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Freedom Summer: The 1964 Struggle for Civil Rights in Mississippi
In 1964, Mississippi civil rights groups banded together to fight Jim Crow laws in a state where only 6.4 percent of eligible black voters were registered.
Testing a bold new strategy, they recruited students from across the United States. That summer these young volunteers defied segregation by living with local black hosts, opening Freedom Schools to educate disenfranchised adults and their children, and canvassing door-to-door to register voters.
Everyone involved knew there would be risks but were nonetheless shocked when three civil rights workers disappeared and were soon presumed murdered. The organizers' worst fears were realized as volunteers, local activists, and hosts faced terror on a daily basis. Yet by the middle of August, incredible strides had been made in spite of the vicious intimidation. The summer unleashed an unstoppable wave of determination from black Mississippians to demand their rights and helped bring about a new political order in the American South.
Fifty years after this landmark civil rights project in Mississippi, an award-winning author offers a riveting account of events that stunned the nation. Includes over 75 photographs, drawings, original documents, a timeline, source notes, bibliography, maps, and an index.
Testing a bold new strategy, they recruited students from across the United States. That summer these young volunteers defied segregation by living with local black hosts, opening Freedom Schools to educate disenfranchised adults and their children, and canvassing door-to-door to register voters.
Everyone involved knew there would be risks but were nonetheless shocked when three civil rights workers disappeared and were soon presumed murdered. The organizers' worst fears were realized as volunteers, local activists, and hosts faced terror on a daily basis. Yet by the middle of August, incredible strides had been made in spite of the vicious intimidation. The summer unleashed an unstoppable wave of determination from black Mississippians to demand their rights and helped bring about a new political order in the American South.
Fifty years after this landmark civil rights project in Mississippi, an award-winning author offers a riveting account of events that stunned the nation. Includes over 75 photographs, drawings, original documents, a timeline, source notes, bibliography, maps, and an index.
144 pages, Hardcover
First published March 14, 2014
2 people are currently reading
283 people want to read
About the author
Susan Goldman Rubin
74 books62 followersSusan Goldman Rubin is the author of more than forty-five books for young people, including Andy Warhol: Pop Art Painter; The Yellow House: Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin Side by Side; and Edward Hopper: Painter of Light and Shadow. A long-time instructor in the UCLA Extension Writers Program, Susan Goldman Rubin lives in Malibu, California.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
May 21, 2014
An accessible, passionate account of this pivotal and tragic period in the Civil Rights Movement. What this informative book needs is a concluding chapter or afterward discussing how the recent dismantling of the 1964 Voting Rights Act by the U.S. Supreme Court has rendered the dangerous work of those fearless Civil Rights works irrelevant and the murders of Michael Schwerner, James Chaney, and Andrew Goodman meaningless.
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April 11, 2017Freedom Summer is a nonfiction text that details the dealings surrounding the Freedom Summer events in Mississippi. The narrative voice is seemingly omniscient and despite bias, the reader is able to see the event from many sides. The horrific events and strong perseverance of those in resistance are both detailed in the book, giving a very real account of what went on from direct evidence from those involved. The text shines light on events that are not detailed in a typical history curriculum and gives a necessary voice to some unsung heroes of the Civil Rights Movement. In order to incorporate this into a classroom surrounding the concept of interdependence, a teacher could use Kelly Gallagher's "Who's to Blame?" writing prompt strategy. This strategy tasks students to consider how and why blame is assigned in a situation. Students can take a stand about the parties in the text and also relate the assignment to a situation they have been a part of or observed in which the source of blame was disputable. Infusing a personal connection with a textual connection will help students feel more immersed in the text while taking away an applicable lesson that will ideally keep the content of the text solidified in their minds. Interdependence concerns the support, animosity, and domino-effect that can exist between humans and communities. Freedom Summer is a prime example of negative interdependence and how a struggle can surface from historical interdependence that is beneficial to one side, yet hurts another. This example, rather than informing the concept of its typical meaning, would seek to turn students' perception of interdependence on its head and illuminate how relationships can be interdependent in many different ways, not only positively.
