Real Justice: Jailed for Life for Being Black

The Story of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter

From the Series Lorimer Real Justice

  • Interest Level: Grade 9 - Grade 12
  • Reading Level: Grade 5

Rubin Carter was in and out of reformatories and prisons from the age of twelve. At twenty-four, he became a winning professional boxer and was turning his life around. But Carter was also very vocal about racism in the local New Jersey police force. In 1966, local policemen arrested Carter and a friend for a triple murder. The two were convicted and sent to jail for life. Carter spent nearly twenty years in jail, proclaiming his innocence.

A teen from Brooklyn, Lesra Martin, heard Carter’s story and believed he was innocent. He and a small group of Canadians contacted Carter and began working with Carter’s lawyers in New York to get the boxer exonerated. In 1985, a judge released Carter, ruling that Carter’s conviction had been based not on evidence, but on racism.

Carter moved to Canada in 1985, where until his death in 2014 he worked helping others prove that they had been wrongfully convicted.

Distributed in the U.S by Lerner Publishing Group

Format Your Price Add
978-1-4594-0665-0
$12.95
978-1-4594-0667-4
$65.99
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Interest Level Grade 9 - Grade 12
Reading Level Grade 5
Genre High/Low, Social Studies, Young Adult
Copyright 2014
Publisher James Lorimer and Company Ltd., Publishers
Imprint Lorimer Children & Teens
Language English
Number of Pages 144
Publication Date 2016-09-01
Text Type Narrative Nonfiction
BISACS YAN006120, YAN051180, YAN031000
Dewey 340
Graphics 1-color illustrations
Dimensions 5.5 x 8.5
Lexile 760
Features Teaching Guides

Author: Bill Swan

Bill Swan is the author of nine Sports Stories novels and another Real Justice title on Steven Truscott, which won the 2013 Red Maple Non Fiction Award. Bill lives in Courtice, Ontario.

Lerner eSource™ offers free digital teaching and learning resources, including Common Core State Standards (CCSS) teaching guides. These guides, created by classroom teachers, offer short lessons and writing exercises that give students specific instruction and practice using Common Core skills and strategies. Lerner eSource also provides additional resources including online activities, downloadable/printable graphic organizers, and additional educational materials that would also support Common Core instruction. Download, share, pin, print, and save as many of these free resources as you like!

Lorimer Real Justice

True stories of wrongfully convicted youths who eventually clear their names. These high/low biographies feature compelling storylines, a readable page layout, photos, a glossary and a timeline to appeal to reluctant readers. They are perfect for sparking meaningful discussions on… View available downloads →