Medgar and Myrlie: Medgar Evers and the Love Story That Awakened America

by Joy-Ann Reid

#1 New York Times Bestseller

“Medgar Evers deserves a place alongside Malcolm X and Dr. King in our historical memory. Evers, with Myrlie as his partner in activism and in life, was doing civil rights work in the single most hostile and dangerous environment in America.”—from Medgar and Myrlie

By MSNBC's Joy-Ann Reid, a triumphant work of biography that repositions slain Civil Rights pioneer Medgar Evers at the heart of America's struggle for freedom, and celebrates Myrlie Evers's extraordinary activism after her husband's assassination in the driveway of their Mississippi home.

"I love this book. The empathic, brilliant, and wise Joy Reid has brought us the poignant, fascinating inside story of Medgar and Myrlie Evers, transformational leaders who confronted pure evil and risked their lives to ensure that all American children might grow up in a United States that was more just. As Reid shows us, that painful task is now more urgent than ever.” — Michael Beschloss

Myrlie Louise Beasley met Medgar Evers on her first day of college. They fell in love at first sight, married just one year later, and Myrlie left school to focus on their growing family.

Medgar became the field secretary for the Mississippi branch of the NAACP, charged with beating back the most intractable and violent resistance to black voting rights in the country. Myrlie served as Medgar’s secretary and confidant, working hand in hand with him as they struggled against public accommodations and school segregation, lynching, violence, and sheer despair within their state’s “black belt.” They fought to desegregate the intractable University of Mississippi, organized picket lines and boycotts, despite repeated terroristic threats, including the 1962 firebombing of their home, where they lived with their three young children.

On June 12, 1963, Medgar Evers became the highest profile victim of Klan-related assassination of a black civil rights leader at that time; gunned down in the couple’s driveway in Jackson. In the wake of his tragic death, Myrlie carried on their civil rights legacy; writing a book about Medgar’s fight, trying to win a congressional seat, and becoming a leader of the NAACP in her own right.

In this groundbreaking and thrilling account of two heroes of the civil rights movement, Joy-Ann Reid uses Medgar and Myrlie’s relationship as a lens through which to explore the on-the-ground work that went into winning basic rights for Black Americans, and the repercussions that still resonate today. 

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, Politics, Audiobook, Race, Social Justice

350 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 6, 2024

About the author

Joy-Ann Reid is a national correspondent for MSNBC, and was previously the host of "The Reid Report," a daily program that offered Reid's distinctive analysis and insight on the day's news. Before that, Reid was the Managing Editor of theGrio.com, a daily online news and opinion platform devoted to delivering stories and perspectives that reflect and affect African-American audiences. Reid joined theGrio.com with experience as a freelance columnist for the Miami Herald and as editor of the political blog The Reid Report. She is a former talk radio producer and host for Radio One, and previously served as an online news editor for the NBC affiliate WTVJ in Miramar, FL.

During the 2004 presidential campaign, Reid served as the Florida deputy communications director for the 527 "America Coming Together" initiative, and was a press aide in the final stretch of President Barack Obama's Florida campaign in 2008. Reid's columns and articles have appeared in the Miami Herald, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, South Florida Times and Salon.com. She is currently producing a documentary, "The Fight Years," which takes a look at the sport of boxing during the 1950s and 1960s in Miami.

Reid graduated from Harvard University in 1991 with a concentration in film, and is a 2003 Knight Center for Specialized Journalism fellow. She currently resides in Brooklyn with her husband and family.

Reviews

[Vanessa M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been reading Black American history and books about the Civil Rights movement. I have not come across many mentions of Medgar Evers. When Reid's book was published I leapt at the chance to read it.

Reid focuses on Mr. Evers and his wife Myrlie Evers-Williams' work in the movement. She begins with their individual biographical information and then expands into their story of meeting one another and falling in love. Together, they worked extremely hard to bring about a change in Mississippi for Blacks to be seen as equal persons. Ms. Evers-Williams was also raising three children. She would cook meals and entertain other leaders and members of the movement in their home.

They, like so many others, just wanted equal opportunities for their community, for their children. Mr. Medgar was on death lists and they endured threats and acts of violence, such as a firebomb being thrown into their carport and their home shot.

Ms. Myrlie became a widow at the age of 30. Mr. Medgar was gunned down in front of his own home.

Reid continues the love story in the aftermath of that assassination. Ms. Evers' love for her husband spurred her to continue the important work of civil rights.

In the 1990s justice was finally served--the assassin Beckwith was convicted in 1994.

Love reigned throughout Ms. Ever-Williams' life--in her activist work and in her family and the communities she was a part of.

I was very much moved by the strength and grace of Myrlie Evers-Williams.

[Tim Null · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was introduced to Medgar Evers decades ago in the Bob Dylan song titled Only A Pawn In The Game. It was included in Dylan's 1964 album titled The Times They Are a-Changin'. The lyrics to that song begins with Medgar Evers murder: "A bullet from the back of a bush / Took Medgar Evers' blood" Dylan's song explained that Medgar Evers' assassin "was only a pawn in the game" who had been played by the rich and powerful.

At the time of Medgar Evers assassination, I regularly watched CBS national news with Walter Cronkite, but I don't recall any mention of either Evers or the first two trials of his assassin. I do recall mention of the Freedom Riders. However, those stories focused on the Northern white college students who participated. I'm thankful Dylan moved Medgar Evers name to the forefront of my brain.