May 2, 2017
Freedom Summer: The 1964 Struggle for Civil Rights in Mississippi is a great novel to have your students read while they are doing a unit on the Civil war in their history class (if you could find a way to line that up). From my own schooling experience, most kids associate the Civil Rights Movement with Martin Luther King and his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. The non-violent protests and lot of the other dirty work done across the country's south tends to slip through the crack in our middle schooler's education. This book is about the summer of 1964 in Mississippi where the black people of the south were fighting for right to vote. The members of the Mississippi summer project learned how to take beatings, and to have bail money ready ahead of time. What makes this book so great, and one that will not slip through the cracks, is that it is written from first hand accounts with letters and photos. I would use this book as a mentor text for Gallagher's I Would Like To Know More About strategy. I would show my students newspaper articles from the time of the Civil Rights Movement (which is obviously written from the white man's point of view), and have them fill out the part of the chart "I would like to learn more about" I would then have my students just skim through this book and look at some of the pictures before they fill out the "What I think I might find" column of the chart. Finally, after they read the book, they will fill out the What I found column. I believe the essence of this book will really help my students have a better understanding of the Civil Rights Movement.
March 13, 2019
Freedom Summer is the term used to describe the voter registration initiative in Mississippi in the summer of 1964. Both white and black volunteers attended Freedom Summer training schools to learn about the dangers they would face from racists in the south and how to handle it. They had to be prepared to die.
White policemen and the KKK were enraged by these white northerns who came down to disrupt their way of life. The first thing they did was burn down Mt. Zion Methodist Church where Freedom Summer meetings were supposedly held. When three volunteers went to inspect the damage, they were stopped by police under false charges and thrown in jail. They were released, but later stopped again and handed over to KKK members who shot them without mercy.
The families of the two white men pressed President Johnson to do something. The FBI became involved launching the largest civil rights investigation in history. This is an excellent book if you want to know the details of these murders and the accomplishments of the Freedom Summer volunteers. It's thorough and has a nice narrative flow. There are moments when the reading gets sluggish, but overall well-done.
White policemen and the KKK were enraged by these white northerns who came down to disrupt their way of life. The first thing they did was burn down Mt. Zion Methodist Church where Freedom Summer meetings were supposedly held. When three volunteers went to inspect the damage, they were stopped by police under false charges and thrown in jail. They were released, but later stopped again and handed over to KKK members who shot them without mercy.
The families of the two white men pressed President Johnson to do something. The FBI became involved launching the largest civil rights investigation in history. This is an excellent book if you want to know the details of these murders and the accomplishments of the Freedom Summer volunteers. It's thorough and has a nice narrative flow. There are moments when the reading gets sluggish, but overall well-done.
December 16, 2017
This review is belated! Anyway, this book was really eye-opening. We all spend years learning about the Civil Rights Movement and MLK in school, but never has anyone taught me the events of Freedom Summer in 1964. This book read like an action novel, and I was on the edge of my seat!! I am awed and amazing by the courage and resilience of the people who protested during the summer 1964, especially those who lost their lives at the hands of the KKK. What an interesting piece of history, and what a great and easily-understandable book to read!
August 12, 2014
Pretty depressing to read this book, one that is supposed to show how horrible things "used to be" on the same weekend that Michael Brown is gunned down for no apparent reason. Still so much further to go.
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October 25, 2016The Book Freedom Summer by Bruce Watson takes place during the Civil rights era in the heart of Mississippi. Led by Bob Moses, college students from all around the country came together in Ohio to train for one summer they will never forget. Many of them did not know what they were getting into, Mississippi wasn’t like the rest of the U.S. There was no training that could prepare these young people for the segregation, brutality, and murder they were about to face. Coming in waves of around 500 at a time to counties all across Mississippi, southerners viewed it as an invasion. They vowed to do whatever they could to push them out. Starting on the first night, 3 workers were kidnapped and many weeks later found to be killed. Churches were burned, freedom schools were attacked, and the Klan was on the rise. These young people went through as much adversity as they'll go through in one summer then they will in the rest of their lives. They sacrificed their time and some of their lives in turn for the bettering of the country. In the end, they brought much needed attention to the terrible racial issue in Mississippi that should have been long over at the time. Although they didn’t register as many voters as they wanted to, they made progress which was very important. Many violators of the law were finally put on fair trial and convicted. Schools educated young blacks for the future. Finally, the national law was changed, ensuring all blacks the right to vote without restrictions.
