Literature Links: Ruth and the Green Book

Elementary teacher librarian and former teacher in residence at the Library of Congress, Tom Bober (@CaptainLibrary), details a plan for pairing primary source analysis with the book, Ruth and the Green Book by Calvin Alexander Ramsey, to help students make connections to history and geography. In his post on Knowledge Quest from the American Association of School Librarians, Tom also says the activities will help students to “look at the experiences of African Americans prior to the passage of Civil Rights laws”. Read the post, Pairing Picture Books and Primary Sources: Ruth and the Green Book, by Calvin Alexander Ramsey, then take a look at the additional primary sources and related resources listed below.

Additional primary sources

• The Negro motorist Green-book 1936
• The Negro motorist Green-book 1937-1941, 1947-1950 New York Public Library Digital Collections
• The Negro travelers’ green book 1958
• The Negro travelers’ green book 1952-1957, 1959 New York Public Library Digital Collections
• Print Tourist Guide The Detroit Tribune (Detroit, Mich.) 09 Nov. 1946
• Directory Aids Negro Travelers The Detroit Tribune (Detroit, Mich.) 25 May 1957
• Geo. Gaddy Named Regional Head of Traveler Magazine The Detroit Tribune (Detroit, Mich.) 26 July 1952
• Unique Guide Aids Negro Travelers The Detroit Tribune (Detroit, Mich.) 03 June 1961
• The Green Book – Documenting African American Entrepreneurs: Archie Green Fellows Project, 2018 to 2019 oral histories
• The Green Book Library of Congress Magazine, July/August 2021, p. 3
• The Green Book and African American Travel with Candacy Taylor podcast | transcript

Related resources

• Literature Links: To Kill a Mockingbird
• Primary Source Spotlight: Civil Rights
• More ideas for teaching with primary sources from Tom Bober
• Looking Back: Outstanding Blog Posts from Former Teacher in Residence Tom Bober Teaching with the Library of Congress blog September 6, 2016