cover image Hector: A Boy, a Protest, and the Photograph That Changed Apartheid

Hector: A Boy, a Protest, and the Photograph That Changed Apartheid

Adrienne Wright. Page Street Kids, $18.99 (48p) ISBN 978-1-62414-691-6

Wright tells the true story behind the famed photograph taken of Hector Pieterson, a 12-year-old who was shot by police during a 1976 protest against apartheid in South Africa. Prior to the erupting discord and violence, it’s an ordinary weekend for Hector (“On Saturday afternoons, Hector and his friends love watching movies at the nearby church”). Readers gain clues about how the community is impacted by apartheid through a “non-whites only” sign that Hector and his friends adhere to. Sequential panels transition into spreads as he is drawn into a student march; soon, police gunfire erupts. Wright switches to Hector’s older sister Antoinette’s point of view as she witnesses the shooting amid tear gas. And the final chapter is told from the perspective of photographer Sam Nzima, who snaps a photograph of the child’s body being carried by a teenage boy. Wright’s deliberately paced, highly visual narrative captures a traumatic moment with piercing clarity and doesn’t shy from including the photograph upon which the story is based. Back matter further describes the complicated political circumstances that would result in the deaths of Hector and other innocent civilians. Ages 8–11. [em](June) [/em]