Miriam

Uni. High School 1212 W. Springfeild Ave. Urbana, IL 61801 September 30,2008

Marc Aronson Author of //Race// Athaneum Books New York,New York

Dear Mr. Aronson,

 Thank you for writing //Race//. It was an excellent read and there were very good things about it. There were also some things I had questions about. One thing I found good about your book was that it kept me interested and was understandable. Something I didn’t like was the change you made from not opinionated to very opinionated then back. I noticed that in the beginning of the book you gave us the information and lots of different views on it. Then, you put your opinion out there and it kept changing dramatically. Something I liked was that it didn’t feel like I was reading a textbook assigned in class. I felt like you and I were having a conversation because of the way you wrote it. This made the history of race fun to read about. I also liked the illustrations because for me, it put the text into perspective. A question I had was why you didn’t add a lot on Hispanics because like the other racial groups they have a story also. On passage I didn’t like was on pages 208-209 about how much you resent the Germans. I understand because you are Jewish, and like in the book, sometimes you are prejudice towards others because they were prejudice toward you, but not all Germans believed in the Nazis. This section was to me very “extreme.” Something else I liked was the way you started the book. I liked it because the story about you and your son going to the community pool showed the reality of race, and that all of us can be prejudice. I think the thing I will remember the most about your book is the word //pariwat//, meaning stranger or enemy. This word stuck in my mind because it really was the beginning to thinking //he looks different, so he is not as good as I am.// I really liked reading your book, it was informative and enlightening. Thank you again, we are very excited to see you! Sincerely,

Miriam Ferede