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Spell Freedom: The Underground Schools That Built the Civil Rights Movement
The acclaimed author of the “stirring, definitive, and engrossing” (NPR) The Woman’s Hour returns with the story of four activists whose audacious plan to restore voting rights to Black Americans laid the groundwork for the Civil Rights Movement.
In the summer of 1954, educator Septima Clark and small businessman Esau Jenkins travelled to rural Tennessee’s Highlander Folk School, an interracial training center for social change founded by Myles Horton, a white southerner with roots in the labor movement. There, the trio united behind a shared preparing Black southerners to pass the daunting Jim Crow era voter registration literacy tests that were designed to disenfranchise them.
Together with beautician-turned-teacher Bernice Robinson, they launched the underground Citizenship Schools project, which began with a single makeshift classroom hidden in the back of a rural grocery store. By the time the Voting Rights Act was signed into law in 1965, the secretive undertaking had established more than nine hundred citizenship schools across the South, preparing tens of thousands of Black citizens to read and write, demand their rights—and vote. Simultaneously, it nurtured a generation of activists—many of them women—trained in community organizing, political citizenship, and tactics of resistance and struggle who became the grassroots foundation of the Civil Rights Movement. Dr. King called Septima Clark, “Mother of the Movement.”
In the vein of Hidden Figures and Devil in the Grove, Spell Freedom is both a riveting, crucially important lens onto our past, and a deeply moving story for our present.
In the summer of 1954, educator Septima Clark and small businessman Esau Jenkins travelled to rural Tennessee’s Highlander Folk School, an interracial training center for social change founded by Myles Horton, a white southerner with roots in the labor movement. There, the trio united behind a shared preparing Black southerners to pass the daunting Jim Crow era voter registration literacy tests that were designed to disenfranchise them.
Together with beautician-turned-teacher Bernice Robinson, they launched the underground Citizenship Schools project, which began with a single makeshift classroom hidden in the back of a rural grocery store. By the time the Voting Rights Act was signed into law in 1965, the secretive undertaking had established more than nine hundred citizenship schools across the South, preparing tens of thousands of Black citizens to read and write, demand their rights—and vote. Simultaneously, it nurtured a generation of activists—many of them women—trained in community organizing, political citizenship, and tactics of resistance and struggle who became the grassroots foundation of the Civil Rights Movement. Dr. King called Septima Clark, “Mother of the Movement.”
In the vein of Hidden Figures and Devil in the Grove, Spell Freedom is both a riveting, crucially important lens onto our past, and a deeply moving story for our present.
382 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 4, 2025
92 people are currently reading
7135 people want to read
About the author
Elaine Weiss
5 books28 followersElaine Weiss has served as the national coordinator for the Broader, Bolder Approach to Education (BBA) since 2011, in which capacity she works with three co-chairs, a high-level task force, and multiple coalition partners to promote a comprehensive, evidence-based set of policies to allow all children to thrive. Major publications for BBA include two 2013 reports, Market-Oriented Education Reforms’ Rhetoric Trumps Reality and Mismatches in Race to the Top Limit Educational Improvement. She has also authored over two dozen blogs for the Huffington Post, the Washington Post Answer Sheet, and other publications, and been interviewed for numerous radio shows. Elaine came to BBA from the Pew Charitable Trusts, where she served as project manager for Pew’s Partnership for America’s Economic Success campaign. In that capacity, she worked with researchers to assemble evidence on the economic benefits of early childhood investments and worked with state partners to engage business leaders to promote effective early childhood programs. Ms. Weiss was a member of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s task force on child abuse, and served as volunteer counsel for clients at the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless.
Education
Ph.D., Public Policy, George Washington University
J.D., Harvard Law School
B.A., Political Science, University of Maryland at College Park
B.S., Biology, University of Maryland at College Park
Areas of Expertise
Education policy • Early childhood education • Economics of education
~From http://www.epi.org/people/elaine-weiss/
Education
Ph.D., Public Policy, George Washington University
J.D., Harvard Law School
B.A., Political Science, University of Maryland at College Park
B.S., Biology, University of Maryland at College Park
Areas of Expertise
Education policy • Early childhood education • Economics of education
~From http://www.epi.org/people/elaine-weiss/
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
February 19, 2025
It's always tough to rate a book which has such an important story, but the final product doesn't land as well as you hoped. I ran into this with Elaine Weiss's Spell Freedom. It is the story of multiple people integral to the Citizenship Schools project which helped Black citizens to vote by preparing them for various hurdles in the Deep South. Weiss has done some deep research into this important narrative, but ultimately a major issues just kept me from truly loving it.
The problem is the number of characters and how they are handled. There are simply too many people that Weiss wants to tell us about. Because of all the background she gives, nearly all of her main players are not given enough depth and are not presented as complex characters.
The perfect example is Septima Clark whose life is worth multiple books alone. Clark was a major driver of the events in the book, but often her life and feelings are presented by Weiss as declaratory statements. It is the age old problem of telling not showing. Weiss tells us how amazing Clark was but never allows her to be complex with faults. Weiss also doesn't use direct quotes nearly enough. Clark wrote two autobiographies which means there was plenty of material to pull from, but I think Weiss was trying to keep the book moving to get to the numerous other people and topics. It made the book and the characters feel too rushed.
My criticism is definitely not one everyone would agree with. I wouldn't warn anyone away from reading it. Weiss clearly did the work and has a love for the subject, but the storytelling choices kept it from being a must read for me.
(This book was provided as an advance copy by the publisher.)
The problem is the number of characters and how they are handled. There are simply too many people that Weiss wants to tell us about. Because of all the background she gives, nearly all of her main players are not given enough depth and are not presented as complex characters.
The perfect example is Septima Clark whose life is worth multiple books alone. Clark was a major driver of the events in the book, but often her life and feelings are presented by Weiss as declaratory statements. It is the age old problem of telling not showing. Weiss tells us how amazing Clark was but never allows her to be complex with faults. Weiss also doesn't use direct quotes nearly enough. Clark wrote two autobiographies which means there was plenty of material to pull from, but I think Weiss was trying to keep the book moving to get to the numerous other people and topics. It made the book and the characters feel too rushed.
My criticism is definitely not one everyone would agree with. I wouldn't warn anyone away from reading it. Weiss clearly did the work and has a love for the subject, but the storytelling choices kept it from being a must read for me.
(This book was provided as an advance copy by the publisher.)
January 3, 2026
Since Reconstruction, there have been groups in the US trying to keep Black people from voting. They passed laws designed to make them ineligible to vote (ostensibly universal, but enforced against Black citizens only). If that failed, they resorted to threats and intimidation, firing or evicting people who attempted to register to vote and finally murdering people for trying to vote. This book describes the work of some extraordinary people who were courageous enough to help and encourage people to register and vote (and the people who were brave enough to face up to the threats and actually vote). It covers many major events in the civil rights movement, up to the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965. Considering all the work and suffering and deaths that led up to the passage of that Act, it is so disheartening that the current administration will not enforce the Act and that the Supreme Court is headed towards dismantling it.
