> 00:06:41.634 It's, you know, I show up every day. 00:06:41.634 --> 00:06:43.300 It's a job like your teachers 00:06:43.300 --> 00:06:45.667 or your parents go to work every day. 00:06:45.667 --> 00:06:50.300 Most of the time, I am working in my home office with Winston, 00:06:50.300 --> 00:06:52.100 but sometimes my books 00:06:52.100 --> 00:06:54.067 require me to do some research, 00:06:54.067 --> 00:06:55.934 and that research takes me 00:06:55.934 --> 00:06:58.534 to wonderful places like New Orleans. 00:06:58.534 --> 00:07:01.534 And sometimes I have to even make a huge sacrifice 00:07:01.534 --> 00:07:04.634 and eat the local food there, and you can bet 00:07:04.634 --> 00:07:08.968 that I enjoyed every single one of those beignets. 00:07:08.968 --> 00:07:12.234 What I love most about research trips aside from the food 00:07:12.234 --> 00:07:14.934 is that I get to go to really fascinating places 00:07:14.934 --> 00:07:17.634 like the National World War II Museum, 00:07:17.634 --> 00:07:20.567 and it was there, just on a chance 00:07:20.567 --> 00:07:22.133 visit actually the first time 00:07:22.133 --> 00:07:24.567 I went, that I learned about this man 00:07:24.567 --> 00:07:27.501 named Andrew Jackson Higgins. 00:07:27.501 --> 00:07:30.834 He owned a local company that built boats, 00:07:30.834 --> 00:07:34.067 and Mr. Higgins was very confident. 00:07:34.067 --> 00:07:36.300 He did not lack in self-confidence. 00:07:36.300 --> 00:07:38.501 And when the United States got into World War II, 00:07:38.501 --> 00:07:40.400 he called up the Navy, and he said, 00:07:40.400 --> 00:07:45.734 "I can build every boat you need to transport men and troops 00:07:45.734 --> 00:07:48.033 to land them on the beaches," and the Navy was like, 00:07:48.033 --> 00:07:51.000 "Oh, you're just small potatoes, little boatyard. 00:07:51.000 --> 00:07:53.167 There's no way you could do all that." 00:07:53.167 --> 00:07:57.868 And, well, I'll tell you in a minute how that all turned out. 00:07:57.868 --> 00:08:01.167 So, while I was at the museum, because I'm a researcher 00:08:01.167 --> 00:08:02.300 and a writer, 00:08:02.300 --> 00:08:05.000 the wonderful people there let me come in 00:08:05.000 --> 00:08:07.167 and dig around in their archives, 00:08:07.167 --> 00:08:09.300 and archives are collections of photos 00:08:09.300 --> 00:08:11.834 and documents that aren't on display. 00:08:11.834 --> 00:08:13.801 And though they were very generous to let me 00:08:13.801 --> 00:08:15.067 look through those, 00:08:15.067 --> 00:08:17.567 I did need to make an appointment ahead of time. 00:08:17.567 --> 00:08:19.667 I only had one day in the archives, 00:08:19.667 --> 00:08:22.234 and I could have spent a lot longer, 00:08:22.234 --> 00:08:24.601 but it was while I was digging around in the archives 00:08:24.601 --> 00:08:28.400 that I learned that Mr. Higgins did indeed 00:08:28.400 --> 00:08:29.901 nearly every boat 00:08:29.901 --> 00:08:33.267 that the Navy used during the war, 00:08:33.267 --> 00:08:37.267 and, in fact, General Eisenhower said that we won the war 00:08:37.267 --> 00:08:40.767 thanks to Mr. Higgins and his boats. 00:08:40.767 --> 00:08:43.734 And not only did he build all those boats 00:08:43.734 --> 00:08:45.934 no matter what the Navy said, 00:08:45.934 --> 00:08:51.801 he threw a big party when he built his 10,000th boat. 00:08:51.801 --> 00:08:54.767 All of New Orleans turned out in July of 1944, 00:08:54.767 --> 00:08:57.400 and I love that detail so much 00:08:57.400 --> 00:09:01.300 that it actually ended up in my book. 00:09:01.300 --> 00:09:04.100 Now, I do a ton of research before I start any book. 00:09:04.100 --> 00:09:06.634 I don't want to go into a book with a preconceived notion 00:09:06.634 --> 00:09:09.868 of where it's going to go or what it's going to look like. 00:09:09.868 --> 00:09:12.834 So I was reading around, and imagine my surprise 00:09:12.834 --> 00:09:17.100 when I learned that many captured German soldiers 00:09:17.100 --> 00:09:19.167 were brought to the United States 00:09:19.167 --> 00:09:21.300 because there wasn't enough room to house them 00:09:21.300 --> 00:09:23.868 in prisoner of war camps in Europe, 00:09:23.868 --> 00:09:26.400 and I don't know where you're all watching from, 00:09:26.400 --> 00:09:30.067 but you can see that nearly every state in the Union 00:09:30.067 --> 00:09:33.834 housed a German prisoner of war camp, 00:09:33.834 --> 00:09:36.200 and imagine my greater surprise 00:09:36.200 --> 00:09:39.834 when I learned that some of those camps 00:09:39.834 --> 00:09:42.901 were in the city of New Orleans. 00:09:42.901 --> 00:09:45.400 This article talks about that there were hundreds 00:09:45.400 --> 00:09:48.167 of German prisoners in New Orleans. 00:09:48.167 --> 00:09:51.467 One place the prisoners of war were sent was a camp 00:09:51.467 --> 00:09:55.200 called Camp Plauche, and Camp Plauche 00:09:55.200 --> 00:09:58.334 was located directly across the canal 00:09:58.334 --> 00:10:00.567 from Higgins' boat yard. 00:10:00.567 --> 00:10:02.300 Can you imagine that? 00:10:02.300 --> 00:10:05.901 Enemy prisoners were a mere short swim away 00:10:05.901 --> 00:10:08.934 from a valuable wartime industry. 00:10:08.934 --> 00:10:11.601 It just boggled my mind. 00:10:11.601 --> 00:10:13.534 Now, precautions were taken. 00:10:13.534 --> 00:10:15.300 When the Germans and some Italians 00:10:15.300 --> 00:10:16.767 were brought to the camps, 00:10:16.767 --> 00:10:19.234 they were given clothes painted with letters 00:10:19.234 --> 00:10:21.167 that I think you can see in the picture there. 00:10:21.167 --> 00:10:24.734 It says "PW" for prisoner of war. 00:10:24.734 --> 00:10:27.400 That was so they would be easy to identify, 00:10:27.400 --> 00:10:30.033 and the reason that was important was 00:10:30.033 --> 00:10:33.501 because so many men had gone off to the war 00:10:33.501 --> 00:10:38.033 that the country was in huge need of labor in the farms 00:10:38.033 --> 00:10:43.100 and in fields and doing road repairs and other assorted jobs. 00:10:43.100 --> 00:10:47.801 So the prisoners of war had to wear those identifying clothes 00:10:47.801 --> 00:10:50.601 so that when they were out working it would be known 00:10:50.601 --> 00:10:52.834 that they were prisoners of war, 00:10:52.834 --> 00:10:56.801 and I gleaned this information from reading old newspapers 00:10:56.801 --> 00:10:59.100 and looking at old photographs, 00:10:59.100 --> 00:11:02.367 but I have a favorite writer's tool, 00:11:02.367 --> 00:11:04.667 and it is the question, "What if?" 00:11:04.667 --> 00:11:08.934 So I asked myself, "What if you were a prisoner of war, 00:11:08.934 --> 00:11:12.000 and you didn't want to be a prisoner of war anymore, 00:11:12.000 --> 00:11:14.133 and you wanted to try to escape? 00:11:14.133 --> 00:11:17.901 What might you do to accomplish that?" 00:11:17.901 --> 00:11:19.501 So, first thing you'd have to do 00:11:19.501 --> 00:11:21.334 is get rid of the clothes, right? 00:11:21.334 --> 00:11:24.501 So I thought that maybe a prisoner of war 00:11:24.501 --> 00:11:27.801 might look to the farmer's old overalls 00:11:27.801 --> 00:11:30.934 to see if he might be able to snatch those up and put them on, 00:11:30.934 --> 00:11:33.167 and I bet you guys have great imaginations 00:11:33.167 --> 00:11:35.033 and you could think of other ways 00:11:35.033 --> 00:11:36.334 that a prisoner of war 00:11:36.334 --> 00:11:39.701 might try to disguise himself to blend in 00:11:39.701 --> 00:11:44.267 and maybe sort of disappear when he was working in a field. 00:11:44.267 --> 00:11:47.133 Some of the prisoners of war were very young. 00:11:47.133 --> 00:11:49.067 Maybe not as young as this kid, 00:11:49.067 --> 00:11:52.434 but they were 17 and 18 years old, 00:11:52.434 --> 00:11:55.601 and I learned that information by reading dozens 00:11:55.601 --> 00:11:57.901 of autobiographies by men 00:11:57.901 --> 00:12:02.934 who actually had been prisoners of war here in the States. 00:12:02.934 --> 00:12:07.334 Now, I could not imagine being a teenager captured by the enemy 00:12:07.334 --> 00:12:10.434 and sent far away from home, 00:12:10.434 --> 00:12:14.734 so I put that thought into the soup pot of my imagination 00:12:14.734 --> 00:12:17.467 and I let it simmer. 00:12:17.467 --> 00:12:20.300 Writing a book is a bit like assembling a puzzle. 00:12:20.300 --> 00:12:23.634 So now I had some basic puzzle pieces. 