This book helped me put into perspective how easy our lives our at times. Instead of fearing for my life every day, making 3 dollars a day, and living in a makeshift house, I'm sitting in a classroom reading a book and writing about it. Like Bob Moses once said, you’ll never know what it's really like until you're there. It almost feels like a completely different world, and even though we're reading about it now and hear about it, we’ll never truly know what it is actually like. There is now way to truly no unless you experience it yourself. We will never experience the things that the volunteers of freedom summer did, but we may experience something like it in the future, and we can learn from what they did.
The most important rhetoric that affected me while reading was the agonizing diction when the bodies of the three freedom workers were finally found. The comparison of the stench to WWII thoroughly depicted what the smell would be like. This showed how truly horrific the scene would have been. It would be a scene such that it compared to the worst war in the history of the world, but it was Mississippi. Other factors also contributed to the description of the scene such as the vultures swarming in circles, hoards of flies, and reeking heat. These helped the author achieve his purpose to show how significant finding the bodies was to the freedom project. The vivid in depth descriptions help show how important this was to everyone supporting the movement. It had a big impact and was seen across the entire nation.
This book helped me put into perspective how easy our lives our at times. Instead of fearing for my life every day, making 3 dollars a day, and living in a makeshift house, I'm sitting in a classroom reading a book and writing about it. Like Bob Moses once said, you’ll never know what it's really like until you're there. It almost feels like a completely different world, and even though we're reading about it now and hear about it, we’ll never truly know what it is actually like. There is now way to truly no unless you experience it yourself. We will never experience the things that the volunteers of freedom summer did, but we may experience something like it in the future, and we can learn from what they did.
The most important rhetoric that affected me while reading was the agonizing diction when the bodies of the three freedom workers were finally found. The comparison of the stench to WWII thoroughly depicted what the smell would be like. This showed how truly horrific the scene would have been. It would be a scene such that it compared to the worst war in the history of the world, but it was Mississippi. Other factors also contributed to the description of the scene such as the vultures swarming in circles, hoards of flies, and reeking heat. These helped the author achieve his purpose to show how significant finding the bodies was to the freedom project. The vivid in depth descriptions help show how important this was to everyone supporting the movement. It had a big impact and was seen across the entire nation.
January 5, 2015
Freedom Summer The 1964 Struggle for Civil Rights in Mississippi by Susan Goldman Rubin is the story of Civil Rights groups banding together to train and send college student volunteers to Mississippi to live with black hosts, open Freedom Schools, and canvass African Americans to register to vote, while the volunteers, hosts, and activists faced terror on a daily basis, yet still made Civil Rights progress.
Features powerful photographs, chilling details of murder, details of the investigation and serarch for bodies, chronological arrangement, useful background information on Fannie Lou Hamer, three slain volunteers - Andrew Goodman, James Earl Chaney, and Michael Schwerner, and activist Bob Moses. Details of training in Oberlin Ohio are given and shown. There are quotes and photos from Freedom Summer volunteers, and hosts. Some detailed maps help tell the story. Real and potential dangers are clearly portrayed.
Back matter includes Places To Get More Information including websites, a Time Line, two appendixes (including five pages from a SNNC report of the results of the Freedom Summer Project), Source Notes, a Bibliography including unpublished papers and interviews, picture credits, and an index. Freedom Summer could be coupled with the fiction book Revolution by Deborah Wiles, and its background information of songs, headlines, and photographs. Highly recommended for secondary schools and public library collections. 4.5 stars.
For grades six and up, Mississippi Freedom Project, African Americans, Civil Rights movement, Civil Rights workers, suffrage, racism, and fans of Susan Goldman Rubin.