I had never heard of most of the people mentioned in this book (there were a lot of names to keep track of) and I was unaware of the Citizenship Schools project that explained the voting laws, taught people their rights and enabled them to overcome the discriminatory barriers to voting. The book was thoroughly researched and highly educational. 4.5 stars
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
I had never heard of most of the people mentioned in this book (there were a lot of names to keep track of) and I was unaware of the Citizenship Schools project that explained the voting laws, taught people their rights and enabled them to overcome the discriminatory barriers to voting. The book was thoroughly researched and highly educational. 4.5 stars
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
April 13, 2025
Finished Reading
Pre-Read notes
I'm keenly interested in the history of fights for rights. Something incredibly valuable can be gleaned from such stories - a keener sense of empathy and a creativity toward resolution of the shared history of racism in the US.
Final Review
Review summary and recommendations
I read a lot about social activism and human rights, I like learning more about this subject. Spell Freedom was an arc I requested because I try to read all the new offerings. This history of the Civil Rights movement and the activism that made it run contains a ton of fascinating information, much of which I hadn't heard before. Unfortunately, I found Weiss's style dry and her approach to lack organization. As a result, this one was a bit of a slog. I got through it though because I wanted to get all the history.
If you find this a dull read, I encourage you to stick with it. The history here is huge and compact.
Reading Notes
Three (or more) things I loved:
1. I'm learning more than I ever had about the Civil Rights Movement and its roots in the fight for educational equality, such as desegregation.
Three (or less) things I didn't love:
This section isn't only for criticisms. It's merely for items that I felt something for other than "love" or some interpretation thereof.
1. This history is fascinating and I'm glad to know it, but unfortunately the reading is extremely dry. I'm actually having trouble identifying highlights for my notes because this huge topic is being presented in too pat a way and it's organization is lacking.
Rating: 💜💜💜.5 /5 compassionate hearts
Recommend? yes
Finished: Mar 23 '25
Format: accessible digital arc, NetGalley
Read this book if you like:
🗞 nonfiction
🌏 history
✊️ Civil Rights activism history
✏️ US education history
Thank you to the author Elain Weiss, publishers Atria Books, and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of SPELL FREEDOM. All views are mine.
---------------
Pre-Read notes
I'm keenly interested in the history of fights for rights. Something incredibly valuable can be gleaned from such stories - a keener sense of empathy and a creativity toward resolution of the shared history of racism in the US.
Final Review
Review summary and recommendations
I read a lot about social activism and human rights, I like learning more about this subject. Spell Freedom was an arc I requested because I try to read all the new offerings. This history of the Civil Rights movement and the activism that made it run contains a ton of fascinating information, much of which I hadn't heard before. Unfortunately, I found Weiss's style dry and her approach to lack organization. As a result, this one was a bit of a slog. I got through it though because I wanted to get all the history.
If you find this a dull read, I encourage you to stick with it. The history here is huge and compact.
Reading Notes
Three (or more) things I loved:
1. I'm learning more than I ever had about the Civil Rights Movement and its roots in the fight for educational equality, such as desegregation.
Three (or less) things I didn't love:
This section isn't only for criticisms. It's merely for items that I felt something for other than "love" or some interpretation thereof.
1. This history is fascinating and I'm glad to know it, but unfortunately the reading is extremely dry. I'm actually having trouble identifying highlights for my notes because this huge topic is being presented in too pat a way and it's organization is lacking.
Rating: 💜💜💜.5 /5 compassionate hearts
Recommend? yes
Finished: Mar 23 '25
Format: accessible digital arc, NetGalley
Read this book if you like:
🗞 nonfiction
🌏 history
✊️ Civil Rights activism history
✏️ US education history
Thank you to the author Elain Weiss, publishers Atria Books, and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of SPELL FREEDOM. All views are mine.
---------------
July 14, 2025
A Powerful, Eye-Opening Read That Everyone Should Experience
I can honestly say Spell Freedom by Elaine Weiss moved me in a way that few history books ever have. It tells the story of the citizenship schools that quietly yet powerfully fueled the Civil Rights Movement—schools that taught Black Americans to read, write, and most importantly, to believe in their right to vote and participate fully in democracy.
What I loved most about this book is how it brings unsung heroes to the forefront. Weiss introduces us to people like Septima Clark, Bernice Robinson, and Esau Jenkins—not as distant historical figures, but as real, flawed, courageous individuals who risked everything to educate their communities. I found myself in awe of their resilience and ingenuity. A beauty shop turned into a classroom? A bus that doubled as a mobile school? It's amazing what people can do with vision and determination.
Weiss’s writing is clear, compassionate, and deeply human. She doesn’t just lay out facts—she tells stories. I felt like I was right there, in the back of that grocery store where one of the first secret schools took place. She also doesn’t shy away from the tough stuff: the movement’s internal struggles, the sexism many women leaders faced, and the very real danger these educators lived with daily.
Reading Spell Freedom made me realize how much of the Civil Rights Movement we don’t hear about. These citizenship schools weren’t just about literacy—they were about power, dignity, and agency. And they worked. By the time the Voting Rights Act passed, these schools had spread across the South, helping thousands of people register to vote.
This book made me feel both heartbroken and hopeful. Heartbroken at how hard people had to fight for basic rights—and hopeful because they did fight, and they won important battles.
If you care about justice, education, or just want to be inspired by real people doing extraordinary things, please read this book. Spell Freedom reminded me that change doesn’t always come from the spotlight—it often starts in small, quiet rooms, with brave people determined to make a difference.
I can honestly say Spell Freedom by Elaine Weiss moved me in a way that few history books ever have. It tells the story of the citizenship schools that quietly yet powerfully fueled the Civil Rights Movement—schools that taught Black Americans to read, write, and most importantly, to believe in their right to vote and participate fully in democracy.
What I loved most about this book is how it brings unsung heroes to the forefront. Weiss introduces us to people like Septima Clark, Bernice Robinson, and Esau Jenkins—not as distant historical figures, but as real, flawed, courageous individuals who risked everything to educate their communities. I found myself in awe of their resilience and ingenuity. A beauty shop turned into a classroom? A bus that doubled as a mobile school? It's amazing what people can do with vision and determination.
Weiss’s writing is clear, compassionate, and deeply human. She doesn’t just lay out facts—she tells stories. I felt like I was right there, in the back of that grocery store where one of the first secret schools took place. She also doesn’t shy away from the tough stuff: the movement’s internal struggles, the sexism many women leaders faced, and the very real danger these educators lived with daily.
Reading Spell Freedom made me realize how much of the Civil Rights Movement we don’t hear about. These citizenship schools weren’t just about literacy—they were about power, dignity, and agency. And they worked. By the time the Voting Rights Act passed, these schools had spread across the South, helping thousands of people register to vote.
This book made me feel both heartbroken and hopeful. Heartbroken at how hard people had to fight for basic rights—and hopeful because they did fight, and they won important battles.
If you care about justice, education, or just want to be inspired by real people doing extraordinary things, please read this book. Spell Freedom reminded me that change doesn’t always come from the spotlight—it often starts in small, quiet rooms, with brave people determined to make a difference.
April 1, 2025
This was phenomenal, I love how the author wove all of these stories together. It was nonfiction written like a novel and I could not stop listening to the audiobook. I learned a lot from this, especially about Septima Clark and the Citizenship Schools. This did not shy away from the uncomfortable, I cringed multiple times at the horrific racism displayed and that’s the point. I really recommend the audiobook, Robin Miles did a fantastic job bringing these stories to life. Thank you to Netgalley and Atria for the arc, I really enjoyed it.
