Riot

Written by Walter Dean Myers

During the Civil War, the Union starts a draft, but there's a catch--wealthy people can pay to get out of it. That leaves the poor, as well as new immigrants, left to fight. The Irish were particularly hard hit. During the hot summer in New York, the Irish rebelled, taking out their frustrations on the black community. As the city burns, 14-year-old Claire, the daughter of an Irish mother and a black father, ventures out into the streets to help a friend. She was unaware that in the current climate, she was putting herself in harm's way.