Features powerful photographs, chilling details of murder, details of the investigation and serarch for bodies, chronological arrangement, useful background information on Fannie Lou Hamer, three slain volunteers - Andrew Goodman, James Earl Chaney, and Michael Schwerner, and activist Bob Moses. Details of training in Oberlin Ohio are given and shown. There are quotes and photos from Freedom Summer volunteers, and hosts. Some detailed maps help tell the story. Real and potential dangers are clearly portrayed.
Back matter includes Places To Get More Information including websites, a Time Line, two appendixes (including five pages from a SNNC report of the results of the Freedom Summer Project), Source Notes, a Bibliography including unpublished papers and interviews, picture credits, and an index. Freedom Summer could be coupled with the fiction book Revolution by Deborah Wiles, and its background information of songs, headlines, and photographs. Highly recommended for secondary schools and public library collections. 4.5 stars.
For grades six and up, Mississippi Freedom Project, African Americans, Civil Rights movement, Civil Rights workers, suffrage, racism, and fans of Susan Goldman Rubin.
August 27, 2014
“I am determined to become a first class citizen … I am determined to get every Negro in the State of Mississippi registered (Fannie Lou Hamer, p 1).
Susan Goldman Rubin, author of several biographies and books on the Holocaust (www.susangoldmanrubin.com), has written a dramatic account of the efforts of civil rights organizations and volunteers, mostly college-aged students, who worked together during the summer of 1964 to educate African Americans in Mississippi about their voting rights. While greeted warmly by African Americans, who also opened their homes to the young students, volunteers worked in an intense and dangerous environment. Prior to arriving in Mississippi, volunteers, who hailed from all across the country, received one week training in how to behave and dress so as to avoid physical harm. They learned that “no one should go anywhere alone, but certainly not in an automobile and certainly not at night …” (pp. 6-7). Volunteers were advised to sleep at the back of the house and listen for sudden car accelerations as that might signal a bombing. Contrary to what they had been taught in the North, Southern police were not their friends.
Read my full review at Good Reads with Ronna (http://www.goodreadswithronna.com/201...).
Susan Goldman Rubin, author of several biographies and books on the Holocaust (www.susangoldmanrubin.com), has written a dramatic account of the efforts of civil rights organizations and volunteers, mostly college-aged students, who worked together during the summer of 1964 to educate African Americans in Mississippi about their voting rights. While greeted warmly by African Americans, who also opened their homes to the young students, volunteers worked in an intense and dangerous environment. Prior to arriving in Mississippi, volunteers, who hailed from all across the country, received one week training in how to behave and dress so as to avoid physical harm. They learned that “no one should go anywhere alone, but certainly not in an automobile and certainly not at night …” (pp. 6-7). Volunteers were advised to sleep at the back of the house and listen for sudden car accelerations as that might signal a bombing. Contrary to what they had been taught in the North, Southern police were not their friends.
Read my full review at Good Reads with Ronna (http://www.goodreadswithronna.com/201...).
July 30, 2014
Here we are at the 50th anniversary of Freedom Summer--the summer in 1964 when Civil Rights activists from the North, mostly young adults, went down to Mississippi to educate African Americans about their rights and register them as voters. The summer when houses and churches were bombed, activists were jailed and beaten, and three Civil Rights workers lost their lives when they were falsely imprisoned, then released only to be ambushed and killed by the KKK. Susan Goldman Rubin introduces readers to the fears and struggles of that long, hot, dangerous summer. Her careful research is interwoven with the stories of the people involved, the situation eventually reaching as far as President Johnson. As is repeatedly noted, if two of the dead were not white it probably would not have involved the FBI and media around the world. This is a hard book to read, as the author clearly and eloquently lays out the time, the fear, and the reasons why the Civil Rights Movement was so necessary. Heavily researched, with plenty of source notes and black and white photographs, this is an exceptional resource. All secondary libraries should have this in their collection.
April 27, 2015
The Summer of 1964 brought a group of white freedom fighters to Mississippi. Their mission was to help black adults register to vote, set up schools called “Freedom Schools” and assist in the civil rights movement. They knew the job would be dangerous and difficult, but Mississippi proved deadly as well. When 3 civil rights activists are missing, and probably murdered, the federal government gets involved. But the work continues despite this tragedy, thousand of students take advantage of the schools, and while voter registration is low (due to fear of retaliation) the summer is a political and progressive success.
