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    Riot
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    Riot
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    Riot
    Audiobook2 hours

    Riot

    Written by Walter Dean Myers

    3.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    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 set on fire, 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.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateSep 22, 2009
    ISBN9780307583390
    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

    40 ratings10 reviews

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    • 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
      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
      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.
    • 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
      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.