July 7, 2025
Reading this book right now in this moment in America was almost shocking. Weiss tells the story of a little-known part of the 1950s and 1960s civil rights movement: the Citizenship Schools, and Septima Clark, the schoolteacher who created them.
In a way, they are little known because they were mostly organized and run by women. Even when these women were drawn into the leadership of the SCLC, they were marginalized by the men, so their story has not been sufficiently told until now. These schools were a textbook example of grassroots organizing, of meeting people where they were and finding appropriate ways to give them what they needed in order to pass the exclusionary voter registration tests. Incidentally, it prepared them for the violence and retribution they would experience once they actually registered to vote.
Only people who refuse to know this history can maintain the mythology of the US. Everyone should read this.
The fact that these people prevailed to such a great extent offers a glimmer of hope that it can be done again. We need all the hope we can get.
In a way, they are little known because they were mostly organized and run by women. Even when these women were drawn into the leadership of the SCLC, they were marginalized by the men, so their story has not been sufficiently told until now. These schools were a textbook example of grassroots organizing, of meeting people where they were and finding appropriate ways to give them what they needed in order to pass the exclusionary voter registration tests. Incidentally, it prepared them for the violence and retribution they would experience once they actually registered to vote.
Only people who refuse to know this history can maintain the mythology of the US. Everyone should read this.
The fact that these people prevailed to such a great extent offers a glimmer of hope that it can be done again. We need all the hope we can get.
March 4, 2025
I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Spell Freedom by Elaine Weiss is a nonfiction written like a novel about the Highlander Folk School and the activists who helped found the Civil Rights Movement. Septima Poinsette Clark was one of the first teachers at the Highlander school, teaching Black American adults how to read and write and assisting them with getting registered to vote in the 1950s and 1960s. Through the hard work of the Highlander school and the teachers trained in the citizenship program, progress could start to be made.
The biggest thing I took away from this book was that the Civil Rights Movement had issues of misogynoir and didn’t highlight the women who were instrumental in making the movement effective. Women taught citizenship classes, literacy, history, fundamental rights all Americans should have, and gave up their time, resources, and even their places of business and were still relegated to a different march and their concerns about gender inequality were brushed aside. It is very disappointing to read that even Dr. King didn’t seem to hold gender equality as an issue as important as racial equality, but it is important to recognize when we discuss the movements and organizations that made positive change the ways in which they fell short so we can do better.
I have no memory of hearing of Septima Clark or any of the women who ran the Citizenship programs before reading this. It’s possible I’ve heard one or two of their names in passing, but not nearly in this much detail. It is infuriating to realize that these women are not household names in the same way Rosa Parks and Dr. King are or that the Highlander school was most likely never mentioned in my education of the Civil Rights Movement at all. Esau Jenkins’ motto ‘Love is Progress, Hate is Expensive’ is something I am going to carry with me for the rest of my life and the triumph for a woman in her 60s learning how to read and write her name. They maybe aren’t as bombastic as other moments, but they are all key components in how voting rights were won.
I cried several times while reading this. The narrative structure helps make the triumphs feel all the more sweet and the tragedies and horrific actions against the members of the Highland school hit harder. Unfortunately, sometimes when a nonfiction book is too dry, it’s hard to emotionally connect to what has happened and that can lead to apathy even if the reader has positive intentions while reading. I felt no apathy at all while reading this. Every Highland school figure was introduced with care and respect, even when discussing their flaws, and Elaine Weiss did not shy away from the more uncomfortable bits. As I read this, I also couldn’t help but connect to what is happening now and how some people in power want to limit who can and cannot vote. We need to learn our history or we are doomed to repeat it and I want to keep learning my history.
Content warning for mentions of sexual assault and depictions of anti-Black violence including the use of slurs
I would recommend this to fans of nonfiction exploring lesser known figures in activism and readers looking for a nonfiction on the foundations of the Civil Rights Movement
Spell Freedom by Elaine Weiss is a nonfiction written like a novel about the Highlander Folk School and the activists who helped found the Civil Rights Movement. Septima Poinsette Clark was one of the first teachers at the Highlander school, teaching Black American adults how to read and write and assisting them with getting registered to vote in the 1950s and 1960s. Through the hard work of the Highlander school and the teachers trained in the citizenship program, progress could start to be made.
The biggest thing I took away from this book was that the Civil Rights Movement had issues of misogynoir and didn’t highlight the women who were instrumental in making the movement effective. Women taught citizenship classes, literacy, history, fundamental rights all Americans should have, and gave up their time, resources, and even their places of business and were still relegated to a different march and their concerns about gender inequality were brushed aside. It is very disappointing to read that even Dr. King didn’t seem to hold gender equality as an issue as important as racial equality, but it is important to recognize when we discuss the movements and organizations that made positive change the ways in which they fell short so we can do better.
I have no memory of hearing of Septima Clark or any of the women who ran the Citizenship programs before reading this. It’s possible I’ve heard one or two of their names in passing, but not nearly in this much detail. It is infuriating to realize that these women are not household names in the same way Rosa Parks and Dr. King are or that the Highlander school was most likely never mentioned in my education of the Civil Rights Movement at all. Esau Jenkins’ motto ‘Love is Progress, Hate is Expensive’ is something I am going to carry with me for the rest of my life and the triumph for a woman in her 60s learning how to read and write her name. They maybe aren’t as bombastic as other moments, but they are all key components in how voting rights were won.
I cried several times while reading this. The narrative structure helps make the triumphs feel all the more sweet and the tragedies and horrific actions against the members of the Highland school hit harder. Unfortunately, sometimes when a nonfiction book is too dry, it’s hard to emotionally connect to what has happened and that can lead to apathy even if the reader has positive intentions while reading. I felt no apathy at all while reading this. Every Highland school figure was introduced with care and respect, even when discussing their flaws, and Elaine Weiss did not shy away from the more uncomfortable bits. As I read this, I also couldn’t help but connect to what is happening now and how some people in power want to limit who can and cannot vote. We need to learn our history or we are doomed to repeat it and I want to keep learning my history.
Content warning for mentions of sexual assault and depictions of anti-Black violence including the use of slurs
I would recommend this to fans of nonfiction exploring lesser known figures in activism and readers looking for a nonfiction on the foundations of the Civil Rights Movement
September 3, 2025
What a history lesson. For someone who disliked history growing up, this one really meant a lot to me. While being born and growing up in the early 60’s, I never realized all these criminal acts were in motion. Shame on our country back then and shame on our country now with the current administration trying to limit the rights of all the people. Our evolving is being reversed and it’s truly embarrassing. Thank you for the history lesson Elaine Weiss.
March 19, 2025
This is an incredible and important book. Without it, I would have never known the story of Septima Clark, Bernice Robinson and other incredible figures in the Civil Rights movement. Starting with Queen Mrs. Clark, Elaine Weiss takes us through the birth of the Civil Rights movement through some of its Genesis in the Highlander school founded and run by. Originally founded to support Union creation and empowerment through unions. The school eventually transformed into a center of integrated learning in community development. In the face of adversity, graduates of the school took their learnings back into the community in order to not only build an empowered community through voter registration, but build individual pride and empowerment through education. None of this could have been done without powerful figures like Mrs. Clark, who did not receive the credit and recognition that she absolutely deserved in her lifetime and even in mine. I can't believe I've never heard of some of these incredible figures. It's a testament to the abhorrent level of History taught in public schools in this country, particularly when it comes to African American history and studies.
