Freedom Summer

Children's Literature

The Civil Rights Movement required courage of the most sublime type. Faced with the violent opposition of racists in the South, the early Civil Rights workers took their very lives in hand when they set out to tear down the walls of oppression that dogged African Americans. In the early 1960s Civil Rights workers sat in "whites only" sections of restaurants. Other people chose to violate the rules that called for African Americans to ride only in the rear of busses. Some Civil Rights workers strove to register African Americans to vote and then monitored elections to make sure they had access to the electoral process. At every step of the way the Civil Rights advocates were met with violent opposition. It is the story of the initial stages of this vital movement that David Aretha tackles in this title in Morgan Reynolds' recent illustrated series. As is the case with other books in this series, Aretha does an excellent job of detailing the events, personalities, and stakes involved in this aspect of the American Civil Rights Movement. Reviewer: Greg M. Romaneck