Well documented with many references from people who participated in the movement. The page count is just right, not too heavy for a middle school student, and the older researcher will find the information well presented, thorough and readable. Complete with photographs, copies of primary source documents, a timeline, bibliography and index this is a valuable resource for students looking at this era.
Well documented with many references from people who participated in the movement. The page count is just right, not too heavy for a middle school student, and the older researcher will find the information well presented, thorough and readable. Complete with photographs, copies of primary source documents, a timeline, bibliography and index this is a valuable resource for students looking at this era.
March 4, 2016
"Freedom Summer" by Susan Goldman Rubin is a story about the Civil Rights movement and how there were Freedom Schools formed to help the African Americans and their right to vote. The people who tried to help the African Americans to get their rights to vote went under war fire from other whites who did not agree with the rights of African Americans. Fannie Lou Hamer really is an advocate for the African Americans as she refuses to give up and attends Freedom School in Mississippi. There are some deaths along the way, and I think that those who died for these freedoms in support of the African American community would do it all over again if they had the chance.
I gave this book four stars because the black and white pictures within the text gave me chills and made me feel so connected to this time in history. I did not like how the book seemed too "informational" at times because I think that if it would be a little less history-like, students would be more apt to read it. I would use this book in my classroom to facilitate the knowledge to my students for a history lesson.
I gave this book four stars because the black and white pictures within the text gave me chills and made me feel so connected to this time in history. I did not like how the book seemed too "informational" at times because I think that if it would be a little less history-like, students would be more apt to read it. I would use this book in my classroom to facilitate the knowledge to my students for a history lesson.
July 30, 2014
In this well researched book, the author takes us back to 1964 Mississippi, when the nation was shocked by the disappearance--and discovery of the murder--of three Freedom Summer workers, courageous young people who travelled to Mississippi, living with black families, trying to register black voters and opening Freedom Schools to educate black children and their parents. Rubin follows the story chronologically, focusing on specific anecdotes which make the story more immediate for young people. The book is handsomely illustrated with archival photographs and drawings. Back matter includes information on the trial of the main organizer of the murders, who did not face trial into 2005. Information is provided on additional resources; there is also a timeline, source notes, reproduction of original documents, a detailed bibliography, and an index. Excellent nonfiction book for the new common core curriculum. Recommended for students in grades 5 and up.
February 18, 2016
Freedom Summer by Susan Goldman was a story about the Council of Federation Organization trying to make changes in the South during the African American segregation times. They were trying to end the unfair options and beliefs that were holding African American citizens from voting and make other strides in the civil rights movement. The organization faced many hardships especially from members of the Ku Klux Klan.
I rated this book a three star because at most parts I felt like the author wasn't doing a great job of keeping the readers interested. On the other hand, the images in this book were fantastic. These images included real newspaper articles, pictures of different scenes, maps, and much more. This story could be related to the real world through wanting something more. The people in this story stood up for what they believed in and showed readers that they too should stand up for what they believe in.
I rated this book a three star because at most parts I felt like the author wasn't doing a great job of keeping the readers interested. On the other hand, the images in this book were fantastic. These images included real newspaper articles, pictures of different scenes, maps, and much more. This story could be related to the real world through wanting something more. The people in this story stood up for what they believed in and showed readers that they too should stand up for what they believe in.
March 13, 2016
The book was a real story about college students from the North who went South to Mississippi to help African Americans register to vote and learn about their new civil rights. However, down South there was still violence against blacks every where and the white college students trying to help were viewed as traitors against their own race. A few guys went missing, which meant they were killed by members of the KKK for helping African Americans. The government had to be involved in helping sovle what happened to these boys. This books is a little long but it gives very detailed and historical facts about what happen after the civil rights movement. The lesson of the story is to help readers see that just because the law was changed doesn't mean people listened or followed the new civil rights laws. Its a book for older children but can help them see that not all white Americans were mean and what it took to get racism treated more equally and follow the new laws.
