Courage Has No Color: The True Story of the Triple Nickles by Tanya Lee Stone

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Bibliographic Information:

Courage Has No Color: The True Story of the Triple Nickles (America's First Black Paratroopers)  

by Tanya Lee Stone

ISBN: 978-0763651176

2013 Candlewick Somerville, MA

Plot Summary:

This book begins by putting the reader in the place of paratroopers in training for World War II.

The black paratroopers were only allowed to train after the white troops were finished for the day. Some trainees noticed the black soldiers drive and hard work and began to embrace their training.

When the paratroopers were through with their training, they waited for orders to join the fight against Hitler. 

Instead, they were sent to fight forest fires in the Northwest as smoke jumpers. The black paratroopers worked hard and followed their orders, but they remained segregated and the respect they had earned in training had to be re-earned in their new assignment.

Meanwhile, Americans were turning on Japanese Americans in a misplaced anger over Pearl Harbor. The Japanese Americans looked like the enemy and they were interned. The passion of the Japanese to serve their country resonated with the Black Paratroopers and they served honorably in Pendleton.

The connection was that the Japanese bombs they sent to start fires on the west coast of the US were starting the fires that the Triple Nickles were fighting. This honorable service was not recognized in the press, in an act of subterfuge to undermine the Japanese belief in their tactics.

Critical Evaluation:

The language in this non-fiction book is direct. There is emotion behind the stories, but the facts are not affected by them.

The history is woven together with the feelings of fear and pride of the various cultures in the United States. The feelings of pride that Japanese Americans were trying to maintain while they were being interned is connected to the pride the black paratroopers were building as they worked to serve their country.

Booklist says the writing is clear and authoritative and the photos illustrating the story add to the story. The story is clear, written in the tone of history. These are facts, not emotions.

At times, the fact that the fires were not being widely reported undermined the idea that the Triple Nickles were fighting fires caused by Japanese balloon bombs. Their firefighting was still courageous and this book clearly expresses their valor.

These men earned their place in history and this book succinctly illustrates that.

Reader’s Annotation:

The courage of these paratroopers shines as they fight the unreported attacks on the US during WWII.

Author Information:

Tanya Lee Stone studied English at Oberlin College and was an editor of children's nonfiction for many years. She also has a Masters Degree. She teaches writing at Champlain College.

After many years as an editor, Tanya moved to Vermont and returned to writing. This award-winning author has written titles that include the young adult novel, A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl (Wendy Lamb/Random House), Up Close: Ella Fitzgerald (Viking),  picture books Elizabeth Leads the Way (Holt 2008), Sandy's Circus (Viking 2008), and Who Says Women Can't Be Doctors? (Holt 2013) and narrative nonfiction Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream (Candlewick 2009), The Good, the Bad, and the Barbie (Viking 2010), and Courage Has No Color (Candlewick 2013). A new picture book about Jane Addams called The House that Jane Built (Holt 2014) is forthcoming. 

Retrieved from http://www.tanyastone.com/bio.html on 8/5/2015

Genre(s):

Non-fiction, Black History

Curriculum Ties: Black History Month

Booktalk Ideas: Booktalks about Black History, segregation, and prejudice.

Reading level: Grade 5+

Interest age: 10+

Challenge Issues: No apparent challenge issues.

Why I chose this book:

This book was recommended on audiobooksync.com and was a YALSA excellence in non-fiction finalist.