00:12:23.634 --> 00:12:26.400 I had Mr. Higgins and his boat yard. 00:12:26.400 --> 00:12:30.267 I had young German prisoners of war. 00:12:30.267 --> 00:12:32.434 Because of the series that I had been writing 00:12:32.434 --> 00:12:33.901 that started with "Duke" 00:12:33.901 --> 00:12:37.234 and then "Dash," "Liberty" is the third book in this series, 00:12:37.234 --> 00:12:41.801 I knew that my main character would be an 11-year-old, 00:12:41.801 --> 00:12:44.400 and in this case I was pretty sure my 11-year-old 00:12:44.400 --> 00:12:46.000 would be a boy 00:12:46.000 --> 00:12:48.267 because I thought he would be more likely 00:12:48.267 --> 00:12:53.200 to actually meet up and interact with a German POW. 00:12:53.200 --> 00:12:56.200 I knew that he might meet that POW while the POW 00:12:56.200 --> 00:12:59.868 was away from the camp doing some kind of job, 00:12:59.868 --> 00:13:01.434 and I knew another puzzle piece 00:13:01.434 --> 00:13:04.267 was how I was going to get my main character, 00:13:04.267 --> 00:13:07.834 my 11-year-old main character, to meet Mr. Higgins, 00:13:07.834 --> 00:13:11.701 who was the inspiration for this entire book. 00:13:11.701 --> 00:13:14.667 And so I decided one way to do that would be to make 00:13:14.667 --> 00:13:17.200 my main character an inventor, 00:13:17.200 --> 00:13:21.167 and that is how he and Mr. Higgins would meet up. 00:13:21.167 --> 00:13:24.300 But then there was one more thing that I was thinking about, 00:13:24.300 --> 00:13:28.601 and that was something that kids born in the 1920s 00:13:28.601 --> 00:13:31.968 and 1930s really had to worry about, 00:13:31.968 --> 00:13:33.868 and it's something you don't have to worry about 00:13:33.868 --> 00:13:37.033 because a vaccine was discovered. 00:13:37.033 --> 00:13:39.901 But for kids born in the '20s and '30s, 00:13:39.901 --> 00:13:42.534 polio was a huge worry. 00:13:42.534 --> 00:13:46.901 Thousands and thousands of children were afflicted with it 00:13:46.901 --> 00:13:50.267 and suffered with it for the rest of their lives. 00:13:50.267 --> 00:13:54.100 Even our wartime president, Franklin Roosevelt, 00:13:54.100 --> 00:13:56.300 suffered from polio, 00:13:56.300 --> 00:14:01.100 and so did my very first writing teacher, 00:14:01.100 --> 00:14:03.200 a wonderful woman named Peg Kehret, 00:14:03.200 --> 00:14:06.033 and maybe you've read some of her books. 00:14:06.033 --> 00:14:10.734 So, inspired by Peg and the fact that so many children 00:14:10.734 --> 00:14:13.133 would have been impacted by polio, 00:14:13.133 --> 00:14:16.534 I decided that my main character in "Liberty," 00:14:16.534 --> 00:14:21.534 a character I named Michael -- Fish is his nickname -- Elliot, 00:14:21.534 --> 00:14:25.033 I decided Fish would be a polio survivor. 00:14:25.033 --> 00:14:28.000 And because of that, because Fish has a bad leg, 00:14:28.000 --> 00:14:30.667 he doesn't have very good self-esteem, 00:14:30.667 --> 00:14:32.667 doesn't think very much of himself, 00:14:32.667 --> 00:14:35.868 and he is convinced that his father doesn't love him anymore 00:14:35.868 --> 00:14:38.033 because of his bad leg. 00:14:38.033 --> 00:14:40.834 But it turns out that there is something really special 00:14:40.834 --> 00:14:42.667 and unique about Fish, 00:14:42.667 --> 00:14:46.901 and that special quality enables him to save the dog 00:14:46.901 --> 00:14:48.334 you see in the picture, 00:14:48.334 --> 00:14:50.234 a stray named Liberty. 00:14:50.234 --> 00:14:53.367 He's the only one who could do that. 00:14:53.367 --> 00:14:55.033 Now, a lot of writers like to know 00:14:55.033 --> 00:14:57.601 what their human characters look like 00:14:57.601 --> 00:14:59.601 when they're writing about them. 00:14:59.601 --> 00:15:01.567 I don't have that feeling so much, 00:15:01.567 --> 00:15:04.501 but I love to know what my dog characters look like, 00:15:04.501 --> 00:15:07.367 and so I usually go on petfinder.com 00:15:07.367 --> 00:15:08.901 to look for a model 00:15:08.901 --> 00:15:10.834 for the dog that I'm writing about in the book, 00:15:10.834 --> 00:15:12.534 and so this dog was named Tess, 00:15:12.534 --> 00:15:15.067 and she was the model for "Liberty" 00:15:15.067 --> 00:15:17.968 when I was writing that book, so her photograph 00:15:17.968 --> 00:15:19.267 was next to my computer 00:15:19.267 --> 00:15:22.434 the entire time I was writing. 00:15:22.434 --> 00:15:26.133 Now, Fish is from Washington state, where I live, 00:15:26.133 --> 00:15:29.934 but he moves to New Orleans with his big sister, Mo, 00:15:29.934 --> 00:15:32.801 when she gets a job working for Mr. Higgins, 00:15:32.801 --> 00:15:34.067 and one reason I did that 00:15:34.067 --> 00:15:36.534 is because I wasn't raised in New Orleans. 00:15:36.534 --> 00:15:39.767 I didn't feel comfortable writing about it 00:15:39.767 --> 00:15:41.934 from the point of view of a native, 00:15:41.934 --> 00:15:45.801 and so I thought I could have Fish be where I'm from, 00:15:45.801 --> 00:15:48.334 and I could plunk him down in New Orleans. 00:15:48.334 --> 00:15:51.501 And so everything would be new to him, 00:15:51.501 --> 00:15:52.934 the sights and the smells, 00:15:52.934 --> 00:15:56.167 and he loves the different places like Pontchartrain Beach 00:15:56.167 --> 00:15:59.400 which is where this couple is enjoying a lovely day. 00:15:59.400 --> 00:16:03.033 He enjoys snow balls and the Roman Candy man, 00:16:03.033 --> 00:16:06.100 and I read so much about the Roman Candy man. 00:16:06.100 --> 00:16:08.734 I found out that they still make Roman Candy, 00:16:08.734 --> 00:16:11.701 and I ordered a bunch of it to taste test at home, 00:16:11.701 --> 00:16:13.968 and I must say it is delicious. 00:16:13.968 --> 00:16:16.334 There are so many bits of history. 00:16:16.334 --> 00:16:19.434 Some lovely fun bits of history I enjoyed 00:16:19.434 --> 00:16:21.400 sharing about New Orleans, 00:16:21.400 --> 00:16:25.000 but it was also important to share some other things 00:16:25.000 --> 00:16:26.434 that aren't so positive, 00:16:26.434 --> 00:16:28.734 like the cruel effects of segregation 00:16:28.734 --> 00:16:30.534 and the Jim Crow laws. 00:16:30.534 --> 00:16:35.400 And when you read "Liberty," you'll read about Olympia, 00:16:35.400 --> 00:16:36.601 Fish's friend, 00:16:36.601 --> 00:16:39.133 having to sit at the back of the streetcars, 00:16:39.133 --> 00:16:41.734 or having to use a certain restroom 00:16:41.734 --> 00:16:45.667 because she isn't white like Fish. 00:16:45.667 --> 00:16:50.133 My research revealed that sometimes whites and blacks 00:16:50.133 --> 00:16:52.467 even lived in the same neighborhood, 00:16:52.467 --> 00:16:55.467 but the kids would have to go to different schools, 00:16:55.467 --> 00:16:57.634 so I put Fish and his sister 00:16:57.634 --> 00:17:00.968 in one of those integrated neighborhoods, 00:17:00.968 --> 00:17:06.434 and I gave Fish that pesky younger neighbor named Olympia. 00:17:06.434 --> 00:17:08.701 Now, not that Fish had never seen people 00:17:08.701 --> 00:17:11.000 being discriminated against before, 00:17:11.000 --> 00:17:13.701 but he hadn't really experienced a friend 00:17:13.701 --> 00:17:16.767 of his experiencing discrimination. 00:17:16.767 --> 00:17:19.334 And there is a scene in the book that's based on something 00:17:19.334 --> 00:17:20.868 I actually read about 00:17:20.868 --> 00:17:25.501 where Olympia is pushed off the sidewalk by an older white man, 00:17:25.501 --> 00:17:27.434 and Fish observes this, 00:17:27.434 --> 00:17:31.100 and he has to carry that around in his heart 00:17:31.100 --> 00:17:33.234 and really puzzles about 00:17:33.234 --> 00:17:36.901 how people can treat one another like that. 00:17:36.901 --> 00:17:42.667 So in a way, "Liberty" the book is like a big pot of gumbo, 00:17:42.667 --> 00:17:46.834 but my ingredients are Mr. Andrew Jackson Higgins, 00:17:46.834 --> 00:17:50.200 a boy named Fish suffering from polio, 00:17:50.200 --> 00:17:54.367 World War II, a stray dog, 00:17:54.367 --> 00:17:57.734 an African-American girl named Olympia, 00:17:57.734 --> 00:18:02.133 Jim Crow laws, and the wonderful city of New Orleans. 00:18:02.133 --> 00:18:05.367 So I hope when you read this book that you'll say 00:18:05.367 --> 00:18:07.801 I mixed up all these ingredients 00:18:07.801 --> 00:18:11.200 with some very tasty results. 00:18:11.200 --> 00:18:15.167 So, Shelby, that is what I have to share on my PowerPoint, 00:18:15.167 --> 00:18:17.667 and I'm eager to answer questions 00:18:17.667 --> 00:18:21.267 for the students in a few moments. 00:18:21.267 --> 00:18:23.701 -Okay. Thank you so much, Kirby. 00:18:23.701 --> 00:18:27.100 Now that Kirby has talked to us about her inspiration 00:18:27.100 --> 00:18:30.367 for writing the book and all about her research, 00:18:30.367 --> 00:18:33.033 I'm going to go ahead and discuss some of the World War II 00:18:33.033 --> 00:18:34.834 themes that are included in the book, 00:18:34.834 --> 00:18:37.334 and some that she's already touched on. 00:18:37.334 --> 00:18:39.534 And I just want to remind everyone 00:18:39.534 --> 00:18:43.734 that if you do have any questions for our author, 00:18:43.734 --> 00:18:47.000 make sure you're typing them into that question window 00:18:47.000 --> 00:18:51.934 so that we can get to those at the end of this presentation. 00:18:51.934 --> 00:18:56.467 So, I'm going to go ahead and share something with you all. 00:18:59.667 --> 00:19:01.400 All right. 00:19:01.400 --> 00:19:04.400 So you should all be seeing in a few moments -- 00:19:04.400 --> 00:19:05.901 Here it is now. 00:19:05.901 --> 00:19:10.267 So, I'm going to go over these themes by reading a passage 00:19:10.267 --> 00:19:12.801 to you from the book that includes the theme, 00:19:12.801 --> 00:19:15.567 and then I'll give you a little more information on it. 00:19:15.567 --> 00:19:21.067 So if you have the book on you, you can turn to page 112 00:19:21.067 --> 00:19:24.067 and we'll get started reading this passage. 00:19:24.067 --> 00:19:25.467 "'Grandmamma and the preacher 00:19:25.467 --> 00:19:28.467 say we have to turn the other cheek.' 00:19:28.467 --> 00:19:31.901 'Mo says you got to stand up for yourself sometimes, too.' 00:19:31.901 --> 00:19:34.133 Olympia's voice got low. 00:19:34.133 --> 00:19:38.167 'It's different for us, Fish.' He stretched out his good leg. 00:19:38.167 --> 00:19:41.701 It was getting pins and needles in it from sitting so long. 00:19:41.701 --> 00:19:45.000 'You mean for kids?' 'I mean for us.' 00:19:45.000 --> 00:19:47.501 Fish thought about that man on the sidewalk, 00:19:47.501 --> 00:19:49.267 and the side-by-side water fountains 00:19:49.267 --> 00:19:51.501 labeled white and colored, 00:19:51.501 --> 00:19:54.234 and about the invisible line in the streetcar 00:19:54.234 --> 00:19:56.534 that someone like him sat in front of 00:19:56.534 --> 00:19:59.834 and someone like Olympia sat in back of. 00:19:59.834 --> 00:20:02.567 'Mo says maybe the war will change that.' 00:20:02.567 --> 00:20:07.133 'Maybe.' But she didn't sound near as convinced as Mo." 00:20:07.133 --> 00:20:10.467 This passage here covers the segregation 00:20:10.467 --> 00:20:13.300 that Kirby just talked to us about. 00:20:13.300 --> 00:20:16.801 So segregation was the law of the land here 00:20:16.801 --> 00:20:18.701 in the Southern United States, 00:20:18.701 --> 00:20:22.234 and we started seeing this become the official law 00:20:22.234 --> 00:20:26.267 in the late 1800s with the Supreme Court case 00:20:26.267 --> 00:20:28.334 Plessy vs. Ferguson. 00:20:28.334 --> 00:20:31.367 Now, in that case, the Supreme Court justices, 00:20:31.367 --> 00:20:35.000 they said it was legal to separate the races 00:20:35.000 --> 00:20:39.300 as long as there were equal facilities for both races, 00:20:39.300 --> 00:20:42.968 but history showed us that sometimes these facilities, 00:20:42.968 --> 00:20:45.734 often times, really, they weren't equal, 00:20:45.734 --> 00:20:50.167 and sometimes they were even completely nonexistent. 00:20:50.167 --> 00:20:53.000 You saw a lot of racial violence, 00:20:53.000 --> 00:20:55.701 and Kirby touched on that with Olympia 00:20:55.701 --> 00:20:59.567 getting pushed off of the sidewalk by a white man. 00:20:59.567 --> 00:21:03.567 You also saw that it was hard for African-Americans 00:21:03.567 --> 00:21:04.968 to find jobs, 00:21:04.968 --> 00:21:07.467 and often times when they did find jobs, 00:21:07.467 --> 00:21:12.334 they didn't receive equal pay to their white counterparts. 00:21:12.334 --> 00:21:16.267 There was also segregation in all aspects of life, 00:21:16.267 --> 00:21:18.234 and Kirby just touched on that for us, 00:21:18.234 --> 00:21:21.434 but some examples -- public transportation, 00:21:21.434 --> 00:21:23.234 just like in this passage. 00:21:23.234 --> 00:21:25.467 Fish got to sit in the front of the streetcar 00:21:25.467 --> 00:21:28.400 but Olympia had to sit in the back of the streetcar. 00:21:28.400 --> 00:21:30.868 There were also segregated schools. 00:21:30.868 --> 00:21:34.501 Fish and Olympia didn't go to the same school. 00:21:34.501 --> 00:21:39.033 And we also saw segregation in the military, 00:21:39.033 --> 00:21:42.267 and a lot of times when I talk to students, 00:21:42.267 --> 00:21:44.434 they aren't aware that we had segregation 00:21:44.434 --> 00:21:48.667 even in the military. 00:21:48.667 --> 00:21:51.567 In the military, when African-Americans 00:21:51.567 --> 00:21:54.267 were drafted or enlisted, 00:21:54.267 --> 00:21:57.167 they were put into separate units, 00:21:57.167 --> 00:22:01.400 and often times these units were non-combatant. 00:22:01.400 --> 00:22:06.300 That meant that these guys were doing service-based jobs, 00:22:06.300 --> 00:22:12.067 and even in the Army Air Forces and the Marines, 00:22:12.067 --> 00:22:14.000 those branches of the military, 00:22:14.000 --> 00:22:17.267 they actually didn't start allowing African-Americans 00:22:17.267 --> 00:22:21.400 to enlist until after the war started. 00:22:21.400 --> 00:22:28.267 Now, one soldier I want to highlight is Richard English. 00:22:28.267 --> 00:22:31.701 Now, Richard English, he was actually one 00:22:31.701 --> 00:22:33.234 of the few African-Americans 00:22:33.234 --> 00:22:36.133 who did serve in a combat unit. 00:22:36.133 --> 00:22:39.901 He served in the 761st Tank Battalion. 00:22:39.901 --> 00:22:42.934 Now, I did tell y'all that at first the military 00:22:42.934 --> 00:22:47.734 was organizing segregated units and making them non-combatant, 00:22:47.734 --> 00:22:51.400 but, of course, as the war progresses we discover 00:22:51.400 --> 00:22:54.667 that we need more men on the front lines. 00:22:54.667 --> 00:22:58.100 So the 761st Tank Battalion, 00:22:58.100 --> 00:23:03.634 they are one of the most famous all African-American tank units, 00:23:03.634 --> 00:23:06.501 and there's two reasons why they're so famous. 00:23:06.501 --> 00:23:10.734 One is because of a man named Ruben Rivers 00:23:10.734 --> 00:23:12.067 who was actually -- 00:23:12.067 --> 00:23:17.300 He received the Medal of Honor posthumously in 1997. 00:23:17.300 --> 00:23:20.501 He was a member of this tank battalion. 00:23:20.501 --> 00:23:24.234 You also may have heard of a man named Jackie Robinson 00:23:24.234 --> 00:23:28.033 who broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball. 00:23:28.033 --> 00:23:32.400 He was also a member of this tank battalion. 00:23:32.400 --> 00:23:35.534 But Richard English, the reason why I wanted to point him out 00:23:35.534 --> 00:23:39.167 is because we actually have him included in an exhibit 00:23:39.167 --> 00:23:42.000 we have on display here at the Museum -- 00:23:42.000 --> 00:23:46.334 Pelican State Goes to War: Louisiana in World War II. 00:23:46.334 --> 00:23:50.234 So he was a local to New Orleans and he was in 00:23:50.234 --> 00:23:53.200 the 761st Tank Battalion. 00:23:53.200 --> 00:23:56.501 Now, I'm going to show y'all a video clip of 00:23:56.501 --> 00:24:02.434 the 761st Tank Battalion actually in action. 00:24:02.434 --> 00:24:05.067 -On 16 March, 1945, 00:24:05.067 --> 00:24:09.334 the 409th infantry cracked the famous Siegfried Line. 00:24:09.334 --> 00:24:13.133 Running interference for them was the 761st Tank Battalion. 00:24:15.968 --> 00:24:18.234 This veteran tank outfit fought with the Third, 00:24:18.234 --> 00:24:20.567 Seventh, and Ninth Armies. 00:24:20.567 --> 00:24:23.901 Landing in Normandy, they fought their way across France, 00:24:23.901 --> 00:24:26.601 Luxembourg, Belgium, and into Germany. 00:24:29.200 --> 00:24:32.934 In an official citation, Major General M.S. Eddy, 00:24:32.934 --> 00:24:35.467 Army Core Commander, said, 00:24:35.467 --> 00:24:39.167 "I consider the 761st Tank Battalion to have entered combat 00:24:39.167 --> 00:24:41.701 with such conspicuous courage and success 00:24:41.701 --> 00:24:43.834 as to warrant special commendation." 00:24:43.834 --> 00:24:47.267 To this, Major General W.S. Paul, Division Commander 00:24:47.267 --> 00:24:49.634 of the 26th infantry added, 00:24:49.634 --> 00:24:51.000 "Your battalion has supported 00:24:51.000 --> 00:24:53.067 this division with great bravery." 