August 10, 2016
A deftly told chronicle of the summer of 1964 when civil rights groups focused on Mississippi, sending volunteers from the North to organize Freedom Schools and encourage African-Americans to register to vote in spite of the hostility and danger in that segregated world. Drawing on personal interviews with participants as well as extensive sources, Rubin weaves together a suspenseful, moving chronicle of a pivotal moment in U.S. history. The murder of three civil rights workers lies at the heart of this narrative, and is an important story. This has all you could hope for in a nonfiction book for middle school and teen readers: a well-written text, clear and clearly-explained photographs and drawings from the time, excellent back matter including reproduced documents, a time line, source notes, extensive bibliography and index.
September 11, 2015
This book is exactly what the title tells us it is--a history of the 1964 battle for Civil Rights in Mississippi. It includes a number of primary sources and photographs which add to its authenticity.
I would certainly recommend it for anyone wanting a more approachable history of this very important time in American history than they can get in the few paragraphs of a history text book. In this time of racial unrest, it is relevant and an important read.
I was in middle school/high school in 1964, and I remember one of my sisters' classmates going to Mississippi to be part of the struggle. That made the book very interesting to me. I wonder if today's kids will have the same connection.(16-17: I-1, II-2, III-0)
I would certainly recommend it for anyone wanting a more approachable history of this very important time in American history than they can get in the few paragraphs of a history text book. In this time of racial unrest, it is relevant and an important read.
I was in middle school/high school in 1964, and I remember one of my sisters' classmates going to Mississippi to be part of the struggle. That made the book very interesting to me. I wonder if today's kids will have the same connection.(16-17: I-1, II-2, III-0)
October 30, 2015
The summer of 1964 was dubbed "Freedom Summer" by the Council of Federated Organizations, a conglomerate of several major civil rights organizations who chose that summer to focus on voter registration in Mississippi. Starting with a vivid description of the disappearance of Mickey Schwermer, Andrew Goodman, and James Chaney, this book follows many of the other volunteers and activists through the rest of the summer as they tried help African Americans in Mississippi to register to vote. Their struggle was difficult and the dangers were very real. This moving account of that summer is not for the faint of heart, but an important part of history not to forget. Highly recommended for grades 5 and up.
May 18, 2016
Freedom Summer had a very useful, informational timeline to refer back to at the end of the book, which I really appreciated. The book addresses the issues that arose during the Civil Rights Movement and what organizers did to fight the Jim Crow laws. Freedom Summer contained a lot of useful information, but wouldn't be very engaging to students because of the surplus of words. The reading was very dense and I would occasionallly lose interest in the book.
I gave the book 3/5 because of all the historical information found within the text, but for students, this book wouldn't be very appealing or engaging. Certain parts of the book could be used as a research tool, but no middle school student will want to read this book unless they were very interested in the topic.
I gave the book 3/5 because of all the historical information found within the text, but for students, this book wouldn't be very appealing or engaging. Certain parts of the book could be used as a research tool, but no middle school student will want to read this book unless they were very interested in the topic.
April 14, 2016
This book is great for middle school kids to read because it talks about a epic time frame that happened during the Civil Rights movement. It gives a lot of important and relevant facts that is helpful for understanding what went on back then. The pictures were good and I like how everything was in black and white to show the frustration and emotions that was being felt. When I see the colors black, white, and grey I think of sadness, being gloomy, something dark, etc. I got what type of story it might be from the cover, the illustration, and the colors. It's a good book to work with especially for a project in class. The author's setup for the book is awesome!
August 15, 2014
One of a number of outstanding recent narrative nonfiction titles on the Civil Rights battles of the 1960s. This one focuses on the effort to get African Americans living in Mississippi registered to vote. At the center of the effort is the story of three young men--one African American and two Whites, whose disappearance (and brutal murder) early in the summer created a climate of fear among those volunteering. The achievement of this book is that it shows the hope, courage, and determination that rose out of that fear.