This book does cover a lot of important figures and it's easy to get lost at times with the sheer amount of remarkable characters you learn about in just 316 pages. Personally, I didn't find it, distracting, I found it shocking that I hadn't known about these people sooner and was delighted to learn about them the entire way. There were also many moments that brought tears to my eyes, not just the violence perpetrated on innocent people fighting for their own fighting for their rights, but also seeing the sexism inherent even in completely well meaning institutions. The country needs another Septima Clark, Rosa Parks, MLK and oter figures discussed in this book.
I'll definitely be recommending this to friends, maybe it will help inspire people to pick up this mantle.
This book does cover a lot of important figures and it's easy to get lost at times with the sheer amount of remarkable characters you learn about in just 316 pages. Personally, I didn't find it, distracting, I found it shocking that I hadn't known about these people sooner and was delighted to learn about them the entire way. There were also many moments that brought tears to my eyes, not just the violence perpetrated on innocent people fighting for their own fighting for their rights, but also seeing the sexism inherent even in completely well meaning institutions. The country needs another Septima Clark, Rosa Parks, MLK and oter figures discussed in this book.
I'll definitely be recommending this to friends, maybe it will help inspire people to pick up this mantle.
March 6, 2025
Spell Freedom is the story of the people integral to the Civil Rights Movement who, at Highlander Folk School's citizenship program, taught Black Americans to read and write in preparation to vote in the 1950s and 60s. This non-fiction book reads like a novel, is very well told, and you'll find yourself entrenched in the emotional ride. I do however, feel that the pacing was a bit off.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
September 2, 2025
Full review here: https://open.substack.com/pub/dearstr...
August 17, 2025
When I bought Spell Freedom by Elaine Wells, I didn't realize how important it would turn out to be. The focus of the book is on voting registration and election participation in the Deep South.
Myles Horton founded a school to teach Black citizens what they needed to know in order to vote. During the era of McCarthyism , the Horton school was considered to be communist. The school didn't teach communism. It taught literacy and basic knowledge about citizenship.
The Horton school survived and continued to be a resource for Black voters in the South. At one point Nelson Rockefeller provided the Horton school with funds.
For my complete review see https://shomeretmasked.blogspot.com/2...
Myles Horton founded a school to teach Black citizens what they needed to know in order to vote. During the era of McCarthyism , the Horton school was considered to be communist. The school didn't teach communism. It taught literacy and basic knowledge about citizenship.
The Horton school survived and continued to be a resource for Black voters in the South. At one point Nelson Rockefeller provided the Horton school with funds.
For my complete review see https://shomeretmasked.blogspot.com/2...
April 11, 2025
What Atticus knew...
...and Scout would have learned: an educated electorate is empowered.
Mrs. Weiss, in graphic detail, outlines how, in our own country, the "huddled masses," from their own ranks, were given the vision and support they had been so violently denied.
This book, in graphic detail, shows us again what the will of one brave soul can accomplish.
I am a native Mississippian and I know whereof I speak.
Thank you, Elaine Weiss.
...and Scout would have learned: an educated electorate is empowered.
Mrs. Weiss, in graphic detail, outlines how, in our own country, the "huddled masses," from their own ranks, were given the vision and support they had been so violently denied.
This book, in graphic detail, shows us again what the will of one brave soul can accomplish.
I am a native Mississippian and I know whereof I speak.
Thank you, Elaine Weiss.
January 15, 2025
Spell Freedom by Elaine Weiss is an excellent recounting of the work done by civil rights activists in the South from the point when the Supreme Court Brown v Topeka Bd of Ed decision desegregated schools until the assassination of Martin Luther King. I knew some of the details--Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott; the marches and protests that we all read about at the time. What I didn't know, and what makes this book so compelling, is the story of the hard work done by dedicated activists in their home communities to set up citizenship training schools to teach literacy skills and help people register to vote. Reading about the role of people like Septima Clark, Esau Jenkins, and Myles Horton, among others is riveting. They put their lives on the line, with hard work and song, to move civil rights forward for the Black community. It's a great story, well told. I was lucky to get an advance copy of this book from the publisher--thanks, S&S! Elaine Weiss's earlier book, The Woman's Hour, is about the fight to win the vote for women, another great topic also filled with interesting social history.
October 12, 2025
Summary: Tracing the story of "Freedom School" as one of the backbones of the Civil Rights movement.
When I first heard about Spell Freedom, I thought it was a history of the Highlander Folk School. The Highlander Folk School played an important part in establishing the early freedom schools and eventually moved their teacher training program (and main Freedom school staff person, Septima Clark) to the SCLC. As is made clear in the book, the Highlander Folk School played an important behind the scenes role in the Civil Rights Movement. By the early 1950s, when Septima Clark attended her first training program, Highlander had been around for nearly 30 years. It was consciously integrated from early on, but its work shifted from labor organizing to civil rights organizing in the late 1940s. Clark quickly started leading training sessions and soon after, was forced out of her teaching job in Charleston SC because she was a member of the NAACP and in leadership of the local chapter.
The most likely reason that someone may know about Highlander Folk School is because Rosa Park attended one of Clark's early training session in the summer of 1954, just before she prompted Montgomery Bus Boycott. Clark and Parks became life long friends. And it was not long after that Septima Clark first met Ella Baker. At the time Ella Baker was an organizer for the SCLC and their voting right program was floundering. The Nashville sit-in movement came to Highlander for training and Ella Baker used Highlander regularly as SNCC was developed. But about this time, the state of Tennessee was able to confiscate the property and shut down the Highlander Folk School, forcing it to move and reincorporate.
While Ella Baker had left the SCLC and become the primary advisor for the development of SNCC, the SCLC took over Highlander's freedom school program and brought Septima Clark on staff and she became the first female board member. The sexism of the SCLC was frustrating to Clark, as it had been to Baker, but Clark continued to develop the freedom schools and work for voting rights, including playing a significant role in Selma. Hundreds of thousands of people were registered to vote as an indirect result of the freedom schools. Many of the major leaders of the Civil Rights era were either trained at Highlander, or in one of the freedom schools that were taught by volunteers that were trained by Clark or her staff at either Highlander or SCLC. (This includes John Lewis, Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, Stokley Carmichael, and many more.)
As with many other histories of the Civil Rights era, there is a lot of overlap because different books are telling different facets of the same broad story. One of the facets here that is important is the role of radical white supporters of integration who helped to train Black civil rights leaders. Myles and Zilphia Mae Horton, as the founders of Highlander, and then later Guy Carawan and his wife Candy were strongly involved, but also seemed, at least in this telling, to understand their role to primarily be empowering Black leadership. Zilphia Mae understood the role of song as both ice breaker and encouragement and the civil rights movement and the Black church tradition also used music well. But again, even if helping, appropriation can be easy. Zilphia taught We Shall Overcome to participants at Highlander, but she didn't write it, she learned it from Black women who sang a version of it during labor strikes. Zilphia did standardize some of the lyrics and then Guy Carawan, Pete Seager and Joan Baez recorded versions of it that became more widely known as a protest song. The arrangement was copyrighted by Zilphia Horton, Guy Carawan, Frank Hamilton, and Pete Seeger in 1960 and copyright lawsuits continue around the song until 2017 when a ruling finally placed it in the public domain.
Spell Freedom is a good narrative history of an aspect of the Civil Rights movement that is less known than the demonstrations and protests. But without training of the Highlander School and the grass roots work of local organizing with the freedom schools, much of the more public works would have been less effective.
This was originally posted on my blog at https://bookwi.se/spell-freedom/
When I first heard about Spell Freedom, I thought it was a history of the Highlander Folk School. The Highlander Folk School played an important part in establishing the early freedom schools and eventually moved their teacher training program (and main Freedom school staff person, Septima Clark) to the SCLC. As is made clear in the book, the Highlander Folk School played an important behind the scenes role in the Civil Rights Movement. By the early 1950s, when Septima Clark attended her first training program, Highlander had been around for nearly 30 years. It was consciously integrated from early on, but its work shifted from labor organizing to civil rights organizing in the late 1940s. Clark quickly started leading training sessions and soon after, was forced out of her teaching job in Charleston SC because she was a member of the NAACP and in leadership of the local chapter.
The most likely reason that someone may know about Highlander Folk School is because Rosa Park attended one of Clark's early training session in the summer of 1954, just before she prompted Montgomery Bus Boycott. Clark and Parks became life long friends. And it was not long after that Septima Clark first met Ella Baker. At the time Ella Baker was an organizer for the SCLC and their voting right program was floundering. The Nashville sit-in movement came to Highlander for training and Ella Baker used Highlander regularly as SNCC was developed. But about this time, the state of Tennessee was able to confiscate the property and shut down the Highlander Folk School, forcing it to move and reincorporate.
While Ella Baker had left the SCLC and become the primary advisor for the development of SNCC, the SCLC took over Highlander's freedom school program and brought Septima Clark on staff and she became the first female board member. The sexism of the SCLC was frustrating to Clark, as it had been to Baker, but Clark continued to develop the freedom schools and work for voting rights, including playing a significant role in Selma. Hundreds of thousands of people were registered to vote as an indirect result of the freedom schools. Many of the major leaders of the Civil Rights era were either trained at Highlander, or in one of the freedom schools that were taught by volunteers that were trained by Clark or her staff at either Highlander or SCLC. (This includes John Lewis, Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, Stokley Carmichael, and many more.)
As with many other histories of the Civil Rights era, there is a lot of overlap because different books are telling different facets of the same broad story. One of the facets here that is important is the role of radical white supporters of integration who helped to train Black civil rights leaders. Myles and Zilphia Mae Horton, as the founders of Highlander, and then later Guy Carawan and his wife Candy were strongly involved, but also seemed, at least in this telling, to understand their role to primarily be empowering Black leadership. Zilphia Mae understood the role of song as both ice breaker and encouragement and the civil rights movement and the Black church tradition also used music well. But again, even if helping, appropriation can be easy. Zilphia taught We Shall Overcome to participants at Highlander, but she didn't write it, she learned it from Black women who sang a version of it during labor strikes. Zilphia did standardize some of the lyrics and then Guy Carawan, Pete Seager and Joan Baez recorded versions of it that became more widely known as a protest song. The arrangement was copyrighted by Zilphia Horton, Guy Carawan, Frank Hamilton, and Pete Seeger in 1960 and copyright lawsuits continue around the song until 2017 when a ruling finally placed it in the public domain.
Spell Freedom is a good narrative history of an aspect of the Civil Rights movement that is less known than the demonstrations and protests. But without training of the Highlander School and the grass roots work of local organizing with the freedom schools, much of the more public works would have been less effective.
This was originally posted on my blog at https://bookwi.se/spell-freedom/
March 12, 2025
When an opportunity arises to fight the Jim Crow era head on, South Carolina native Septima Clark doesn’t hesitate. Instead, she teams up with other activists and starts hundreds of schools to teach Black people how to read, write, and vote. Without her crucial contributions, the Civil Rights Movement most likely would never have moved forward. Elaine Weiss shares the little-known story of Clark and others in her dynamic new nonfiction release, Spell Freedom: The Underground Schools That Built the Civil Rights Movement.
It's 1954, and the United States Supreme Court has handed down a stunning ruling: segregation in public schools is unconstitutional. Those who have favored, supported, and pushed for keeping the races separate are downright appalled, but for Septima Clark it’s an opportunity. As a Black woman who has faced the very worst of mankind due to white supremacy, Septima understands a court ruling is just one point of view and a highly unpopular one in South Carolina where she lives. But with the highest court in the land making this statement, Septima knows people will be forced at some point to listen.
Septima isn’t naïve. Even with the court’s ruling, many schools and states flat out ignore the order to integrate. With her 50-plus years behind her, Septima takes the long view. If Black people are going to have any say in their treatment, they need to vote. In order to vote, many of them will have to learn to read and write first. Voting rules state that people registering for the first time must pass a literacy test and also answer questions about their individual state’s constitution. With the constant beating down Black people have faced, coupled with segregation, most African Americans can’t do any of those things.
That doesn’t mean they won’t do them in the future, however. Septima teams up with local leader Esau Jenkins on Johns Island, South Carolina, and the two travel to Highlander Folk School in Tennessee. The school was founded by labor movement activist Myles Horton; recently Horton has become more and more troubled by the racial tension and wants to pivot his teachings from labor unions to matters of race. In him, Septima and Esau find a white man willing to listen and learn about the intense struggles of Black people.
They decide to start literacy schools for Black people on Johns Island. Esau’s clear-headed optimism leads him to believe that people will benefit from the schools, but it won’t be easy to get them there. And his prediction turns out to be right. What he can’t predict—what none of them can—is the fervor that grips the southeastern states for this kind of learning. Starting with fear ruling their hearts, the first Black students eventually gain confidence and then become bolder. They decide to stand up for their rights.
The timing of the schools coincides with a greater movement across the country, a demand by more and more people of all races to give African Americans what is their proper due. As the momentum picks up, Septima continues working with residents across the southeast. She teaches them how to open their own schools, how to fight back with peaceful protests, and what it means to demand to be treated the way any citizen of this country should.
Author Elaine Weiss performs a great act of civil service herself by writing about Septima Clark. Martin Luther King Jr. called Septima the “Mother of the Movement,” yet too many people don’t know about this remarkable woman. Through Weiss’s book, readers will learn about Septima’s personal struggles, her own doubts about the direction of the desegregation and Civil Rights movements, and the high price so many paid in the name of equality. With current events, Weiss’s book feels almost prescient of the adage that those who forget history are doomed to repeat it.
Weiss also offers an inside look at the Civil Rights movement as King became more prominent within it. Despite Septima’s grueling, backbreaking work for the literacy schools, despite the compliments King gave her, Septima and so many other women, including teacher Bernice Robinson, were treated like second-class citizens themselves. The fight for equality, it seems, only extended to the races and men.
For those who want to learn about a part of the Civil Rights movement previously unknown to them, this is a seminal work that should be required reading in all high schools.
It's 1954, and the United States Supreme Court has handed down a stunning ruling: segregation in public schools is unconstitutional. Those who have favored, supported, and pushed for keeping the races separate are downright appalled, but for Septima Clark it’s an opportunity. As a Black woman who has faced the very worst of mankind due to white supremacy, Septima understands a court ruling is just one point of view and a highly unpopular one in South Carolina where she lives. But with the highest court in the land making this statement, Septima knows people will be forced at some point to listen.
Septima isn’t naïve. Even with the court’s ruling, many schools and states flat out ignore the order to integrate. With her 50-plus years behind her, Septima takes the long view. If Black people are going to have any say in their treatment, they need to vote. In order to vote, many of them will have to learn to read and write first. Voting rules state that people registering for the first time must pass a literacy test and also answer questions about their individual state’s constitution. With the constant beating down Black people have faced, coupled with segregation, most African Americans can’t do any of those things.
That doesn’t mean they won’t do them in the future, however. Septima teams up with local leader Esau Jenkins on Johns Island, South Carolina, and the two travel to Highlander Folk School in Tennessee. The school was founded by labor movement activist Myles Horton; recently Horton has become more and more troubled by the racial tension and wants to pivot his teachings from labor unions to matters of race. In him, Septima and Esau find a white man willing to listen and learn about the intense struggles of Black people.
They decide to start literacy schools for Black people on Johns Island. Esau’s clear-headed optimism leads him to believe that people will benefit from the schools, but it won’t be easy to get them there. And his prediction turns out to be right. What he can’t predict—what none of them can—is the fervor that grips the southeastern states for this kind of learning. Starting with fear ruling their hearts, the first Black students eventually gain confidence and then become bolder. They decide to stand up for their rights.
The timing of the schools coincides with a greater movement across the country, a demand by more and more people of all races to give African Americans what is their proper due. As the momentum picks up, Septima continues working with residents across the southeast. She teaches them how to open their own schools, how to fight back with peaceful protests, and what it means to demand to be treated the way any citizen of this country should.
Author Elaine Weiss performs a great act of civil service herself by writing about Septima Clark. Martin Luther King Jr. called Septima the “Mother of the Movement,” yet too many people don’t know about this remarkable woman. Through Weiss’s book, readers will learn about Septima’s personal struggles, her own doubts about the direction of the desegregation and Civil Rights movements, and the high price so many paid in the name of equality. With current events, Weiss’s book feels almost prescient of the adage that those who forget history are doomed to repeat it.
Weiss also offers an inside look at the Civil Rights movement as King became more prominent within it. Despite Septima’s grueling, backbreaking work for the literacy schools, despite the compliments King gave her, Septima and so many other women, including teacher Bernice Robinson, were treated like second-class citizens themselves. The fight for equality, it seems, only extended to the races and men.
For those who want to learn about a part of the Civil Rights movement previously unknown to them, this is a seminal work that should be required reading in all high schools.
May 14, 2025
Deeply researched, powerfully written, heartwarming and inspiring, Elaine Weiss's Spell Freedom: The Underground Schools That Built the Civil Rights Movement is a captivating and inspiring look at how a handful of people, with courage, resilience, passion, and a shared goal can change history. While most of us know the stories of Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Jr., Thurgood Marshall, and Rosa Parks, the actions of whom are sprinkled throughout this book, it is the actions of a teacher, a bus driver, and a beautician, that created a grassroots movement that shaped the education system and voters rights in America.
History has long shown that the way to hold any group of people down is to deny them education and take away their voice. When that doesn't work, apply pain and force. American history is no different. In the Jim Crow era of the South, Black Americans attended segregated school, were given rudimentary education, and not allowed to vote.
In the wake of the Supreme Court's verdict declaring segregation as unconstitutional, it became apparent that whose who opposed the ruling would do anything they could to keep blacks separated and unequal. A very forward thinking white activist named Myles Horton offered classes at his Highlander Folk School in Tennessee, a think tank for people, both white and black, to come together and create plans that they would take back to their own communities in order foster equity and equality for Black people. It was here that Septima Clark and Esau Jenkins would establish the roots for what would become the underground Citizenship Schools. These schools would teach more that 900 Black Americans to read, write, and understand politics enough to be able to vote. More importantly, in the midst of brutality and acts of terrorism, these schools would create a unity that had been lacking, and spur communities to activism.
Spell Freedom is an unexpected and much appreciated look at the Civil Rights Movement detailing the actions of the unsung heroes that rarely receive acknowledgement for their contributions. This is a book that everyone should read in order to have a more rounded view of the civil rights era.
History has long shown that the way to hold any group of people down is to deny them education and take away their voice. When that doesn't work, apply pain and force. American history is no different. In the Jim Crow era of the South, Black Americans attended segregated school, were given rudimentary education, and not allowed to vote.
In the wake of the Supreme Court's verdict declaring segregation as unconstitutional, it became apparent that whose who opposed the ruling would do anything they could to keep blacks separated and unequal. A very forward thinking white activist named Myles Horton offered classes at his Highlander Folk School in Tennessee, a think tank for people, both white and black, to come together and create plans that they would take back to their own communities in order foster equity and equality for Black people. It was here that Septima Clark and Esau Jenkins would establish the roots for what would become the underground Citizenship Schools. These schools would teach more that 900 Black Americans to read, write, and understand politics enough to be able to vote. More importantly, in the midst of brutality and acts of terrorism, these schools would create a unity that had been lacking, and spur communities to activism.
Spell Freedom is an unexpected and much appreciated look at the Civil Rights Movement detailing the actions of the unsung heroes that rarely receive acknowledgement for their contributions. This is a book that everyone should read in order to have a more rounded view of the civil rights era.
December 18, 2025
Spell Freedom is a humbling exploration into the impact of citizen education programs and black schools on the playing out of the civil rights movement in the 1960s. This book provides a compelling through line from the first black schools in the south to the integration movement. It is hard to get too attached to the characters as they aren't the whole story, only a piece of it. This isn't a book on Septima but rather one of schools that fueled reintegration.
This culminates in the iconic protests in Selma and Birmingham, and the marches to Washington. For most Americans, our education of this movement only delves into these flashbulb moments, but how do you provide a compelling photo, tv spot, or billboard on someone learning to read? The unheralded work of Septima Clark, Bernice Robinson, Esau Jenkins speaks to the work of grassroots outreach and community organization to quell not just racial injustice, but economic and gender based injustice as well.
One of my favorite parts of this book is the acknowledgement of the author that many prominent faces of this movement belittled and silenced many of the women who gave it teeth. Without Septima Clark, and the CEP programs, leaders, and education she heralded into the South, the last 50 years of African American participation in politics would be an alien landscape. Would we have even had a black president, where would we be now? It warms my heart and spirit to read of so many brave souls laying their lives on the line for just the hope of a brighter future, one that we all must still sacrifice for today to make a reality.
"I just tried to create a little chaos. Chaos is a good thing. God created the whole world out of it, change is what comes of it". -Septima Poinsette Clark
This culminates in the iconic protests in Selma and Birmingham, and the marches to Washington. For most Americans, our education of this movement only delves into these flashbulb moments, but how do you provide a compelling photo, tv spot, or billboard on someone learning to read? The unheralded work of Septima Clark, Bernice Robinson, Esau Jenkins speaks to the work of grassroots outreach and community organization to quell not just racial injustice, but economic and gender based injustice as well.
One of my favorite parts of this book is the acknowledgement of the author that many prominent faces of this movement belittled and silenced many of the women who gave it teeth. Without Septima Clark, and the CEP programs, leaders, and education she heralded into the South, the last 50 years of African American participation in politics would be an alien landscape. Would we have even had a black president, where would we be now? It warms my heart and spirit to read of so many brave souls laying their lives on the line for just the hope of a brighter future, one that we all must still sacrifice for today to make a reality.
"I just tried to create a little chaos. Chaos is a good thing. God created the whole world out of it, change is what comes of it". -Septima Poinsette Clark
June 20, 2025
Breaking my Goodreads silence just for this one book. This book is that important and there are not enough reviews about this one yet. This is a book that once you read it, it will stick with you. You will think about it constantly. This is the heartbreaking story of what the cost of civil rights for black Americans was. I was constantly outraged reading this. At the same time I want this stuff to be shouted from the rooftops- for history classes to be teaching this. Tell them what happened- not the romanticized version- what really happened. Schools make it seem like Rose Parks was just tired one day and refused to give up her seat and like magic now buses are integrated. They don’t talk about her deep involvement in the civil rights movement. About what actually happened to people involved in the protests. About the arrests and violence, imprisonment, abuse and rape. They don’t talk about the retribution against any black citizen who registered to vote- how they were blackballed, thrown out of their homes, cut off from their loans, physically abused. Our country is ugly to look at. The way anyone who is not a white man has been treated here is not pretty. Along with racism and violence there was also the double oppression of black women. They were not give a proper voice in the civil rights leadship organizations- they weren’t even allowed to March at rallies with the men. It’s just layers and layers of oppression. Like I said- this book is not for the weak of heart. It is a struggle to get through emotionally, but it is so important that people read this. We can’t move forward unless people truly understand history.
June 26, 2025
In this fascinating history of the civil rights movement, Elaine Weiss brings Septima Clark, Esau Jenkins, Myles Horton, Bernice Robinson, and the Citizenship Schools project which established over nine hundred citizenship schools which taught thousands of Black citizens how to read, write, vote, and demand their rights. Creating a generation of activists and a new educational system aligned with the civil rights movement’s goals, this school system’s history is fascinating and critical to understanding the civil rights movement and the role that education played in it. An excellent uncovering of a forgotten history of the civil rights movement, this book is powerful, fascinating, and immersive, and it has done an incredible job giving these activists and their students their rightly deserved spotlight. The historical details and information are well-written and accessible to readers, and the book itself is incredibly approachable for readers of all abilities and interests. Intriguing, immersive, and totally fascinating, this is a brilliant addition to the civil rights history canon and really highlights the broad interests and aims of the movement and the ways in which activists reshaped their communities. A must-read for historians and educators, this is an incredible and engrossing book that highlights the true power of education as a tool for transformation.
Thanks to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Atria/One Signal Publishers for the advance copy.
Thanks to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Atria/One Signal Publishers for the advance copy.
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March 13, 2025Elaine Weiss's "Spell Freedom: The Underground Schools That Built the Civil Rights Movement" is a powerful exploration of the hidden Citizenship Schools that played a crucial role in the Civil Rights Movement. With meticulous research and compelling storytelling, Weiss sheds light on these grassroots educational efforts, which were vital in challenging Jim Crow laws and inspiring change.
Weiss’s historical accuracy stands out, as she draws on archival materials, interviews, and firsthand accounts to vividly portray the underground schools as beacons of hope and resistance. These makeshift classrooms, often in basements, churches, and homes, taught not only literacy but also the principles of equality and defiance, fostering the leaders who would reshape the nation.
"Spell Freedom" serves as both a tribute to the resilience of those who risked everything for education and a reminder of the enduring power of community-driven action. It emphasizes the importance of grassroots organizing and education as tools for social change, offering readers practical lessons in activism.
In sum, "Spell Freedom" is an essential addition to Civil Rights literature, illuminating an overlooked chapter of history while inspiring readers to reflect on their own role in creating a more just world.
Weiss’s historical accuracy stands out, as she draws on archival materials, interviews, and firsthand accounts to vividly portray the underground schools as beacons of hope and resistance. These makeshift classrooms, often in basements, churches, and homes, taught not only literacy but also the principles of equality and defiance, fostering the leaders who would reshape the nation.
"Spell Freedom" serves as both a tribute to the resilience of those who risked everything for education and a reminder of the enduring power of community-driven action. It emphasizes the importance of grassroots organizing and education as tools for social change, offering readers practical lessons in activism.
In sum, "Spell Freedom" is an essential addition to Civil Rights literature, illuminating an overlooked chapter of history while inspiring readers to reflect on their own role in creating a more just world.
March 7, 2025
Spell Freedom is a powerful and necessary read, shining a light on four incredible individuals, Septima Clark, Esau Jenkins, Bernice Robinson, and Myles Horton who played a crucial role in the Civil Rights Movement. Through education and literacy, they empowered Black southerners to navigate the deliberately impossible voter registration tests designed to disenfranchise them.
This book takes readers through both the pre- and post-Supreme Court ruling on segregation, highlighting the relentless fight for justice and the immense impact of grassroots activism. The role of education and teachers in this movement is particularly well explored, making it even more relevant today.
I’ll be honest. Reading this was overwhelming. Given everything happening in this country right now, it hits differently than it might have even a year ago. The author does an incredible job weaving together personal experiences and historical context, making these stories feel urgent and deeply personal. As with many historical nonfiction books, there’s a lot of information packed in, but that’s more a reflection of the subject’s depth than a flaw in the writing.
Thank you to Atria Books for this book.
This book takes readers through both the pre- and post-Supreme Court ruling on segregation, highlighting the relentless fight for justice and the immense impact of grassroots activism. The role of education and teachers in this movement is particularly well explored, making it even more relevant today.
I’ll be honest. Reading this was overwhelming. Given everything happening in this country right now, it hits differently than it might have even a year ago. The author does an incredible job weaving together personal experiences and historical context, making these stories feel urgent and deeply personal. As with many historical nonfiction books, there’s a lot of information packed in, but that’s more a reflection of the subject’s depth than a flaw in the writing.
Thank you to Atria Books for this book.
May 2, 2025
I found this to be a very moving and educational book about some lesser known figures in the Civil Rights Movement and the huge role they played in it. The Citizenship Academy schools that grew up in the South to help blacks pass the voting tests, grew out of work by a white man named Myles Horton who set up workshops at his Highlander Folk School. People, like Rosa Parks, were also educated at it and I had previously read his autobiography, THE LONG HAUL. The other main protagonists, Septima Clark, Esau Jenkins and Bernice Robinson started Citizenship schools in the Charleston, SC area where they all were from. Their model then spread throughout the South. It would have been good to have a map of all the schools, but American publishers seem to shy away from putting them in books. At this time in our history, when many of us are out protesting the loss of our democracy on a weekly basis, a book like this brings out another time in our history when they also had to fight to have the Constitution serve them. A fascinating book.
March 7, 2025
While I know the basics of the Civil Rights Movement, I had no idea about these underground schools that were so pivotal in creating leaders of the movement. I was pleasantly surprised to learn one of the main schools was located in Tennessee, where I'm currently living!
The information in Spell Freedom is concise and helps the reader understand the current events of the time. Weiss has created an accessible and easily readable account of this grassroots movement and the unwavering dedication of these often overlooked heroes. I had never heard of Septima Clark or Esau Jenkins or the many others who put everything at risk for what they deserved and believed in. What was happening in the Jim Crow South was unconscionable, and I was aghast at the lengths many went to in order to prevent the much needed change. Spell Freedom should be required reading for every American!
Available now! Many thanks to @onesignalpub for the #gifted digital ARC!
The information in Spell Freedom is concise and helps the reader understand the current events of the time. Weiss has created an accessible and easily readable account of this grassroots movement and the unwavering dedication of these often overlooked heroes. I had never heard of Septima Clark or Esau Jenkins or the many others who put everything at risk for what they deserved and believed in. What was happening in the Jim Crow South was unconscionable, and I was aghast at the lengths many went to in order to prevent the much needed change. Spell Freedom should be required reading for every American!
Available now! Many thanks to @onesignalpub for the #gifted digital ARC!
May 28, 2025
bumped up from 2.5 for the topic’s importance today.
Despite the importance of this book, that is a study of the civil rights movement in the aftermath of the decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka Kansas (1954) through the Civil Rights of 1965, the text is long winded and academic in tone.
Author Weiss focuses on the roles of four activists Septima Clark, Myles Horton, Esau Jenkins, and Bernice Johnson and their leadership. The Underground School was the Tennessee Highlander School which educated blacks, particularly from the South, teaching reading, writing, civics, and literacy so they could vote and make their voices heard in the political arena.
The topic, especially important today, as the government is attempting to strip rights to vote from many citizens. The lessons are, unfortunately, buried within the lengthy narrative.
The audio performance was sadly, sub par. For more on the performance, see AudioFile Magazine http://www.audiofilemagazine.com
Despite the importance of this book, that is a study of the civil rights movement in the aftermath of the decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka Kansas (1954) through the Civil Rights of 1965, the text is long winded and academic in tone.
Author Weiss focuses on the roles of four activists Septima Clark, Myles Horton, Esau Jenkins, and Bernice Johnson and their leadership. The Underground School was the Tennessee Highlander School which educated blacks, particularly from the South, teaching reading, writing, civics, and literacy so they could vote and make their voices heard in the political arena.
The topic, especially important today, as the government is attempting to strip rights to vote from many citizens. The lessons are, unfortunately, buried within the lengthy narrative.
The audio performance was sadly, sub par. For more on the performance, see AudioFile Magazine http://www.audiofilemagazine.com
February 28, 2025
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
This is a solid overview of the fight for Civil Rights for Black people in the mid-20th century, a topic many are under-educated and misinformed about. I liked how it gave an overview of a mix of people, from prominent people, like Martin Luther King, Jr, and Rosa Parks, to lesser known figures like Septima Clark. As an overview, it works, prompting readers to dig deeper, although especially where certain figures like Clark have been in the shadows, it may have been more beneficial for them to be in the spotlight more, and not share it with the usual suspects, especially when it results in the book feeling rather rushed. However, it’s a solid intro to the topic, nonetheless, and will hopefully inspire people to explore more.
This is a solid overview of the fight for Civil Rights for Black people in the mid-20th century, a topic many are under-educated and misinformed about. I liked how it gave an overview of a mix of people, from prominent people, like Martin Luther King, Jr, and Rosa Parks, to lesser known figures like Septima Clark. As an overview, it works, prompting readers to dig deeper, although especially where certain figures like Clark have been in the shadows, it may have been more beneficial for them to be in the spotlight more, and not share it with the usual suspects, especially when it results in the book feeling rather rushed. However, it’s a solid intro to the topic, nonetheless, and will hopefully inspire people to explore more.
March 30, 2025
Centred on the stories of Septima Clark, Bernice Robinson, Esau Jenkins, and Myles Horton, Elaine Weiss’s Spell Freedom is a meticulously researched and fact-driven account of the underground Citizenship Schools that played a pivotal role in the Civil Rights Movement. Through the power of education, these activists defied systemic oppression, equipping African Americans with the tools to overcome Jim Crow-era voter suppression and claim their rightful place in democracy.
For those seeking a deeper understanding of the activists who fought for voting rights during the Civil Rights Movement, Spell Freedom offers a compelling and valuable account of their perseverance and impact.
Kind thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
For those seeking a deeper understanding of the activists who fought for voting rights during the Civil Rights Movement, Spell Freedom offers a compelling and valuable account of their perseverance and impact.
Kind thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
July 10, 2025
This was the best book I've read this year, and the best book I've read on the Black freedom movement in a long time. Elaine Weiss tells the story of how Septima Clark, fortified by Myles and Zilphia Horton's Highlander Folk School, pushed forward literacy schools and citizenship classes across the South, finding grassroots solutions to address the problems of literacy tests, segregation and Jim Crow laws. It's a necessary addition to a civil rights literature that tends toward a hyper focus on national organizations, leaders and legislation.
Ultimately, what I liked best about this book was how Weiss balanced a detailed look at the specific stories of a few individuals (Septima Clark, Esau Jenkins, Myles Horton, Bernice Robinson) with the larger narrative of more familiar events of the civil rights movement. She doesn't shy away from the critical role played by these figures in pushing forward national developments, but at the same time doesn't make the mistake some authors do of assuming their subjects are the central or only players in advancing the arc of history.
Ultimately, what I liked best about this book was how Weiss balanced a detailed look at the specific stories of a few individuals (Septima Clark, Esau Jenkins, Myles Horton, Bernice Robinson) with the larger narrative of more familiar events of the civil rights movement. She doesn't shy away from the critical role played by these figures in pushing forward national developments, but at the same time doesn't make the mistake some authors do of assuming their subjects are the central or only players in advancing the arc of history.
November 8, 2025
This was a goodreads win for me.
Spell Freedom is a wonderful written book about the Civil Rights Movement. I learned more about Civil Rights in this book than any other book in fact in school I learned very little about it. I grew up in a small town in Georgia and with such a low ratio of black people I never knew what was going in the world around me.
I grew great respect for the founding people that just wanted the same as everybody else, the right to be and do that is an American right. These founding people did it the right way and even though they suffered unmercifully and still marched on.
It gives you the history of where it all started, how it started and where it was going. The ones that suffered the most still lived the outcome of all they worked for but was sadden how it was twisted in the 1970s.
Spell Freedom is a wonderful written book about the Civil Rights Movement. I learned more about Civil Rights in this book than any other book in fact in school I learned very little about it. I grew up in a small town in Georgia and with such a low ratio of black people I never knew what was going in the world around me.
I grew great respect for the founding people that just wanted the same as everybody else, the right to be and do that is an American right. These founding people did it the right way and even though they suffered unmercifully and still marched on.
It gives you the history of where it all started, how it started and where it was going. The ones that suffered the most still lived the outcome of all they worked for but was sadden how it was twisted in the 1970s.
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