00:24:57.601 --> 00:25:00.067 These men had to have a belief in each other 00:25:00.067 --> 00:25:02.300 and in their country that was stronger 00:25:02.300 --> 00:25:03.501 than anything the enemy 00:25:03.501 --> 00:25:05.567 could hurl at them. 00:25:05.567 --> 00:25:07.834 [ Explosions, gunfire ] 00:25:07.834 --> 00:25:11.567 ♪♪ 00:25:15.434 --> 00:25:17.534 -So in this video clip, 00:25:17.534 --> 00:25:21.601 we saw these guys in the 761st Tank Battalion 00:25:21.601 --> 00:25:25.667 fighting very bravely and courageously, 00:25:25.667 --> 00:25:29.267 but this unit wasn't actually recognized 00:25:29.267 --> 00:25:35.033 for their bravery and their service until 1978, 00:25:35.033 --> 00:25:39.367 and keep in mind the war ended in 1945, 00:25:39.367 --> 00:25:44.801 and this was most likely due to racism and the segregation. 00:25:44.801 --> 00:25:48.934 So we see racism and segregation playing a part 00:25:48.934 --> 00:25:51.133 in all aspects of life 00:25:51.133 --> 00:25:53.334 while World War II is taking place, 00:25:53.334 --> 00:25:58.067 but also after World War II ended. 00:25:58.067 --> 00:25:59.901 Now, our next theme we're going to cover -- 00:25:59.901 --> 00:26:05.868 I'm going to pull up another passage, 00:26:05.868 --> 00:26:11.934 and you can go ahead and turn to page 112, 00:26:11.934 --> 00:26:18.567 and here, our theme obviously is going to be prisoners of war. 00:26:18.567 --> 00:26:23.100 "The first days at Camp Plauche stretched out like years. 00:26:23.100 --> 00:26:26.868 Oskar was content to read books from the camp library 00:26:26.868 --> 00:26:29.667 and the professor took university classes. 00:26:29.667 --> 00:26:34.367 Philosophy! Geology! Modern literature! 00:26:34.367 --> 00:26:37.000 Erich signed up for the English classes. 00:26:37.000 --> 00:26:39.534 Those, he could see a purpose in. 00:26:39.534 --> 00:26:43.534 There were soccer games, to be sure, but he didn't play. 00:26:43.534 --> 00:26:45.467 He kept to himself. 00:26:45.467 --> 00:26:48.534 Not even the professor, with his kindly ways 00:26:48.534 --> 00:26:53.033 could draw him out in conversation." 00:26:53.033 --> 00:26:58.834 So here, we see that Erich is describing his experience 00:26:58.834 --> 00:27:02.501 in prisoner of war camp here in Louisiana, 00:27:02.501 --> 00:27:07.601 and I picked this passage out because it shows kind of an idea 00:27:07.601 --> 00:27:09.834 that living in a prisoner of war camp, 00:27:09.834 --> 00:27:11.767 even though you are a prisoner, 00:27:11.767 --> 00:27:14.701 you still have quite a few privileges. 00:27:14.701 --> 00:27:16.133 You could play games. 00:27:16.133 --> 00:27:19.701 You could take classes, get a better education. 00:27:19.701 --> 00:27:24.834 But we have to keep in mind that this was still an actual prison. 00:27:24.834 --> 00:27:28.067 Now, like Kirby said, prisoner of war camps, 00:27:28.067 --> 00:27:32.267 they existed in all theaters of the war, 00:27:32.267 --> 00:27:34.000 and there were prisoner of war camps 00:27:34.000 --> 00:27:37.234 that were operated by the Axis powers, 00:27:37.234 --> 00:27:40.300 they were our enemies, and the Allied powers, 00:27:40.300 --> 00:27:42.133 that's the side we were on. 00:27:42.133 --> 00:27:44.234 And here in the United States, 00:27:44.234 --> 00:27:51.534 the Allied powers actually sent more than 400,000 Axis POWs 00:27:51.534 --> 00:27:53.934 to camps here in the United States. 00:27:53.934 --> 00:27:58.334 That was between the years of 1942 and 1945, 00:27:58.334 --> 00:28:02.033 and those over 400,000 prisoners, 00:28:02.033 --> 00:28:04.634 they were actually put into camps 00:28:04.634 --> 00:28:11.234 that were approximately about 500 camps nationwide. 00:28:11.234 --> 00:28:13.701 Now, here in Louisiana, 00:28:13.701 --> 00:28:19.767 we actually had about 52 camps all together, 00:28:19.767 --> 00:28:22.300 but the camp that's discussed in the book like Kirby 00:28:22.300 --> 00:28:25.767 told us is Camp Plauche here, 00:28:25.767 --> 00:28:27.801 and I'm just going to let everybody know that here 00:28:27.801 --> 00:28:32.300 in Louisiana, we have a tendency to mispronounce words, 00:28:32.300 --> 00:28:34.634 so I may be mispronouncing this word. 00:28:34.634 --> 00:28:36.501 But growing up around here, 00:28:36.501 --> 00:28:38.267 we've always pronounced it this way, 00:28:38.267 --> 00:28:43.000 but I apologize to all my English teachers out there. 00:28:43.000 --> 00:28:46.100 So if you look on the left, I have a map of Louisiana 00:28:46.100 --> 00:28:49.734 just to give you an idea of the size and scale of our state, 00:28:49.734 --> 00:28:53.501 and on the right I've shown you where Camp Plauche 00:28:53.501 --> 00:28:57.534 is in relation to our capital city, 00:28:57.534 --> 00:29:02.067 Baton Rouge, and New Orleans, which is where we are now. 00:29:02.067 --> 00:29:06.634 So if I were to get in my car right now and drive to Harahan, 00:29:06.634 --> 00:29:08.868 which is where Camp Plauche was located, 00:29:08.868 --> 00:29:11.667 it would probably take me about 15 minutes 00:29:11.667 --> 00:29:14.501 if there were no traffic. 00:29:14.501 --> 00:29:17.033 Now, most of the prisoners that were in the camps 00:29:17.033 --> 00:29:18.934 here in the United States 00:29:18.934 --> 00:29:22.567 and here in Louisiana were of German descent, 00:29:22.567 --> 00:29:25.701 but you did also see Italian prisoners 00:29:25.701 --> 00:29:29.100 because the Italians and the Germans, they were allies, 00:29:29.100 --> 00:29:33.033 and you also saw prisoners from countries 00:29:33.033 --> 00:29:35.100 that Germany had taken over, 00:29:35.100 --> 00:29:37.901 because when Germany would take a country over, 00:29:37.901 --> 00:29:39.400 it wasn't uncommon for them 00:29:39.400 --> 00:29:45.033 to force the citizens there to fight in their military. 00:29:45.033 --> 00:29:49.334 Now in the passage, and I'll go back to this, 00:29:49.334 --> 00:29:51.534 in the passage, you know, 00:29:51.534 --> 00:29:53.367 this shows you that life 00:29:53.367 --> 00:29:55.467 wasn't extremely hard 00:29:55.467 --> 00:29:56.968 for these prisoners, 00:29:56.968 --> 00:30:03.133 and this is due to the Geneva Convention in 1929. 00:30:03.133 --> 00:30:04.634 Now, the Geneva Convention, 00:30:04.634 --> 00:30:08.300 these were all the protocols for times of war, 00:30:08.300 --> 00:30:13.667 so they did have rules and protocols for prisoners of war. 00:30:13.667 --> 00:30:16.334 So first things first, prisoners of war, 00:30:16.334 --> 00:30:18.667 they could be forced to work, 00:30:18.667 --> 00:30:22.567 but if they were forced to work they had to be paid, 00:30:22.567 --> 00:30:26.501 and in the book, Kirby mentions something called scrip. 00:30:26.501 --> 00:30:29.934 That is how the prisoners of war were paid. 00:30:29.934 --> 00:30:33.534 Scrip wasn't real American currency, 00:30:33.534 --> 00:30:38.334 it was currency that could only be used at the prison camp. 00:30:38.334 --> 00:30:43.834 This was to try to prevent prisoners from trying to escape. 00:30:43.834 --> 00:30:48.200 Prisoners of war also could not work in dangerous conditions 00:30:48.200 --> 00:30:51.167 and they were not allowed to work any jobs 00:30:51.167 --> 00:30:54.667 that were directly related to the war effort, 00:30:54.667 --> 00:30:58.434 so it would have been an issue and illegal 00:30:58.434 --> 00:30:59.834 if you had a prisoner of war 00:30:59.834 --> 00:31:04.868 doing something like building a bomber plane. 00:31:04.868 --> 00:31:07.334 In addition, prisoners of war, 00:31:07.334 --> 00:31:11.300 they were only allowed to work 10 hours a day, 00:31:11.300 --> 00:31:15.534 and anyone who was contracting these prisoners out, 00:31:15.534 --> 00:31:18.601 they had to pay the American government, 00:31:18.601 --> 00:31:26.334 so they paid $0.45 per laborer per hour every day. 00:31:26.334 --> 00:31:31.000 And just one interesting thing that I found in my research, 00:31:31.000 --> 00:31:33.067 a lot of people think 00:31:33.067 --> 00:31:35.934 that all German soldiers 00:31:35.934 --> 00:31:38.267 were Nazi extremists. 00:31:38.267 --> 00:31:41.601 This was not the case, and in prison camps, 00:31:41.601 --> 00:31:46.067 you did see instances of Nazi supporters 00:31:46.067 --> 00:31:49.767 and anti-Nazis getting into scuffles, 00:31:49.767 --> 00:31:52.868 so in some areas, they would actually 00:31:52.868 --> 00:31:56.033 make separate prisoner-of-war camps 00:31:56.033 --> 00:31:59.834 for those Nazi supporters. 00:31:59.834 --> 00:32:01.167 And I want to show y'all, 00:32:01.167 --> 00:32:03.801 before we move onto the next theme, this is -- 00:32:03.801 --> 00:32:07.100 Kirby showed us a really great picture of some prisoners 00:32:07.100 --> 00:32:09.400 where you could see their uniforms. 00:32:09.400 --> 00:32:12.067 This is one of prisoners in action 00:32:12.067 --> 00:32:16.100 working here in Louisiana in Alexandria. 00:32:16.100 --> 00:32:19.400 What they're doing is they're trying to reinforce 00:32:19.400 --> 00:32:24.534 a levy to prevent the Red River from overflowing 00:32:24.534 --> 00:32:27.701 and flooding the city of Alexandria, 00:32:27.701 --> 00:32:30.634 so you can see down on the bottom they have some sandbags. 00:32:30.634 --> 00:32:32.400 They're going to sandbag that levy, 00:32:32.400 --> 00:32:35.033 and if you look closely at the prisoners, 00:32:35.033 --> 00:32:37.234 you can see that they have the painted 00:32:37.234 --> 00:32:39.934 P.W. that Erich in the book 00:32:39.934 --> 00:32:42.968 says he had to paint on his uniform 00:32:42.968 --> 00:32:44.934 once it was received. 00:32:47.000 --> 00:32:52.667 Now, moving on to our third and final theme, 00:32:52.667 --> 00:32:59.400 if everyone will turn to page 120 in their book. 00:32:59.400 --> 00:33:03.701 "A huge banner was draped across the far wall: 00:33:03.701 --> 00:33:07.868 'The man who relaxes is helping the Axis.' 00:33:07.868 --> 00:33:11.767 Fish wondered if Mr. Higgins should update that sign. 00:33:11.767 --> 00:33:13.767 Most of the workers in the room below 00:33:13.767 --> 00:33:16.868 were not men but women in coveralls, 00:33:16.868 --> 00:33:19.300 their heads covered with kerchiefs. 00:33:19.300 --> 00:33:20.701 'That's a lot of ships,' 00:33:20.701 --> 00:33:22.968 Fish leaned over the rail to count. 00:33:22.968 --> 00:33:26.501 There must have been 25 LCVPs, 00:33:26.501 --> 00:33:29.334 each in a different stage of completion. 00:33:29.334 --> 00:33:32.934 He'd heard Mo talk about Mr. Higgins' assembly lines, 00:33:32.934 --> 00:33:36.400 but seeing them was another thing altogether. 00:33:36.400 --> 00:33:39.167 As each row of boats finished one step, 00:33:39.167 --> 00:33:43.434 it rolled forward to the next crew, the next part. 00:33:43.434 --> 00:33:45.601 The whole place looked like the ant farm 00:33:45.601 --> 00:33:47.901 he got for his birthday one year. 00:33:47.901 --> 00:33:52.033 No one and nothing was standing still." 00:33:52.033 --> 00:33:55.501 Now, this passage here covers what we call 00:33:55.501 --> 00:33:57.868 the arsenal of democracy. 00:33:57.868 --> 00:34:01.467 The arsenal of democracy was all Americans 00:34:01.467 --> 00:34:05.400 coming together to produce all of the goods 00:34:05.400 --> 00:34:08.267 that we needed for the war effort, 00:34:08.267 --> 00:34:11.968 and many companies during the 1940s, 00:34:11.968 --> 00:34:16.667 they started producing goods specifically for the war, 00:34:16.667 --> 00:34:19.701 and that's exactly what Mr. Higgins did 00:34:19.701 --> 00:34:21.934 with Higgins Industries. 00:34:21.934 --> 00:34:27.167 Higgins Industries actually produced more than 20,000 boats 00:34:27.167 --> 00:34:28.701 by the war's end, 00:34:28.701 --> 00:34:31.701 and they also made the LCVPs, 00:34:31.701 --> 00:34:34.367 just like Fish is looking at here, 00:34:34.367 --> 00:34:40.434 and LCVP stands for Landing Craft Vehicle Personnel. 00:34:40.434 --> 00:34:44.234 This means that the boat was used to land on the beaches, 00:34:44.234 --> 00:34:49.434 and it could hold soldiers, but it could also hold a Jeep. 00:34:49.434 --> 00:34:54.300 Now, Higgins Industries had more than 25,000 workers, 00:34:54.300 --> 00:34:57.968 and their workers included people of all races 00:34:57.968 --> 00:34:59.968 and also women, 00:34:59.968 --> 00:35:02.267 and in the first part of this passage, 00:35:02.267 --> 00:35:06.334 Fish actually identifies that he sees mostly women 00:35:06.334 --> 00:35:08.534 working in this factory. 00:35:08.534 --> 00:35:12.667 Now, this is interesting because before the war started, 00:35:12.667 --> 00:35:16.834 women didn't typically work outside of the home, 00:35:16.834 --> 00:35:22.100 unless they came from a lower socioeconomic background 00:35:22.100 --> 00:35:24.534 or they were from a minority race. 00:35:24.534 --> 00:35:25.734 This wasn't a big thing, 00:35:25.734 --> 00:35:28.267 for women to be working outside of the home, 00:35:28.267 --> 00:35:30.701 but if they were working outside of the home, 00:35:30.701 --> 00:35:32.367 they were typically working 00:35:32.367 --> 00:35:38.033 in what we would call a stereotypical feminine job. 00:35:38.033 --> 00:35:44.100 Think teacher, secretary, or a housekeeper, but we can see 00:35:44.100 --> 00:35:47.701 that Higgins Industries wouldn't fit that description 00:35:47.701 --> 00:35:52.601 of being a traditionally feminine job. 00:35:52.601 --> 00:35:56.767 Now, after the war started, obviously we have all of the men 00:35:56.767 --> 00:35:58.734 who would have done these jobs. 00:35:58.734 --> 00:36:00.767 They were going off to war, 00:36:00.767 --> 00:36:05.234 so women replaced them in the factories, 00:36:05.234 --> 00:36:07.734 and women were actually encouraged 00:36:07.734 --> 00:36:11.334 and praised to work outside of the home, 00:36:11.334 --> 00:36:15.167 and many of you may have seen this image here. 00:36:15.167 --> 00:36:17.701 This is Rosie the Riveter, 00:36:17.701 --> 00:36:20.601 and she was a part of a propaganda campaign 00:36:20.601 --> 00:36:24.400 to encourage women to work in these factories, 00:36:24.400 --> 00:36:26.968 and she actually helped out a lot 00:36:26.968 --> 00:36:32.367 because between 1940 and 1945 the percentage of women 00:36:32.367 --> 00:36:34.667 in the United States workforce 00:36:34.667 --> 00:36:39.501 went from 27% to 37%. 00:36:39.501 --> 00:36:43.100 But even though more women were working in factories, 00:36:43.100 --> 00:36:47.701 they were still getting paid less than men, unfortunately. 00:36:47.701 --> 00:36:50.667 Now, I'm going to show y'all an oral history 00:36:50.667 --> 00:36:52.767 that we have here at the museum, 00:36:52.767 --> 00:36:57.000 and it's actually highlighting a woman named Rosemary Elfer, 00:36:57.000 --> 00:37:01.067 and she worked for Higgins Industries. 00:37:01.067 --> 00:37:08.567 ♪♪ 00:39:11.901 --> 00:39:13.767 -I love that oral history, 00:39:13.767 --> 00:39:16.501 and one of my favorite things about it 00:39:16.501 --> 00:39:21.834 is how she talks about how proud she was to be doing this job, 00:39:21.834 --> 00:39:25.868 and all of the women who were working in these factories, 00:39:25.868 --> 00:39:28.968 they were very proud to have these jobs, 00:39:28.968 --> 00:39:31.467 and after the war ended, 00:39:31.467 --> 00:39:35.534 many of them did want to remain employed, 00:39:35.534 --> 00:39:38.067 but that wasn't the case. 00:39:38.067 --> 00:39:40.734 Now, of course, we're no longer in war, 00:39:40.734 --> 00:39:43.868 so we don't need as many things produced, 00:39:43.868 --> 00:39:47.968 so the jobs are not going to be as abundant as they once were, 00:39:47.968 --> 00:39:50.801 so you see many women getting laid off 00:39:50.801 --> 00:39:54.167 because men are coming back from the war, 00:39:54.167 --> 00:39:55.968 and they need those jobs, 00:39:55.968 --> 00:39:59.400 and there just aren't as many to be had, 00:39:59.400 --> 00:40:02.100 and also women -- 00:40:02.100 --> 00:40:05.734 The social norms went back to what they were. 00:40:05.734 --> 00:40:10.634 Women were expected to work in more feminine careers, 00:40:10.634 --> 00:40:14.534 so they're going back to being teachers and nurses 00:40:14.534 --> 00:40:17.434 and secretaries and housekeepers, 00:40:17.434 --> 00:40:18.634 and some women, 00:40:18.634 --> 00:40:21.100 they just didn't go back to work at all. 00:40:21.100 --> 00:40:25.334 They went back home, and they started raising families, 00:40:25.334 --> 00:40:30.767 so we did see a big increase in the number of children 00:40:30.767 --> 00:40:33.300 that were being raised, 00:40:33.300 --> 00:40:36.901 so now that we've gone over those themes, 00:40:36.901 --> 00:40:39.534 I'm going to ask Kirby to come back in, 00:40:39.534 --> 00:40:41.334 and we're going to go over some questions. 00:40:41.334 --> 00:40:44.234 We have some really good questions from our students 00:40:44.234 --> 00:40:46.567 who have been watching. 00:40:46.567 --> 00:40:51.667 So, Kirby, our first question is coming to us from Kelsey, 00:40:51.667 --> 00:40:52.968 and she wants to know, 00:40:52.968 --> 00:40:57.067 "Which book was your favorite to write?" 