April 11, 2015
Filled with b&w photos, maps, and drawings done by a Freedom Summer volunteer, this history of that landmark effort also has an engaging text. There is a wealth of quotations from participants that fill out the narrative, which describes chronologically the effort to register African-American voters and to assist in other social causes including literacy. A large part of the story deals with the murders of Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner. It has a strong "you are there" feeling to the book, and would pair well with the PBS documentary on Freedom Summer.
May 12, 2016
**Spoiler Ahead**
Freedom Summer is a story about the time during the Civil Rights movement when there were schools designed/made in order to help those African Americans learn about their right to vote. Those that tried to help those African Americans with their right to vote received lots of scrutiny from other "whites" that did not agree with African Americans receiving equal rights. Fannie Lou Hammer (the main character) refuses to stop going to her school and continues to attend in Mississippi.
Freedom Summer is a story about the time during the Civil Rights movement when there were schools designed/made in order to help those African Americans learn about their right to vote. Those that tried to help those African Americans with their right to vote received lots of scrutiny from other "whites" that did not agree with African Americans receiving equal rights. Fannie Lou Hammer (the main character) refuses to stop going to her school and continues to attend in Mississippi.
March 29, 2016
Freedom Summer is a story about the Civil Rights Movement and the Council of Federation Organization trying to help African Americans. They formed Freedom Schools and helped them get their right to vote. There were many obstacles that the council had to overcome, but they never gave up.
I gave this book four stars. The pictures were amazing and I think readers can take a lot away from them. It really helped me understand this time in history. I think this book would be important to have in a classroom, because it's very educational.
I gave this book four stars. The pictures were amazing and I think readers can take a lot away from them. It really helped me understand this time in history. I think this book would be important to have in a classroom, because it's very educational.
March 25, 2016
This is an interesting look at the Civil Rights workers in Mississippi during the Freedom Summer of 1964. The deaths of 3 of the workers sparked a national outrage and shed much light on the plight of the African Americans who lived under strict Jim Crow laws of the day. This volume is text and note heavy. It would be a great resource for Middle and High School students doing reports on the subject. Original photographs, drawings by the participants, documents and maps round out this informative book. For ages 12 - 18.
April 7, 2016
Freedom Summer is about the Council of Federation Organization during the times of the civil rights movement. The Federation was attempting end movements of segregation such as holding African Americans from voting. However, because of this they faced many adversities like hardships from members of the KKK.
I rated this book three stars because I believe that it could have been more interesting overall, personally. My attention was not grabbed during some crucial parts of the books. However, I do think the book had interesting illustrations, so I believe that can keep readers interested.
I rated this book three stars because I believe that it could have been more interesting overall, personally. My attention was not grabbed during some crucial parts of the books. However, I do think the book had interesting illustrations, so I believe that can keep readers interested.
May 13, 2014
Rubin limns the courage of the college students and of the black civil rights workers who brought voter registration and education to Mississippi. She doesn't do a very good job of providing background for Jim Crow laws and therefore why white Mississippians were so opposed to the project. She also uses "Negro" and variants in the text (not in quotations) without putting the word in context. That makes me very uncomfortable.
August 19, 2014
This was a very informative book with plenty of photographs and primary source documents. The text focused more on the events that happened as opposed to The Freedom Summer Murders by Don Mitchell which detailed the events, but also detailed the lives of the three civil rights workers: James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner. A better choice for upper elementary because the text was at an easier reading level.
December 16, 2014
I found this book to be a little more difficult to follow than The Freedom Summer Murders. There were way too many people mentioned for young readers to really understand who was who and who did what. It did provide a good overview of the 1964 push to register African Americans in Mississippi. It also clearly showed the danger posed to those engaged with Freedom Summer activities. I think these two books work well together
February 27, 2016
Freedom Summer gives a detailed story of the three murders that took place, freedom schools and voter-registration drives that all took place in Mississippi during the Civil Rights Movement.
I gave this book 3 stars because while it has good information in it, it is a not a book a student would pick up to read for fun, which is what I was hoping I could use it for. However, I do think this book could be used as a tool for reasearch in the classroom.
I gave this book 3 stars because while it has good information in it, it is a not a book a student would pick up to read for fun, which is what I was hoping I could use it for. However, I do think this book could be used as a tool for reasearch in the classroom.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews