Tears of Laughter: Historical Importance and Joy in Ruth and the Green Book

Ruth and the Green Book, illustrated by Floyd Cooper and written by Calvin Alexander Ramsey, is a historical fiction book that tells the story of a young girl who goes on a cross-country roadtrip with her family through the Jim Crow south. After being denied service and accommodation, an Esso station worker gives her family a copy of The Negro Motorist Green Book, a guide that allowed Black travelers to locate safe and accommodating establishments in hostile areas. While the book’s historical landscape is authentic and doesn’t shy away from the realities of mid century American Black experience, it does so with a child’s perspective and a levity that brings joy to the tale as well.

Jonda McNair argues that there will always be a need for biographies of notable Black figures in history, primarily “because social studies/history curricula often gloss over major ideas, events, and people in African American history, the idea seemingly that our contributions are less significant in the grand history of the United States” (McNair). While Ruth and the Green Book is not a biography, it highlights the achievement of Victor H. Green in the creation and dissemination of the Green Book. The choice to write a historical fiction from the first person perspective of a child, and for Cooper’s illustration to give special attention to the child’s perspective allows young readers to learn and engage with a piece of history that may not be present in a classroom while also “celebrating the mundane” (McNair). A particularly brilliant image of this can be found as a doublespread that takes place on the front porch of the Palm Leaf Inn. Ruth and her mother are sitting with other patrons, listening to stories and getting to know one another. In her arms, Ruth holds theGreen Book to her chest. This illustration depicts glorious, mundane Black joy alongside the work of a successful and important figure of Black history, beautifully marrying the vital work of telling Black truths with giving Black children books that they can see themselves in.

Works Cited

Cooper, Floyd. Ruth and the Green Book. Written by Calvin Alexander Ramsey. Carolrhoda Books 2010.

McNair, Jonda. “Reflections on Black Children’s Literature” The Horn Book, online post, 7/23/2018.

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