Recently, Joy-Ann Reid was fired by a relatively new president at MSNBC, Rebecca Kutler. Reid's last telecast of The Reidout was on February 24, 2025. Like many of Joy-Ann Reid's fans, I have only animosity and hate for Rebecca Kutler. However, using Dylan's logic, I should realize she was just a pawn in a game, and she was played by the rich and powerful.

To further explore the game and the players in the game, my next Joy-Ann Reid book will be The Man Who Sold America. It's a book about Donald Trump. It was published in 2020 and doesn't include recent events.

Joy-Ann Reid's Medgar & Myrlie book is a marvelous love story full of American history. It's highly recommended for readers who enjoy love stories or American history and biographies. If you enjoy all three, you definitely should read it.

Quotes:

Myrlie said, "I can't explain it other than to say it was a blessed relationship. Did we have problems? You bet we did. And those problems arose around his work in the civil rights movement. It was not that I did not support him, but I was fearful all the time for his life. Medgar was the love of my life, and the father of my children. And I knew that if he continued to pursue civil rights justice and equality, and certainly at that time, that his life would be taken from him." (p. 85)

"When I'm gone, I'm gone, and I won't know anything about it, [Medgar] said. (p. 211)

"In faraway Washington," [Roy] Wilkins said bitterly, "the Southern system has its outpost in the Congress of the United States. They helped put the man behind the deadly rifle. The killer must have thought he had, if not immunity, then certainly a protection for whatever he chose to do."

In a July 1968 interview with Esquire, James Baldwin summarized America's situation bluntly. "For me, it's been Medgar. Then Malcolm. Then Martin." (p. 260)

Medgar Evers said, "You can kill a man, but you can't kill an idea." (p. 293)

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Medgar Evers is the forgotten Civil Rights hero. Medgar doesn't get the attention he deserves. Obviously Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X have taken on well deserved mythical status but some reason Medgar gets left out. The 1960's were drenched in blood and Medgar was the first assassination of that violent decade. Medgar was gunned down in his front yard in June 1963 by a racist piece of shit. His wife Myrlie and their 2 oldest children came out and saw him die. In the aftermath a Mississippi mayor said "Maybe now the niggers will remember their place" It would take 30 years to get justice and had it not been for Myrlie that justice would not have been served.

Myrlie met Medgar in her first week at college, she was 17 and she knew that Medgar was special. The old saying Behind Every Powerful Man Stands A Powerful Woman. Is definitely true with Medgar and Myrlie. I don't think we realize just how stressful and difficult it was to be married to a civil rights leader. Myrlie was scared everyday of her marriage that her husband would be murdered and after he was murdered she didn't have time to grieve because she had to become a leader now. I think my favorite part of this book was learning about the friendship between Myrlie, Betty Shabazz and Coretta Scott King, the widows of Malcolm X and MLK Jr. These women were the only people on Earth who knew what the other had been through and I loved hearing about that sisterhood.

I loved this book but it was a hard read. Medgar was such a great person and knowing that he was murdered for trying to make America better. Medgar died for his country...a country that didn't even see him as a full person. Myrlie kept up that fight. She not only kept his name alive but she became a civil rights icon in her own right.

I've been a fan of Medgar Evers since I saw the movie Ghosts of Mississippi at 9 years old. That movie is about Medgar's murder and Myrlie's fight to put his assassin in prison. I probably shouldn't have watched that young but my mom thought it was important that I know what my country was really like. My mom said Land of the free, home of the brave was just PR and I needed to know how evil and violent my country is. If this country is less evil and violent it is because of people like Medgar Evers and his wife Myrlie Evers Williams.

A Must Read!

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Mariner Books, Cocoa Chapters, Joy-Ann Reid for gifting this book.

I knew I would love this book from the moment I read the first passage.

💫🤎🖤 “ The thing about love is that it has no chill. It takes no prisoners and makes no exceptions for the times or the environment or the dangers ahead. It has no situational awareness, particularly when it is true and intense and existential. At its best it is fearless. Love is why this book is.”

As a history buff, I was hooked, and as a southern Black American, I was inspired yet heartbroken. Medgar Evers was born on July 2, 1925, and assassinated on June 12, 1963. He served his country in World War II from 1943 - 1945. After the war, Medgar enrolled in Alcorn University, where he met the love of his life, Myrlie Beasley, and the two married in 1951. Despite the discrimination he faced, Medgar loved his home state of Mississippi and wanted equal opportunities for his family. He believed that by bringing change to Mississippi, the entire country could be transformed. However, the cause he took up became the third wheel in his marriage with Myrlie and eventually consumed their lives. Medgar was marked for death, but he was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for social justice. He and Myrlie knew their love story would eventually end in tragedy.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joy-Ann Reid’s account of the enormous strides made in civil rights legislation/history thanks to Medgar and Myrlie Evers is a fascinating, beautiful and inspiring story.

As is often the case with great progress made in history, however, these inspiring gains nearly always come with heartbreaking, devastating losses. It’s not the easiest read, nor would I imagine anyone would expect it to be as such.

Making books such as this one along with the most recent King biography by Jonathan Eig should indeed be required reading in schools for Black history and civil rights struggles throughout America. Telling people that people were racist isn’t enough in these polarizing times.

But show them these books written in these powerful words, these books which describe - quite graphically - Mississippi lynchings, particularly the lynching of Emmett Till - and undoubtedly more will begin to recognize the importance of equality and how so much of American institutions at large have been doing so much to either undermine it (at worst) or simply ignore it (at best).

It certainly had quite a few moments that nearly moved me to tears… I dare say I may have even become a bit misty-eyed (a big deal for me as I rarely ever cry at books, movies, etc… no matter the topic). It’s not that I don’t feel pain internally, I’m just not always the best at exhibiting it externally.

It’s just the way in which Medgar Evers had been so clearly marked by Mississippi’s Klan for assassination, how he knew and was warned about the likelihood of his death by many colleagues, the way he just dismissed the threats and continued to make headways for the equality in the Black community, in perhaps the South’s most anti-integrationist state.

He didn’t dismiss it out of belief it wouldn’t happen, he dismissed it as something that was inevitable, something he knew would happen if he were to continue on his path to serve the movement. That’s true bravery and valor, although you can’t help but feel terrible for these Civil Rights leaders’ wives (Myrlie Evers and Coretta Scott King is who I’m referencing right now).

They were both incredibly intellectually gifted in their own right, much of what drew their powerful husbands toward them early on in life, before they became household names. This makes me all the more angry that their ambitions had to be quelled in order to support those of their husbands, who benefited immensely by having someone to do all of the unpaid, unrecognized work: childcare, cooking, cleaning, pressing suits, waiting up late nights for their husbands whom they knew might never return any given night.

I took a star off (but would still rate it at a 4.5 if I could) because I really don’t know if I truly saw it as a “love story” as it was intended to be written as such. It doesn’t speak nearly enough about the relationship itself, aside from some arguments between the couple - with ensuing compromises or reluctant acceptance on Myrlie’s end. It’s more of two stories in one: the beginning, about Medgar’s work while Myrlie worried endlessly and took care of the household and children, and the end, after Medgar was killed and Myrlie became an activist in her own right.

It’s certainly at its most powerful moment when Medgar is shot by an avowed segregationist, a Klansman who had been tailing Medgar for months before ultimately ending his very young life in a very violent way - he was shot while getting out of the car at home, and Myrlie was actually forced to watch her husband in his last moments, his blood literally running down her hands at she faced a crowd of white police and onlookers.

The same police who did absolutely nothing for him in his time of need, when he needed the most protection, yet spent countless hours and resources harassing him and following him to “check up on his activities.” His murderer escaped justice twice thanks to a jury of all white men (jury of your peers, indeed) and wasn’t brought to justice until 1994, 31 years later , after the murderer did enough bragging to people he met, including trying to sell his “story” and “accomplishment” to book publishers.

I cannot imagine knowing your husband, someone who did such beautiful and inspiring work, lost his life just before his 38th birthday, to such a hateful and sickening individual, who was just walking free, and managed to live to be 80 years of age, spending only the last seven years of his life in prison for the murder (five other years were spent in a federal prison due to some charges of him carrying explosives, I believe in the 70s).

Anyway, I’d better start wrapping this up. I just think it’s so incredibly tragic that he was murdered this way just sixty years ago, but also that Myrlie Evers didn’t appear to be of use to the NAACP, CORE, the SCLC, SNCC, and other civil rights organizations until she became “Medgar Evers’s widow”. At that point her appearances and speaking engagements became invaluable to the cause.

She certainly had much more she could have contributed to the cause before his death, but the misogyny throughout these organizations (much like everywhere else in America) ran deep. I often wonder how much further the movement might have progressed in the 50s and 60s had women been allowed to occupy higher positions of power within the most influential organizations.

None of it makes much sense to me, because women are often conditioned by society from their earliest years to be great organizers, great at working together and seeing that everyone is satisfied. So it’s more than a little infuriating to read about some of the men making a mess of organizational funds, losing their respect as leaders through sexual and/or financial scandals - and still rarely conceding any authority to women who never, if perhaps rarely, seem to run into these problems.

Highly recommend. Medgar Evers certainly deserves to have his name up there with MLK, Jr., John Lewis, Malcolm X, W.E.B Du Bois, Stokely Carmichael, etc., as one of history’s legendary figures. I give Reid much credit for bringing both Medgar and Myrlie back into the picture to receive their due respect.

[Alison Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know people say perfection doesn't exist, but this book comes about as close as can be.

This was absolutely wonderful and in my opinion a crucial addition to civil rights literature. The author mentions her friendship with Myrlie Evers-Williams, and you can tell on every page how dedicated she was to giving this story the care and consideration and love it deserved. The narrative feel and the inclusion of Mrs. Evers-Williams' comments directly from their conversations make it feel so intimate and personal, like you were listening to your grandmother or aunt telling you the story of her life. Yet it is also brimming with meticulous historical detail and important context, as well as giving Medgar Evers the attention his life merited but has not always received. As a white child growing up in a very white suburban town, I don't think I learned anything about him at all until I was in junior college, and even then, very little. We learn about MLK, although still a very abbreviated version, and that's about it when it comes to the Civil Rights Movement. Beginning as a young adult and still now in middle age, I tried to educate myself on the movement and the other people involved, and it is books like Ms. Reid's that are absolutely paramount in that effort.

I really appreciated how she wove together the personal story of these two figures with the wider story of their work and of the dangerous and violent society in which they were trying to pursue it. We see things through their eyes, but we also see them through a close-up lens while still being given a clear understanding of the wider picture they were part of, the fight for equality and rights and the torrent of hatred thrown at them. Other figures come into the story seamlessly, but Medgar and Myrlie remain at its core, and the reader comes to develop such a deep affection and admiration for both of them over the course of the book.

