Bridges, Ruby. 1999. Through my eyes. New York: Scholastic Press. ISBN: 0-590-18923-9.
Through My Eyes was the Orbis Pictus award-winner in 2000. The book is a collection of articles and interviews compiled and edited by Margo Lundell. The goal of the book is to provide the reader with the background and context of the Ruby Bridges story and to some extent the Civil Rights movement. It accomplishes that goal in many ways: Ruby Bridges shares her memories about her family, childhood, and the school year that changed her life; Barbara Henry, Ruby�s teacher, shares her memories about that school year; historical photographs, paintings, and drawings are prominently displayed�in many ways, these photographs are more powerful in telling the story than the words themselves; applicable quotes and excerpts are shared throughout the text�these quotes are gathered from newspaper and magazine articles, books, and interviews.
Through My Eyes is well-organized. The book is arranged into twenty-three sections. Each section is two to three pages in length and includes an account by Ruby Bridges, one or more photographs or other illustrations, captions, and quotes. For example, the first section is entitled Born in the Deep South. Ruby Bridges shares her earliest memories of growing up in the South. She fondly remembers her grandparents who were sharecroppers in Mississippi. The accompanying photograph is of workers picking cotton. The accompanying quote is by Ruby�s mother, Lucille Bridges. Sharecropping is hard work. On the day before Ruby was born, I carried 90 pounds of cotton on my back. I wanted a better life for Ruby (7). This two-page spread is typical of the layout and organization of the book. Each section provides the reader a background for either Ruby�s personal story or for the Civil Rights movement�often it does both. For example, in the section entitled November 14, 1960 Ruby Bridges recalls her first day of school at William Frantz Public School. The photograph on page seventeen shows the angry crowd�including many highschoolers�who were protesting integration outside the school. The crowd is full of anger and hate; many are holding signs. The quotes included are from The New York Times and Good Housekeeping. While these are very central to the Ruby Bridges story, they also are very central to the Civil Rights movement.
Through My Eyes also has a very reader-friendly layout. The sections are short powerful vignettes of the larger story. It is a combination of aptly chosen photographs and other illustrations with well-written text. Who better can tell the story than Ruby Bridges herself? Another reader-friendly feature is that the key elements of the story can be picked up by browsing�looking at the photographs and captions and reading the quotes. The photographs are the heart and soul of this book. Without the photographs, the story simply could not be told as powerfully. My favorite illustration is on page twenty-five. It is a painting entitled The Problem We All Live With by Norman Rockwell. It shows Ruby Bridges walking into school accompanied by U.S. Marshals.
Through My Eyes is a wonderful book that tells about a personally moving and historically significant event. Ruby Bridges story is told through her own words and the words of those around her � her teacher, her psychologist, her family, and the historical sources of the time.