00:40:57.067 --> 00:41:00.901 -Oh, Kelsey, that is a really hard question to answer 00:41:00.901 --> 00:41:04.701 because each of my books is like a child to me, 00:41:04.701 --> 00:41:06.968 and so that'd be like asking your parents 00:41:06.968 --> 00:41:09.701 who their favorite kid in the family is. 00:41:09.701 --> 00:41:10.834 If you're an only child, 00:41:10.834 --> 00:41:12.367 it should be easy for them to answer, 00:41:12.367 --> 00:41:16.501 but the thing is, I spend one to two to five years 00:41:16.501 --> 00:41:18.067 on every single book I write, 00:41:18.067 --> 00:41:20.934 and so I really have to love something about it 00:41:20.934 --> 00:41:22.734 to spend that kind of time, 00:41:22.734 --> 00:41:26.200 so I guess if I was really honest, 00:41:26.200 --> 00:41:29.968 my favorite book is the book that's just an idea up here 00:41:29.968 --> 00:41:31.367 that I haven't even started yet 00:41:31.367 --> 00:41:34.434 because when it's an idea, it is perfect. 00:41:34.434 --> 00:41:36.300 It doesn't need any revision. 00:41:36.300 --> 00:41:38.634 I know it's going to be the best thing I've ever written, 00:41:38.634 --> 00:41:41.701 so as long as it's just in my head, it's my favorite book. 00:41:41.701 --> 00:41:43.467 How about that for an answer? 00:41:45.601 --> 00:41:47.067 -Very nice. 00:41:47.067 --> 00:41:51.100 Our next question is coming from Juliet, 00:41:51.100 --> 00:41:54.234 and Juliet wants to know if you got the urge 00:41:54.234 --> 00:41:58.934 to adopt the dog who inspired "Liberty." 00:41:58.934 --> 00:42:01.300 -I did, but I already had Winston, 00:42:01.300 --> 00:42:05.300 and Winston would not be welcoming. 00:42:05.300 --> 00:42:07.334 He would not welcome a brother or sister. 00:42:07.334 --> 00:42:09.934 He is just a little bit needy, 00:42:09.934 --> 00:42:12.734 and so I don't think it would go very well, 00:42:12.734 --> 00:42:14.801 but actually I followed Tess, 00:42:14.801 --> 00:42:17.000 and I did find out she did get adopted, 00:42:17.000 --> 00:42:19.167 so I was really glad about that. 00:42:19.167 --> 00:42:21.834 -Well, good. -Yeah. 00:42:21.834 --> 00:42:23.334 -All right. Our next question 00:42:23.334 --> 00:42:24.868 is from Claire, 00:42:24.868 --> 00:42:26.567 and she would like to know, 00:42:26.567 --> 00:42:31.167 "How did you come up with the name Liberty for the dog?" 00:42:31.167 --> 00:42:32.801 -I am really glad you asked that question 00:42:32.801 --> 00:42:36.400 because I meant to tell you in my little slide show. 00:42:36.400 --> 00:42:40.567 So, I had already named a dog Dash and a dog Duke, 00:42:40.567 --> 00:42:42.601 and so I did not want another D name 00:42:42.601 --> 00:42:45.234 because it was going to sound too cute-sy, 00:42:45.234 --> 00:42:47.834 but I really didn't know what to name the dog. 00:42:47.834 --> 00:42:51.767 So, I have a teacher friend in a little town 00:42:51.767 --> 00:42:54.000 in Iowa called Traer, Iowa, 00:42:54.000 --> 00:42:57.501 and I asked him if he would poll his fifth grade class, 00:42:57.501 --> 00:42:59.133 and they took a vote, 00:42:59.133 --> 00:43:03.267 and the top vote-getter was Liberty, 00:43:03.267 --> 00:43:05.901 and then the second one was Hope, 00:43:05.901 --> 00:43:07.767 and the third one was Delta, 00:43:07.767 --> 00:43:10.400 so if you read the book, you will see 00:43:10.400 --> 00:43:12.901 I was able to use all three of those names in the book, 00:43:12.901 --> 00:43:17.167 so that was really fun to have kids help me come up with names 00:43:17.167 --> 00:43:21.501 for the dog characters in the book. 00:43:21.501 --> 00:43:26.534 -Our next question is from Zoe, and Zoe would like to know, 00:43:26.534 --> 00:43:30.300 "What's your favorite part of the 'Liberty' story?" 00:43:32.534 --> 00:43:35.334 -Well, I want to be careful 00:43:35.334 --> 00:43:37.033 because some of you might not have read it, 00:43:37.033 --> 00:43:38.801 but I think my favorite part -- 00:43:38.801 --> 00:43:40.767 I'll try to say this sort of in a way you -- 00:43:40.767 --> 00:43:43.267 It won't give anything away, but I think my favorite part 00:43:43.267 --> 00:43:48.501 is when Fish finally realizes that he is a very capable person 00:43:48.501 --> 00:43:52.434 and, in fact, has some skills that others don't have, 00:43:52.434 --> 00:43:53.834 and it's because of those skills 00:43:53.834 --> 00:43:56.501 that he can actually save Liberty. 00:43:56.501 --> 00:43:59.400 That part, when you get to it, if you haven't read it yet, 00:43:59.400 --> 00:44:01.567 always gives me a little chill. 00:44:04.467 --> 00:44:05.667 -All right. 00:44:05.667 --> 00:44:09.400 Our next question, let's see, from Bruce. 00:44:09.400 --> 00:44:10.734 Bruce would like to know, 00:44:10.734 --> 00:44:14.767 "What's the most challenging part of being a writer?" 00:44:16.968 --> 00:44:20.734 -Well, one challenging part is waiting nervously 00:44:20.734 --> 00:44:23.901 after you finished a book to see what readers think of it. 00:44:23.901 --> 00:44:26.000 That's a very challenging part. 00:44:26.000 --> 00:44:29.000 I think, for me, because my passion is historical fiction, 00:44:29.000 --> 00:44:33.133 it's to get all the information I feel I need 00:44:33.133 --> 00:44:37.133 in order to recreate another place in time accurately. 00:44:37.133 --> 00:44:39.534 Not that I don't ever make mistakes, 00:44:39.534 --> 00:44:42.133 but I try very hard not to make mistakes 00:44:42.133 --> 00:44:45.367 because I feel a big sense of responsibility to you guys. 00:44:45.367 --> 00:44:49.267 I don't want to put something in the story that's incorrect, 00:44:49.267 --> 00:44:53.501 and so I think that's a big challenge for me, 00:44:53.501 --> 00:44:56.200 is just making sure I have everything right, 00:44:56.200 --> 00:44:57.367 which brings me -- 00:44:57.367 --> 00:44:59.334 Shelby, do not apologize for the pronunciation 00:44:59.334 --> 00:45:02.801 because I'm from the northwest, and you are absolutely right. 00:45:02.801 --> 00:45:05.400 Camp Plauche has to be pronounced 00:45:05.400 --> 00:45:08.667 that way because it's French, so what a goofball I am, 00:45:08.667 --> 00:45:12.701 but I've only ever, you know, said it to myself, so... 00:45:12.701 --> 00:45:16.400 -We are definitely known for pronouncing words 00:45:16.400 --> 00:45:17.701 completely wrong here, 00:45:17.701 --> 00:45:20.834 so I was not sure if I was right or wrong. 00:45:20.834 --> 00:45:22.067 -I'm sure you were right 00:45:22.067 --> 00:45:24.367 because I never heard anyone say it to me. 00:45:24.367 --> 00:45:26.567 I only saw it -- You know, I only read it, 00:45:26.567 --> 00:45:28.601 but I think that illustrates something else 00:45:28.601 --> 00:45:30.634 that I love about writing. 00:45:30.634 --> 00:45:33.534 I learn something new every single day. 00:45:33.534 --> 00:45:34.634 You know? 00:45:34.634 --> 00:45:37.400 So that's the great part about it. 00:45:37.400 --> 00:45:38.534 -Okay. 00:45:38.534 --> 00:45:40.767 Ava and Colin would like to know 00:45:40.767 --> 00:45:43.567 how long it took to write the book 00:45:43.567 --> 00:45:47.133 and who your favorite character is. 00:45:47.133 --> 00:45:48.767 -Two really good questions. 00:45:48.767 --> 00:45:51.267 You know, I should remember how long it took me. 00:45:51.267 --> 00:45:54.434 I think "Liberty" ended up taking me a little over a year. 00:45:54.434 --> 00:45:57.567 I think it was about a year and a half to write, 00:45:57.567 --> 00:46:00.834 and I mentioned that I was only able to spend a few days -- 00:46:00.834 --> 00:46:04.601 It was one day at the World War II Museum in the archives there, 00:46:04.601 --> 00:46:07.901 and then I had two other days that I spent in other archives 00:46:07.901 --> 00:46:10.601 in historical museums and societies, 00:46:10.601 --> 00:46:14.133 so I really only had three days to research personally. 00:46:14.133 --> 00:46:16.868 So, "Liberty" is the first book I've ever done this with. 00:46:16.868 --> 00:46:20.868 I hired someone who lives in New Orleans. 00:46:20.868 --> 00:46:24.100 She has a Ph.D., and she helped me do research, 00:46:24.100 --> 00:46:25.968 and that's the first time I've ever done that, 00:46:25.968 --> 00:46:28.501 but I just couldn't get all my questions answered 00:46:28.501 --> 00:46:30.033 in three days, 00:46:30.033 --> 00:46:31.901 so that book took me a little bit longer 00:46:31.901 --> 00:46:35.767 just because there was some back and forth getting information. 00:46:35.767 --> 00:46:38.167 And then a favorite character -- Okay. 00:46:38.167 --> 00:46:43.367 Well, I think Mr. LaVache is a really good mean character. 