School Library Journal: For Children's, Young Adult and School Librarians

Read what two educational organizations--the School Library Journal and the Video Librarian--had to say about NOT IN OUR TOWN I AND II.

This is an affecting chronicle of the steps taken by the people of Billings, Montana to combat recent hate crimes in their community. It begins with a graphic description of several destructive activities by the white supremacists Aryan Congress who declared the five northwest states as its homeland. Included among its offenses were the desecration of a Jewish cemetery, the distribution of KKK fliers, the vandalization of a Native American home and the attempted interruption of religious services at an African American church. What follows is an in-depth portrait of the constructive steps taken in retaliation against this group by police, union, business, religious and social leaders and organizations to protect current and future victims in the area. Even the local newspaper, the Billings Gazette, became involved by printing full page menorahs for display in homes and offices after a brick was thrown through a six-year-old's window that had been featuring this symbol. The efforts by those involved led to the current cessation of hate crimes. The story is told effectively by narrator Will Durst, several hate crime targets, and a number of anti-hate crime organizers. Although no representatives from the Aryan Congress appears the account is balanced, diverse and impartial. It is a good source on this controversial topic for social science teachers and school and public librarians. - Rob Tench, Newport News Public Library, VA


Video Librarian
Not In Our Town: 3 1/2 Stars

When bitter tales of social ills infect the evening news and it's tempting to think human beings are heinous by nature, some good news goes along way. Not In Our Town is the moving story of how the residents of Billings, Montana dealt with gross displays of racism. In 1992, hate groups plastered slurs on the home of a Native American woman and hurled bricks through the window of a Jewish boy's bedroom. These acts might have been ignored. But smart activists mobilized the painters union to paint over the vandalism and asked the newspaper to print a full page image of a menorah for all to display in their windows. "We can erase the damaging words on the house," said one painter, " but how do you erase a child's memory?" The solidarity the residents showed - and the risk they took in supporting the victims- is genuinely inspiring. Cinematically, the story is simply told; the drama is inherent. One if the many pearls of wisdom uttered in this film is the idea that courageous responses themselves will not resolve racism, but the daily reinforcement that racist behavior is unacceptable will. Uplifting but not saccharine, this film is strongly recommended for general collections. (A Laker)