And even though you obviously know that Medgar's assassination is coming, as the account starts to approach that point, I found myself choking up, seeing Myrlie and their children living in blissful ignorance of the trauma they were about to experience. Of course, she always knew this was a possibility, even a probability, but one of the worst things about trauma is that even one second before it occurs, you have no idea it's coming right that moment. I thought the structure of the book worked so well by having this Earth-shattering event happen about midway, so that it is divided into a Before and After, and the After is about Myrlie herself, a part of Medgar's story now become her own unique story. We see her try to carry on for the sake of her children and her husband's memory, and to build up her own life and legacy in the process. I cannot begin to imagine what her kind of grief, the horror she witnessed as her husband was shot right on their front steps, right in front of her, must feel like in one's heart and soul. To see her find a way not to shunt that pain aside but to live around and through it was awe-inspiring.

This was just completely excellent from start to finish and I truly hope it gets the attention and readership and accolades that it deserves.

[Crystal (Melanatedreader) Forte' · Rating 5 out of 5]

An intimate and necessary account of two key players of the Civil rights movement… I enjoyed reading about events and how it played a part and lended itself to future achievements made my Myrlie Evers. Medgar was a revolutionary and I’m glad to see him receive his flowers in this love story to the movement.

[Natalie Park · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Medgar Evers is not talked about enough when it comes to the civil rights leaders that made such a difference and were slain at a young age. This is a lovely telling of the work he, the love story with his wife, and the work she did after his death.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

– I’d not heard of Medgar & Myrle Evers before I saw this book. I can believe all the horrible things that are presented in this book but so much of it is shocking. I cannot understand the hatred that existed in Mississippi and other parts of the country. I certainly was not brought up to be that way. How people can do those things to another person is beyond me. A very well written piece of history that you don’t usually hear about.
Thanks to William Morrow for the free copy of the book to read and review.

[Natalie Odom Pough · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't expect to deepen my admiration for Medgar Evers and Myrlie Evers-Williams, but Joy-Ann Reid's work is truly remarkable. This narrative evokes powerful emotions, prompting me to reflect on their resilience and sacrifice. As tears welled in my eyes, my eldest questioned why I read books that evoke such strong emotions. I explained that by revisiting this story, I honor Medgar Evers' legacy and ensure his memory endures. Through our conversation, I shared with her the profound impact of Mr. Evers' sacrifice and the unwavering strength of Myrlie Evers-Williams.

[Anniee Bee · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read! Just prepare to have tissue it's very emotional but great!

[Sallie Dunn · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

My last “read” for 2024 was actually an audio read by the author herself, Joy-Ann Reid. I have vague memories of hearing the news when Medgar Evers was assassinated. I was only 11, and don’t remember much.

The early 60’s was the start of the civil rights movement and Evers was the first national civil rights leader to be gunned down. He worked tirelessly to register “his people” to vote and to integrate the schools. Brown vs The Board of Education happened in 1955, but schools were still not integrated in 1963 in Mississippi.

It’s a sad story but more than that it was a beautiful love story. Mrylie Louise Beasley married Medgar Evers on Christmas Eve, 1951. She was 18 and he was 26. He was 37 years old when he was shot in the back while exiting his car in their driveway in June 1963. She was left to raise 3 children by herself. She was pregnant when Medgar died, but miscarried a short time later.

This audio was absolutely riveting. There were quite a few moments when I cried. What blacks had to endure in Mississippi in the Civil Rights years is so hard to believe.

Brian De La Beckwith was charged in the murder (although there were three men seen running from the scene) and the only one ever prosecuted. Once the local (white) police had a suspect, no more investigation was needed. Besides, the eyewitnesses were black, and how often did they tell the truth? De La Beckwith was tried twice, once in February and again in April 1964. In both trials, the all-white juries were deadlocked.

Myrlie Evers never gave up the fight for the conviction of her husband's killer. In 1994, De La Beckwith was prosecuted again based on new evidence and finally convicted thirty years later. He was sentenced to life in prison where he died in 2001 at the age of 80.

She became a civil rights activist in her own right after her children grew up. On January 21, 2013, Evers-Williams delivered the invocation at the second inauguration of Barack Obama. She was the first woman and the first layperson to deliver the invocation at a presidential inauguration. Mrylie Evers-Williams is 91 years old now. I highly recommend this non-fiction account of a small but significant part of US History.

The 52 Book Club Challenge - 2024
Prompt #52 - Published in 2024

[Jamise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started and stopped this book so many times. Not because the story wasn't intriguing, it was just very heavy. Many of these recollections gave me pause given the state of America. Even though I did not learn about Medgar Evers in the classroom, I was quite familiar with him and the role he played in the Civil Rights Movement. I love that Joy Ann-Reid is bringing Medgar to the forefront with the likes of MLK and Malcom X. As a society, we tend to focus only on key figures when there were many who fought for civil rights in monumental ways. This book delves into the racist acts, unjust laws and unspeakable violence that Black Americans and those in the fight for equality endured by Mississippians. Lastly, wives are often forgotten -- hidden figures in the shadows but the epitome of strength and resilience. Myrlie Evers was indeed the pilar of strength and backbone in her family. I appreciated that Joy told more of Myrlie's story including her feelings and actions after he husband was murdered, her commitment to seeing that his killer was brought to justice, life after Medgar and also how she played a pivotal role in resurrecting the very organization that failed to protect her husband, the NAACP. I highly recommend this book. It should be required reading.

4.5 stars

[Pushpa Rao · Rating 4 out of 5]

Any book concerning that tumultuous, painful time in US history (when wasn’t it painful and tumultuous we ask?) —the struggle for civil rights in the middle of the 20th century, to be more specific, is bound to be a difficult read. Joy Reid’s book is ostensibly the love story of Medgar and Myrlie Evers but it really is her story. Her story and by extension, his as well. He is her motivating and animating force— his vision and his love. He is justly famous for his clear-eyed quest to force this country to start fulfilling its founding promise, enshrined in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. It has not been for all its citizens, especially the non-white contingent. Myrlie’s story is also one of courage and an indomitable spirit, bolstered by her husband’s vision and dedication and dedicated to his children.
Through this narrative, we learn more than the despair of Medgar’s murder by a klansman. The horrifying execution by the coward who shot him in the back as he arrived home to his family awakens a nation. After his burial with honor as a veteran at Arlington(something he got a lot of flack for) JFK presents Myrlie with the first draft of the Civil Rights act being presented to Congress that week. The fact that JFK is assassinated so soon afterwards and LBJ gets it across the finish line makes it all the more significant.

America had to be dragged kicking and screaming into ensuring the rights of citizenship to the men who won it 100 years previously after the brutality of Civil War. It had to be a stake through the heart of Jim Crow.

We still struggle with insecure ignorant people who are easily threatened and feel good only by oppressing others. This a a good reminder for all Americans to rededicate themselves to those ideals for which we all strive. Well written

[Linda Gettig · Rating 5 out of 5]

Please read this book, America

Having grown up mostly in the South during much of this time. I remember much of these times. Of course, I was living on the "white" side. Fortunately, I had a very liberal mother who kept me informed about the South of her childhood and the need for change. So I was aware of the names of people on both sides of the Civil Rights movement.

But not until this book did I know just how important were Myrlie and Medgers to that movement. This is an important recording of a dark time in our country's history. A history we must all learn about as we are on the precipice of perhaps repeating it and we must never do such a thing.

In addition, this is a beautiful love story which brought me to tears more than once.

Great job, Joy!

[Carlo Corti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really thoughtful reflection on the lives of Medgar and Myrlie Evers and their critical role in so many of the important Civil Rights events in Mississippi in the 60s. Medgar really was a fore-runner to so much of what was to come. I appreciated the focus on Myrlie after her husband's death, but I wish the author hadn't spent so much time trying to convince us that this book was a love story. It was more than that, and I feel that the focus on that diminished some of the other opportunities for reflection on the value of each of the individuals. Still beautiful, well-written, and recommendable for anyone interested in the era.

[Kristina Coop-a-Loop · Rating 3 out of 5]

Joy-Ann Reid’s Medgar & Myrlie: Medger Evers and the Love Story that Awakened America is pretty good. It’s a dive into the Civil Rights era as seen through the lens of their marriage.

Reid organized the book chronologically, starting with Medgar Evers and Myrlie Beasley’s childhood and their first meeting. This establishes them as distinct personalities and people I’m interested in and care about, beyond their historical significance. Medgar comes across as an amazing man, a rare man who saw in his wife not just a person to bear his children and keep his house clean, but a lifelong partner who was capable of great accomplishments. After he was assassinated in June 1963, Myrlie was nearly broken by grief and rage and hatred. Grief for the loss of the love of her life, as she often called Medgar, and rage and hate towards the racists who made it happen and the police officers who did nothing to stop it. She worked through these feelings to become a vocal supporter for the NAACP, giving speeches and making appearances. Many years later, she eventually was elected the national director of the NAACP.

No matter how many books I read about the Civil Rights Era and stories about the Jim Crow South, I’m still absolutely horrified by the legal racism and discrimination of the time. Reid’s book brings to life in vivid detail the smaller—but no less awful—indignities and terrors of everyday life in the South under Jim Crow that the Evers family (and all African American citizens) had to live with.

Medgar & Myrlie is more the story of a committed, strong marriage and how Myrlie survived and thrived after Medgar was murdered. She never forgot him and channeled her love and grief and anger into personal and national accomplishments during the Civil Rights era. Although Reid includes an index and cites her work, I wouldn’t call this “hard nonfiction.” More of a jumping off point or introduction to Black civil rights or background on both of their lives in preparation for deeper research.

[Kaitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A powerful book about the life and tragic death of civil rights activist Medgar Evers, as well as his wife Myrlie who became the first widow of a high profile activist during the civil rights movement after his assassination. An important read to learn about the early history of the civil rights movement, this book is full of information regarding the Evers’ including quotes from the people who knew them and even Myrlie herself. After reading this book there is so much that was referenced that I feel I need to learn more about.

[Carolyn Harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is well-written, yet painful to read. It took me much longer than a 300-ish page book usually does to get through it. It is devastating to read the experiences of people of color in the mid-20th century, especially when the result is assassination because someone is working passionately to obtain the rights guaranteed by the US Constitution. I loved getting to see a little behind the curtain of what life was like for those family members left behind and the “sisterhood” of the surviving wives of Black leaders slain in the 1960s. An educational reading experience for me.

[Dee Dee G · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely a must read. There’s so many details that many may not have heard of. Mrs. Evers was already strong, but grief put her on a mission to get justice for her husband no matter how long it took.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another very powerful and informative book.

[Elena Enns · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely important read

[Haerlee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Myrlie Louise Beasley met Medgar Evers on her first day of college. They fell in love at first sight, married just one year later, and Myrlie left school to focus on their growing family.

Medgar became the field secretary for the Mississippi branch of the NAACP, charged with beating back the most intractable and violent resistance to Black voting rights in the country. Myrlie served as Medgar’s secretary and confidant, working hand in hand with him as they struggled against public accommodations and school segregation, lynching, violence, and sheer despair within their state’s “Black belt.” They fought to desegregate the intractable University of Mississippi, organized picket lines and boycotts, despite repeated terroristic threats, including the 1962 firebombing of their home, where they lived with their three young children.

On June 12, 1963, Medgar Evers became the highest profile victim of Klan-related assassination of a Black civil rights leader at that time; gunned down in the couple’s driveway in Jackson. In the wake of his tragic death, Myrlie carried on their civil rights legacy; writing a book about Medgar’s fight, trying to win a congressional seat, and becoming a leader of the NAACP in her own right.

In this groundbreaking and thrilling account of two heroes of the civil rights movement, Joy-Ann Reid uses Medgar and Myrlie’s relationship as a lens through which to explore the on-the-ground work that went into winning basic rights for Black Americans, and the repercussions that still resonate today.

My Take:
Joy-Ann Reid was the right person to write this book and this is the right time. We are fortunate that Mrs. Evers-Williams is still with us and hopefully will feel appreciation for the woman she is while she can enjoy it. Having said that, this book gives foundational information about Medgar and Myrlie's life and what the human cost was to doing the work of the Civil Right Movement. But the magic of the book is that the story does not end with Medgar's assassination-it continues. We learn about what it took for Myrlie and her children to press on.

This book is in conversation with books like "Negroland", "Warmth of Other Sons", "Our Secret Society" and others that center or are written by Black women about Black women and Black institutions.

[KayG · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grew up in Mississippi during this time period, but I was young and white and knew only bits about the horrible racism in my state. As an adult, I try to learn, and books are my favorite medium.

This book was so informative - it took my vague childhood memories and put them into a wonderful and inspiring - and horrifying story. I’m so grateful to have gained this knowledge.

I had not realized that the murder of Medgar Evers was the first in the deluge of deaths of civil rights personalities. Emmet Till’s murder took place years before and was covered in depth, as well as the many other racial incidents.

Medgar Evers and other Black men returned from serving their country in during WWII - to the same old disgraceful racism. Yet these Black men persevered. I hope one day this nightmare of racism will be over.

[Darryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fundamental argument of this book is that Medgar's activism, from his role in investigating the Emmett Till lynching and other racist murders of Black Mississippians to the boycott movement he orchestrated in Jackson, was the foundation upon which the later efforts by SNCC, CORE, and other organizations were built. James Baldwin had it right. Medgar Evers deserves a place alongside Malcolm X and Dr. King in our historical memory, as contemporaries who fought the same demons of white supremacy during the same perilous era, often with overlapping tactics. Medgar Evers, with Myrlie as his partner in activism and in life, was doing civil rights work in the single most hostile and dangerous environment in America: Mississippi.

In the summer of 1950 Medgar Evers was a 25 year old Black man who was wise and experienced well beyond his years. Growing up in a segregated small town in Mississippi he was taught, from a young age, how to address and act around White people in order to stay alive, lessons which were made very clear when he and his older brother watched as a friend of their father's was publicly lynched for daring to speak back to a White woman, a traumatic experience which was relived by them nearly every day for a year, as his bloodied clothes were hung on a fence and left there by the very fine people who beat him to death. Fortunately their father, James, was one of the most respected Black men in Decatur, Mississippi, as he refused to tolerate unfair treatment from White people in town, who were too afraid to challenge him.

Medgar served admirably during World War II, and he experienced a taste of freedom while serving in France, even having a White French girlfriend who loved him, along with her family. After careful consideration he decided to return to Mississippi instead of staying in France, despite knowing that he would return to the same viciously segregated Deep South that steadfastly refused to permit the thousands of returning Black soldiers the same rights as Americans that they received as foreigners abroad. He and his brother attempted to register to vote in 1946 but were challenged by a large White mob that was ready to lynch them, and they decided to withdraw instead of facing violent and certain deaths.

Medgar enrolled at Alcorn A&M College, now Alcorn State University, one of the historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) that were founded during Reconstruction, where he was a star halfback on the football team, an even better student, and an attractive potential mate to the female students on campus. Despite the attention from others his eyes were set on Myrlie Beasley, a freshman from Vicksburg, Mississippi who was eight years his junior. The two quickly fell in love, formed a lasting bond, and were married the following year.

After he graduated from Alcorn A&M, Medgar worked for a life insurance company in Mount Bayou, Mississippi, the oldest Black-owned town in the country, and while there he began working for the NAACP, where he was tasked as the field secretary for the state, with a primary responsibility of getting people to join the organization. His interactions with Black residents of the Mississippi Delta, many of whom lived in extreme poverty under conditions that were reminiscent of sharecroppers of the post-Reconstruction era, convinced him that voter registration and the fight for civil rights were far more than NAACP membership to improve their living standards, which put him at odds with the staunchly conservative leadership of Roy Wilkins and senior NAACP officials. For the remainder of his life he battled to achieve national and local goals simultaneously, bolstered by the enthusiastic efforts of the sit-in protests in Greensboro and Nashville, the Freedom Rides of 1961, and local efforts to desegregate stores and other places in Jackson, the state capital, where he had moved to, along with Myrlie and their three young children.