00:46:43.367 --> 00:46:44.968 I really -- I kind of -- 00:46:44.968 --> 00:46:47.400 I mean, it sounds funny to say you like a mean character, 00:46:47.400 --> 00:46:49.868 but I thought he was a good bad guy, and -- 00:46:49.868 --> 00:46:51.801 But I think, of course, my favorite, 00:46:51.801 --> 00:46:54.000 well, two characters, right, are Fish and Olympia 00:46:54.000 --> 00:46:56.834 because I love stories that show kids 00:46:56.834 --> 00:47:00.434 that they can be empowered to do things and to make a difference, 00:47:00.434 --> 00:47:06.567 and I think both of those kids show us that through the story. 00:47:06.567 --> 00:47:07.801 -All right. 00:47:07.801 --> 00:47:10.868 The students at Pleasant Valley School in Ohio 00:47:10.868 --> 00:47:17.000 would like to know, "Do all of your books feature dogs?" 00:47:17.000 --> 00:47:19.334 -They do not. A lot of them do. 00:47:19.334 --> 00:47:20.734 I should have had this book out here. 00:47:20.734 --> 00:47:22.467 Let me see if I can grab it. 00:47:26.033 --> 00:47:29.834 So I have a new series out about a character 00:47:29.834 --> 00:47:33.300 named Audacity Jones, and Audacity's best friend -- 00:47:33.300 --> 00:47:35.033 This is the second one. 00:47:35.033 --> 00:47:38.300 Audacity's best friend and helper is a cat named Miniver, 00:47:38.300 --> 00:47:40.267 so I really am a pet lover, 00:47:40.267 --> 00:47:43.100 so probably there ends up being an animal 00:47:43.100 --> 00:47:45.000 in almost every one of my books. 00:47:45.000 --> 00:47:47.834 In fact, in this book, there's an elephant, 00:47:47.834 --> 00:47:52.634 so I just love animals. 00:47:52.634 --> 00:47:55.968 -Christian would like to know, "How do you make 00:47:55.968 --> 00:47:58.767 or choose your book covers?" 00:47:58.767 --> 00:48:01.300 -Oh, great question, Christian. 00:48:01.300 --> 00:48:05.067 Actually, I don't get to choose them. 00:48:05.067 --> 00:48:06.834 That is a -- There's a person who works 00:48:06.834 --> 00:48:08.868 for the publisher called an art director, 00:48:08.868 --> 00:48:11.934 and the art director decides what kind of look 00:48:11.934 --> 00:48:13.667 would be right for the book, 00:48:13.667 --> 00:48:17.901 and so in the case of the World War II 00:48:17.901 --> 00:48:20.067 "Liberty" book and "Dash" 00:48:20.067 --> 00:48:22.133 and "Duke," they do a photo shoot, 00:48:22.133 --> 00:48:25.400 so they hire kid actors to dress up in clothes 00:48:25.400 --> 00:48:28.334 from the World War II time period, 00:48:28.334 --> 00:48:30.901 and they also hire a dog actor, 00:48:30.901 --> 00:48:32.734 and they take photos of them together 00:48:32.734 --> 00:48:35.767 and then Photoshop it with, like, 00:48:35.767 --> 00:48:37.434 whatever they decide the color background 00:48:37.434 --> 00:48:39.901 will be and the title cover. 00:48:39.901 --> 00:48:42.501 They show it to me, and I can say, 00:48:42.501 --> 00:48:45.868 like, if I really hate something, they might tweak it, 00:48:45.868 --> 00:48:48.767 but honestly, they don't want my opinion about it 00:48:48.767 --> 00:48:51.167 because they're really good at what they do. 00:48:51.167 --> 00:48:52.667 I feel like I'm good at writing, 00:48:52.667 --> 00:48:55.334 but I don't think I would be so good at designing a cover. 00:48:55.334 --> 00:49:00.067 That's a real skill, so lucky for you, someone else does that. 00:49:00.067 --> 00:49:04.834 Otherwise, you might not want to pull my books off the shelf. 00:49:04.834 --> 00:49:06.267 -Okay. 00:49:06.267 --> 00:49:09.367 Our next question is from Sarah, and Sarah would like to know, 00:49:09.367 --> 00:49:11.400 "What are some of your favorite books 00:49:11.400 --> 00:49:15.367 for kids and young adults?" 00:49:15.367 --> 00:49:19.801 -Sarah, there's a really long list. 00:49:19.801 --> 00:49:23.033 Maybe would be easier if I told you some of my favorite authors. 00:49:23.033 --> 00:49:26.634 So, there's an author named Kimberly Brubaker Bradley 00:49:26.634 --> 00:49:30.734 who has "The War That Saved My Life" was the first book, 00:49:30.734 --> 00:49:33.033 and now she has a second title out, 00:49:33.033 --> 00:49:34.601 and I'm blanking on the title. 00:49:34.601 --> 00:49:36.601 "War" is also in the title. 00:49:36.601 --> 00:49:38.801 It was a really different look at World War II, 00:49:38.801 --> 00:49:41.033 and I love those books. 00:49:41.033 --> 00:49:45.100 A contemporary writer who writes contemporary stories 00:49:45.100 --> 00:49:47.467 that I love is Barbara O'Connor, 00:49:47.467 --> 00:49:49.634 and her latest book is called "Wish," 00:49:49.634 --> 00:49:52.534 which is just a fabulous book. 00:49:52.534 --> 00:49:54.501 I have a writer friend named Dave Patenaude 00:49:54.501 --> 00:49:56.634 who writes really exciting suspense 00:49:56.634 --> 00:50:00.033 and adventures stories that I love to read. 00:50:00.033 --> 00:50:02.901 I don't know if you've read Gennifer Choldenko's books 00:50:02.901 --> 00:50:05.167 about Al Capone on Alcatraz. 00:50:05.167 --> 00:50:07.767 Those are fabulous books. 00:50:07.767 --> 00:50:09.133 So, that'll give you an idea, 00:50:09.133 --> 00:50:11.834 but here is the great thing about my job, 00:50:11.834 --> 00:50:13.901 is that part of my job is reading, 00:50:13.901 --> 00:50:17.601 so every day I am reading someone else's book, 00:50:17.601 --> 00:50:19.968 so I learn more about writing that way, 00:50:19.968 --> 00:50:22.567 and so I get to read a lot of wonderful books, 00:50:22.567 --> 00:50:25.267 so that'll just give you a few ideas of people 00:50:25.267 --> 00:50:28.467 I admire and read. 00:50:28.467 --> 00:50:32.467 -Our next question is from Zach who is curious, 00:50:32.467 --> 00:50:35.067 "What was the most interesting thing 00:50:35.067 --> 00:50:39.100 you found in the museum's archives?" 00:50:39.100 --> 00:50:44.000 -Oh, okay, so Shelby sort of talked about this 00:50:44.000 --> 00:50:46.067 a tiny little bit, but I -- 00:50:46.067 --> 00:50:50.267 They kept all the newsletters that Higgins Industries put out, 00:50:50.267 --> 00:50:52.601 so they would do, like, a -- Now I can't quite remember 00:50:52.601 --> 00:50:54.334 if it was a weekly or a monthly newsletter, 00:50:54.334 --> 00:50:56.501 but a letter they would give out. 00:50:56.501 --> 00:50:58.834 Do you remember, Shelby, if it's a weekly or a monthly? 00:50:58.834 --> 00:50:59.968 -Wednesday. -I just -- 00:50:59.968 --> 00:51:02.200 -Worker Wednesday. -Worker Wednesday, 00:51:02.200 --> 00:51:04.334 so it was weekly, so they -- 00:51:04.334 --> 00:51:07.400 and those newsletters would be about things 00:51:07.400 --> 00:51:10.834 happening at the boatyard and later 00:51:10.834 --> 00:51:14.067 when they started building airplanes, 00:51:14.067 --> 00:51:18.868 or might feature, like, an employee of the month. 00:51:18.868 --> 00:51:23.567 So what I learned from there is even though that there were -- 00:51:23.567 --> 00:51:26.167 because I thought Mr. Higgins was so forward-thinking, 00:51:26.167 --> 00:51:29.033 that he had African-American employees, 00:51:29.033 --> 00:51:31.934 which was very, 00:51:31.934 --> 00:51:34.501 you know, that was sort of unusual for the time period, 00:51:34.501 --> 00:51:36.267 but he still was a man of the time 00:51:36.267 --> 00:51:37.634 because I read 00:51:37.634 --> 00:51:40.767 where if you wanted to apply for a job at Higgins 00:51:40.767 --> 00:51:42.501 and you were African-American, 00:51:42.501 --> 00:51:44.868 you had to go through a different door. 00:51:44.868 --> 00:51:46.567 You had to go, like, through a basement door 00:51:46.567 --> 00:51:48.767 to go apply for a job. 00:51:48.767 --> 00:51:50.501 And there -- 00:51:50.501 --> 00:51:56.100 I could not find any evidence of integrated work crews. 00:51:56.100 --> 00:51:58.667 It seemed like they were almost all segregated, 00:51:58.667 --> 00:52:01.968 so the African-Americans would be working on one line, 00:52:01.968 --> 00:52:05.667 and the white or other folks 00:52:05.667 --> 00:52:06.868 would be working on another line. 00:52:06.868 --> 00:52:09.567 So, that I got to see firsthand 00:52:09.567 --> 00:52:11.200 by digging around in the archives, 00:52:11.200 --> 00:52:12.701 and that was really interesting to me 00:52:12.701 --> 00:52:14.467 because I had sort of assumed 00:52:14.467 --> 00:52:17.868 since he was that forward thinking in some regards, 00:52:17.868 --> 00:52:22.701 he wouldn't go to that extreme, but he was a man of New Orleans, 00:52:22.701 --> 00:52:28.033 and that's just, sadly, how people were in that time period. 