In the 1960s, racial violence and voting restrictions for Black residents in the South were largely ignored by people in other regions of the country. But in 1964, a coalition led by activist Robert Moses aimed to change that by training college students from northern states and sending them into Mississippi that summer to teach reading to Black residents, train them to take an active role in the civil rights movement, and encourage voter registration. While several excellent books on Freedom Summer are available for young people, this one is well worth adding to library collections. Nnachi offers a framework for understanding the conditions in Mississippi that led to the Freedom Summer initiative as well as its most significant events, their repercussions, and what was accomplished. The concise narrative, presented in wide-spaced lines, and its juxtaposition with pertinent archival photos are particularly helpful to readers seeking an informative overview of the topic. Throughout the book, sidebars introduce key figures in the civil rights movement, including a few lesser-known leaders. A well-designed, informative introduction to Freedom Summer.--Carolyn Phelan "Booklist"

Publisher: Capstone Press

Pub date: 2024-01-01

Length: 32 pages