Unfortunately his efforts in Mississippi, in particular a television interview for a local television station that was taped in June of 1963 made him a household name and put a bull’s eye on his back for the most ardent segregationists and local chapters of the Ku Klux Klan. The stress of his dual roles, along with fears for the safety of himself and his family, took a significant toll on his life, and his marriage. Myrlie also feared that her beloved husband would be killed if he didn’t curtail his efforts, but she stood steadfastly beside him, especially when he told her that he was doing this to provide better lives for their children and all Black Mississippians.

On June 11, 1963, President Kennedy, who was initially a reluctant supporter of the civil rights movement, addressed the nation by radio and television, and gave what was to that point the strongest speech in support for equal rights for all citizens, and promised that he would ask Congress to enact legislation to ensure that full integration would take place throughout the country. Later that evening Medgar attended a meeting of local civil rights leaders that extended well into the night, and, exhausted but hopeful, he drove home, arriving just after midnight. As he exited his car he was shot once in the back by a local member of the KKK, Byron De La Beckwith. Although he was critically injured no ambulances came to the Evers home, his care in the segregated wing of the city’s main hospital was delayed, and he died early that morning.

Much of the country, and the world, was stunned and angered by this cold-blooded murder, which accelerated the determination of the Kennedy administration, Congress, civil rights leaders, and private citizens of good will to work towards a truly equal society. Unfortunately much more blood was shed during that year and later in the 1960s, and this country’s promise has yet to be achieved.

Myrlie Evers, instead of retreating into private life and focusing on the care of her children, took up her husband’s mantle by tirelessly working to ensure that his murderer finally received the justice he deserved, although that didn’t occur until 30 years later, and continuing the push for equality. Her story wasn’t as well known as Medgar’s was to me, although I did know that she delivered the invocation for President Barack Obama after he was elected to a second term of office in 2012, making her the first woman and the first layperson to perform that duty. She worked for years within the NAACP, putting it on stable financial status for the first time in many years, although much of her efforts were curtailed by the stodgy and patriarchal leadership within the organization.

“Medgar & Myrlie” is an absolutely superb and compelling addition to the story of the U.S. Civil Rights Movement, which provides a more detailed look into the lives of two key figures, and elevates them to the high status that they both deserve. Highly recommended!

[D.K. Sanz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall, Medgar and Myrlie: Medgar Evers and the Love Story That Awakened America is a beautiful tribute to American civil rights activist, Medgar Evers and his wife, Myrlie, who was the epitome of elegance, grace, and devotion while being her own courageous young woman.

Medgar Evers was a World War II veteran in a war we fought over racial superiority, a war against racial tyranny, but at home, in the United States of America, even in the 1960s when our little worlds were about peace and love, we treated black people appallingly. For that reason, America looked quite hypocritical to other countries who were aware of the racial tensions here as well as the mistreatment. World War II veteran Medgar Evers, like other people of color, faced the utmost disrespect, being denied the rights afforded to white people and subjected to unimaginable cruelty while being mocked and humiliated every step of the way.

When President Kennedy offered Medgar’s family the honor of having him buried at Arlington Cemetery with the other veterans and heroes, it alarmed segregationists. Good thing their protest amounted to nothing, and Medgar received the honor he deserved.

I love that, as discussed in the book, the widows of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and Medgar Evers made friends and supported one another. Coretta Scott King, Betty Shabazz, and Myrlie Evers-William carried on the fight, making tremendous strides of their own as civil rights activists.

Bless Medgar Evers and his family, what they sacrificed to get us where we are today. I never use the world surreal, but when I came upon a photo of Myrlie Evers hugging President Barack Obama fifty years after Medgar’s death, that was surreal to me. She delivered the invocation at his second inauguration ceremony on January 21, 2013.

Medgar and Myrlie isn’t the page-turning suspense book I normally read, and it’s certainly not an easy read. It’s a book you read slowly in many intervals, and the more you read, the more you want to know. We should know all of this—our history, the good and the bad. It is critical that we learn from people from all walks of life, whether their experiences are similar to or vastly different from our own.

Medgar and Myrlie is an important book that should be required reading in our schools. I say that because no one taught me about Medgar Evers when I was in school. I, like so many others, grew up oblivious to the sacrifices this young civil rights activist made for the greater good and how much he contributed to the rights ultimately won by his community.

Some people feel that reading stuff like this will traumatize their kids and plague them with guilt. With my awareness as a child, the only effect it had on me was ever-increasing and much-needed empathy. And, yes, all of it is traumatizing—even more so for the people who lived it and constantly witness dismissal of their experience and their pain. As parents, we can help our children sort through whatever they feel about it, and they will emerge as much more kindhearted individuals.

You know, I have to say, Martin Luther King Jr. spoke of saving us from our own demons. He saw the cruel, ugly behavior as demonic. And that’s what demonic means—extremely evil or cruel. And ironically, for so many, the guidebook is the Bible. Both the Old and New Testament have countless passages about loving one another, being kind and generous to the poor, defending the oppressed. For the oppressed to break free. To love mercy, carry each other’s burdens. Yet, one of the biggest problems we have today is people incapable of putting themselves in someone else’s place and being willing to see things from their point of view. It’s easy not to read, not to listen, not to care. The consequences of ignorance affect both the ignorant individuals and the children they raise to be equally oblivious and unkind.

My son and I often talk about why some kids realize at an early age that we need to reject all of this and fight for what’s right, while other kids just go along with what their parents teach them. People are afraid of testing their support system because they have bonded with people who have normalized bigoted behavior, and you sacrifice a lot to stand your ground. But I think about what civil rights leaders sacrificed. Some things are just bigger than us.

So, yes, Martin Luther King Jr. hoped we would rise above our past and present demons.

I read a blog post the other day by someone who thought it was arrogant of Dr. King to think that he could save the soul of America And yet many people believe that an avaricious, unlawful, misogynistic bigot like Donald Trump can do it. Why? Because he’s white? Unlike Trump, Martin Luther King Jr. didn’t think it was his job alone to heal the country and save our souls, but that it required a collective effort. We are all tasked to help heal the universe, and I hope we succeed.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Until I saw the movie Ghosts of Mississippi, I was unaware of Medgar Evers. I was going into 6th grade when he was killed and, although I remember where I was when Kennedy was killed, I have no memory of Evers' assassination. Maybe it was not considered news at that juncture in Idaho. After all, it was in Mississippi and a [racial epithet] agitator to boot.

I have always admired Joy-Ann Reid as a commentator. When the publication of this book was announced, I knew I had to read it. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and I learned so much about both Medgar and Myrlie as well as them together as a force in Mississippi civil rights battles. The book covers their life together as well as her life, struggles and battles. She was the first of the Civil Rights Widows which would eventually grow to include Jacqueline Kennedy (John F. Kennedy), Betty Shabazz (Malcolm X), Corretta Scott King (Martin Luther King) and Ethel Kennedy (Robert F. Kennedy) and many, many others. She had to carve a path with a broken heart between fury and grief. She had to go on for her children.

The book was a most imformative read and I'm very glad Ms. Reid took the time to research and write it. There are two disappointing things I learned from the book. First, all publications listing top Civil Rights leaders don't mention Medgar Evers at all. Second, since Southern Democrats began leaving the Party in favor of the Republican Party, that re-defined more conservative Republican Party beginning with Reagan has been consistently, intentionally, and too successfully, eroding the 14th and 15th amendments congressional bill by congressional bill and court case by court case. The goal being, of course, to return us to civil rights and opportunities as they were in the 1950s, before Medgar began his major battles for full participation in US rights and liberties and re-instate core elements of White Supremacy.

[Julia Garcia · Rating 3 out of 5]

the american education system has once again failed me!! i cant believe i had never heard of medgar and myrlie evers before! i really enjoyed this book in that aspect, learning about 2 civil rights leaders that rarely make the history text books. i really enjoyed learning medgars story and what he did to progress civil rights in mississippi, as well as myrlies story and how she continued his legacy and was a bad ass even after his death (running for office, refusing to let his murderer get away with it, eventually becoming an naacp board member… she rocks).

however, the 2 main things i didnt love - 1) it was very heavy with names and dates. and i totally understand this is technically a history book, but it was so aggressive that sometimes id zone out because it felt like i was just being dumped on with names/locations/dates that i couldnt keep straight. 2) i dont like the marketing of it being their “love story”. it didnt feel like that to me. tbh, some of the parts showing their love felt very misogynistic and toxic. this was the 50s and 60s so i get that it was kind of just engrained in the culture, but still. for example, medgar was much older than her and at one point he even called himself a “cradle robber”… idk, i appreciated their love and support of one another, i just dont think it should be titled after their love story when really it was just about their contributions to the civil rights movement. if it wasnt literally titled that, i think i wouldve given it 4 stars.

[Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first want to applaud the author Joy - Ann Reid for not only researching Medgar Evers and Myrlies life so thoroughly , but writing this book in a way that evoked so much emotion from me . I felt like I was on a journey with these two human beings from their burgeoning love story , to the birth of a movement and to the tragic passing of Medgar Evers in 1963. I had been wanting to read an autobiography about Medgar Evers for a long time and I am so happy I picked up this one . I not only got to read about his life as a veteran and a civil rights activist but also as a devoted husband and father. He made such great strides in the NAACP because he was a strong, determined man who wanted to make the world a better place for not only his wife and children but for all people of color. I loved that that the author also gave credit to these feats to his wife Myrlie , because she loved him with a fierceness and with such passion that she supported his work in life and in death; which in turn gave birth to her life in civil rights activism. Highly recommend !

“ You can kill a man , but you can’t kill an idea.” - Medgar Evers


“She was walking these grand steps alone because he had been murdered trying to save America from itself.” - Joy-Ann Reid

“My pride in Medgar had never been so great. For somehow this whole experience was the final evidence that the man I had loved and married, the man whose children I had borne , was truly a great American being put to rest in a place with many other American heroes.” - Myrlie Evers

[Thomas DeWolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that every American should read. It tells the story of just how influential and consequential both Mr. and Mrs. Evers have been in the Civil Rights movement, and how blatant racism continues to haunt (and too often harm or kill) people of African descent. Coincidentally, my wife and I watched the Apple+ series Manhunt, about the search for John Wilkes Booth and his co-conspirators in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Andrew Johnson's cowardice and complicity in dismantling Lincoln's vision for Reconstruction left the white supremacists, KKK, White Citizens Councils, etc., in power in the South and resulted in a century of Jim Crow as well as the racism that led to the assassination of Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., and more recently, George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and so many others. Medgar & Myrlie is hard to take and take it in we must if we're ever going to break free from these racist cycles of violence.