00:52:28.033 --> 00:52:29.767 -Yes. 00:52:29.767 --> 00:52:32.567 Our next question comes from Jayla 00:52:32.567 --> 00:52:37.567 who wants to know why you include history in your books. 00:52:37.567 --> 00:52:39.868 -Why not? 00:52:39.868 --> 00:52:42.133 You know, it's funny, Jayla, I actually -- 00:52:42.133 --> 00:52:45.567 When I was younger, I did not like history very much, 00:52:45.567 --> 00:52:48.868 but it seemed like when I had history, 00:52:48.868 --> 00:52:51.000 no one made it interesting like Shelby did. 00:52:51.000 --> 00:52:55.334 I would have to, like, memorize dates and battles and generals, 00:52:55.334 --> 00:52:57.634 and I just couldn't relate to it, 00:52:57.634 --> 00:52:59.067 so the honest truth is 00:52:59.067 --> 00:53:01.234 it wasn't until about the year 2000 00:53:01.234 --> 00:53:02.868 that I fell in love with history, 00:53:02.868 --> 00:53:08.467 and that's because my grandma told me a story about her mom 00:53:08.467 --> 00:53:11.400 homesteading as a young girl in eastern Montana 00:53:11.400 --> 00:53:12.968 during World War I. 00:53:12.968 --> 00:53:16.400 And that story just captivated my heart, 00:53:16.400 --> 00:53:18.100 and it ended up being the inspiration 00:53:18.100 --> 00:53:23.234 for the first historical novel I wrote called "Hattie Big Sky," 00:53:23.234 --> 00:53:24.868 and what I learned from writing that book 00:53:24.868 --> 00:53:28.968 is that history is not about dates and wars and generals. 00:53:28.968 --> 00:53:31.567 It is about people like you and me, 00:53:31.567 --> 00:53:35.767 and especially what people will do in tough times, 00:53:35.767 --> 00:53:37.467 and to me, that is fascinating. 00:53:37.467 --> 00:53:39.200 I've always been so -- 00:53:39.200 --> 00:53:41.801 Well, I guess I've been nosy about people, 00:53:41.801 --> 00:53:46.133 and so including history is a great way to be nosy, 00:53:46.133 --> 00:53:50.400 but I also think there's a lot we can learn about choices 00:53:50.400 --> 00:53:53.667 we might want to make now 00:53:53.667 --> 00:53:56.434 based on things we read about the past, 00:53:56.434 --> 00:54:00.834 so I feel like history just has good lessons for us, 00:54:00.834 --> 00:54:03.501 even now, today. 00:54:03.501 --> 00:54:05.534 Great question, Jayla. 00:54:05.534 --> 00:54:07.367 -That was a good question. 00:54:07.367 --> 00:54:09.367 Let's see. 00:54:09.367 --> 00:54:13.934 Bella, Brandon, and Christian, they want a sneak peek. 00:54:13.934 --> 00:54:17.734 They want to know what your next book is going to be about. 00:54:17.734 --> 00:54:20.200 -Okay, so I do have -- 00:54:20.200 --> 00:54:22.734 The fourth and final book in the World War II 00:54:22.734 --> 00:54:24.501 dog series is coming out. 00:54:24.501 --> 00:54:28.567 I don't have the cover, but maybe you're -- Let's see. 00:54:28.567 --> 00:54:31.400 I can't -- I don't know how I might do that. 00:54:31.400 --> 00:54:34.400 Maybe in some extra materials we could post it, 00:54:34.400 --> 00:54:37.634 or I could post something on my blog for the kids to see. 00:54:37.634 --> 00:54:41.767 It's a fabulous cover, and this book, 00:54:41.767 --> 00:54:43.200 they're doing it a little different, 00:54:43.200 --> 00:54:44.601 so it doesn't have a one name. 00:54:44.601 --> 00:54:47.133 The dog's name is not the title of the book, so -- 00:54:47.133 --> 00:54:49.634 It was up until about a month ago. 00:54:49.634 --> 00:54:53.400 So, this book is going to be called "Code Word Courage," 00:54:53.400 --> 00:54:57.367 and it is inspired by the over 400 men, 00:54:57.367 --> 00:55:01.801 Navajo men, who chose to help the United States 00:55:01.801 --> 00:55:04.701 even though our government treated them 00:55:04.701 --> 00:55:07.033 and treats them so terribly. 00:55:07.033 --> 00:55:10.534 They chose to help the United States in World War II, 00:55:10.534 --> 00:55:13.300 and the language that they had been forbidden 00:55:13.300 --> 00:55:15.000 to speak as children 00:55:15.000 --> 00:55:17.734 ended up being one of the key factors 00:55:17.734 --> 00:55:19.734 in our winning the wars in the Pacific, 00:55:19.734 --> 00:55:23.834 and so I was just so inspired by -- 00:55:23.834 --> 00:55:26.033 And, Shelby, you probably know what I'm talking about. 00:55:26.033 --> 00:55:28.334 The Navajo, they didn't call themselves the code talkers. 00:55:28.334 --> 00:55:33.234 They just called themselves radiomen or radio operators, 00:55:33.234 --> 00:55:35.434 but they were given the name code talkers later on, 00:55:35.434 --> 00:55:36.767 and those are the men 00:55:36.767 --> 00:55:39.133 that inspired this book called "Code Word Courage," 00:55:39.133 --> 00:55:42.067 and I'm really excited about it, so... 00:55:42.067 --> 00:55:43.634 -I'm very excited to read that, 00:55:43.634 --> 00:55:46.667 and we may be doing this again in the future. 00:55:46.667 --> 00:55:48.033 -I would love to. 00:55:48.033 --> 00:55:53.000 Yeah, and I have to say I got some help from two men, 00:55:53.000 --> 00:55:54.667 one who was a code talker. 00:55:54.667 --> 00:55:58.400 He's in his 90s now, and then one, the son of a code talker 00:55:58.400 --> 00:56:01.133 who read the whole manuscript for me to make sure 00:56:01.133 --> 00:56:04.567 I was being culturally accurate, 00:56:04.567 --> 00:56:06.501 and so yeah, 00:56:06.501 --> 00:56:10.334 I feel really excited for kids to read this book. 00:56:10.334 --> 00:56:12.534 -Well, I am looking forward to that, 00:56:12.534 --> 00:56:15.667 and we have time for one more question, 00:56:15.667 --> 00:56:18.100 and this one is from Hillary, 00:56:18.100 --> 00:56:20.901 and I think this is a good final question. 00:56:20.901 --> 00:56:22.267 Hillary wants to know, 00:56:22.267 --> 00:56:25.901 "Do you like teaching kids the importance of writing, 00:56:25.901 --> 00:56:28.901 and if you do, why?" 00:56:28.901 --> 00:56:31.834 -Well, Hillary, I actually think writing is essential 00:56:31.834 --> 00:56:33.834 to anything you're going to do in your life. 00:56:33.834 --> 00:56:36.801 My dad was a plumber, and he used to tell me 00:56:36.801 --> 00:56:38.000 how irritated he would get 00:56:38.000 --> 00:56:39.567 when people would write up work orders, 00:56:39.567 --> 00:56:41.734 and you couldn't understand what they wanted, 00:56:41.734 --> 00:56:43.467 so even for someone who's a plumber, 00:56:43.467 --> 00:56:46.367 you might not think that writing is an important skill. 00:56:46.367 --> 00:56:50.601 In every, every career you take on, 00:56:50.601 --> 00:56:51.901 writing is going to be critical 00:56:51.901 --> 00:56:53.868 because you need to communicate your ideas 00:56:53.868 --> 00:56:56.200 about something to another person, so -- 00:56:56.200 --> 00:56:58.601 And I like to teach kids about writing, 00:56:58.601 --> 00:57:00.601 but mostly how I teach kids about writing 00:57:00.601 --> 00:57:02.133 is by encouraging them to read. 00:57:02.133 --> 00:57:05.667 I think that is the best way to learn to be a good writer. 00:57:05.667 --> 00:57:09.567 So the more you read, the better you get at it. 00:57:09.567 --> 00:57:12.467 -Yes. So, thank you so much, Kirby. 00:57:12.467 --> 00:57:15.300 This was such a great time with you. 00:57:15.300 --> 00:57:18.868 I was so happy to hear about your research 00:57:18.868 --> 00:57:20.968 and just sharing that information with us 00:57:20.968 --> 00:57:23.234 because I did enjoy reading the book, 00:57:23.234 --> 00:57:25.601 and those of you that are watching with us 00:57:25.601 --> 00:57:27.467 at your schools or your homes, 00:57:27.467 --> 00:57:31.434 if you have not yet read the book, you can actually -- 00:57:31.434 --> 00:57:35.501 remember, you can pre-order it off of the museum's web store 00:57:35.501 --> 00:57:37.567 for a 20% discount. 00:57:37.567 --> 00:57:40.100 You're just going to use the link here on the slide 00:57:40.100 --> 00:57:41.400 that I'm showing you, 00:57:41.400 --> 00:57:43.601 and that's also included in the teacher guide 00:57:43.601 --> 00:57:44.901 that you were e-mailed, 00:57:44.901 --> 00:57:46.534 and that teacher guide is also 00:57:46.534 --> 00:57:49.434 in the handouts portion of the window. 00:57:49.434 --> 00:57:52.601 If you type in WEBINAR when you're ready to check out, 00:57:52.601 --> 00:57:55.567 you will receive a 20% discount. 00:57:55.567 --> 00:57:58.601 Thank you again, Kirby, for joining us today. 00:57:58.601 --> 00:58:01.567 Thank you to our audience for joining us today, 00:58:01.567 --> 00:58:05.834 and we hope to see everyone soon for our next student webinar. 00:58:05.834 --> 00:58:07.033 Bye. 00:58:07.033 --> 00:58:09.067 -Thanks, Shelby. Bye.