Pies from Nowhere: How Georgia Gilmore Sustained the Montgomery Bus Boycott

Romito focuses on little-known civil rights activist Georgia Gilmore, a cook at the National Lunch Company in segregated Montgomery, Ala. Inspired by Rosa Parks's refusal to give up her bus seat and the subsequent bus boycott, Gilmore organized a group of women to cook and sell food in their neighborhoods ("People always had to eat. So I made pies"). The proceeds secretly helped fund the boycott. Romito emphasizes how their venture came with risks; to protect the buyers and makers, Gilmore had people pay in cash and refused to divulge the names of the cooks and bakers, saying, "It came from nowhere." Freeman creates bold compositions comprising the food, its makers, and even Martin Luther King Jr., who assisted Gilmore in starting her own cooking business. Romito concludes with the news of the Supreme Court outlawing bus segregation--followed by a suggestion that more work was to be done: "Georgia Gilmore kept right on cooking." Ages 6-9. (Nov.)

K-Gr 3—Romito retells the life story of Georgia Gilmore, a woman whose pies and delicious homemade cooking helped sustain the Montgomery bus boycott. Nicknamed "the Club from Nowhere," Gilmore along with a team of women risked their jobs to build a network wherein people from the community could financially aid the boycott through the purchase of her pies (Gilmore donated her profits to the Montgomery Improvement Association). The book ends with the Supreme Court decision that segregation on buses is unconstitutional and Gilmore is shown continuing to bake—as the fight for civil rights would wage on. The text emphasizes for young readers how important Gilmore's contributions were to the civil rights movement, including her work with Martin Luther King Jr. and her testimony in court on discrimination on buses. Bold and richly colored illustrations give life to Gilmore and her iconic pies. The detailed back matter, which includes Gilmore's recipe for homemade pound cake, makes this picture book a well-rounded nonfiction read. VERDICT A winning addition to libraries that serve young readers.—Molly Dettmann, Norman North High School, OK