The fight against injustice as explained by kids and to kids: the case of Non tacere

Abstract

Non tacere is a children’s book written by kids and published in 1971 by the Libreria Editrice Fiorentina. The authors of Non tacere are the pupils of Scuola 725, the popular school launched and run by Father Roberto Sardelli in the slums of Rome around Acquedotto Felice, from 1968 to 1973. The book decries the condition of profound poverty in which both the inhabitants of the slums and the poor of all class-based societies live. But it also offers a proposal to kids and teachers: the proposal of a school that teaches the strength of solidarity among the exploited and the oppressed and the importance of education and culture in the collective commitment to building a more just and fraternal society. The article illustrates the main aspects that characterize this rare col-lective writing experiment.