Young Civil Rights Heroes

Ten True Tales

by Allan Zullo

Ten true stories of real-life civil rights heroes!

Sixteen-year-old protest leader Rodney Hurst can't comprehend what's unfolding in front of him: Hundreds of hate-filled men brandishing ax handles and baseball bats are attacking any black person in their path.

Hundreds of black teens in another peaceful march find themselves blasted by powerful fire hoses. The students lock arms with each other and try desperately to hold their ground. But it's impossible to withstand the force of water pressure that can peel bark off a tree.

These and other young African-American heroes risked their lives in the civil-rights movement. You will never forget their courageous true stories.

The fight for freedom --
Theresser Caswell and the Clinton 12 --
Rodney Hurst and Ax Handle Saturday --
Charley Person and the Freedom Riders --
Henry Steele and the "Jail No Bail" Protestors --
Andy Heidelberg and the Norfolk 17 --
Janice Wesley and the Children's Crusade --
Luvaghn Brown and the Greenwood Struggle --
Carol Barner and the Stolen Girls of Americus --
Frank Bates and the Crawfordville Protests --
Chuck Bonner and Bloody Sunday

Genres: Nonfiction, Short Stories, Childrens

192 pages, Paperback

First published December 30, 2014

About the author

Allan Zullo is an American non-fiction writer. He is the author or co-author of more than eighty paperbacks for adults and children.

A native of Rockford, Illinois, Zullo graduated from Northern Illinois University in 1969 with a degree in journalism. His books include The Baseball Hall of Shame and Baseball Confidential (both co-written with Bruce Nash), A Boomer's Guide to Grandparenting (co-written with his wife Kathryn), and the Haunted Kids series. Zullo has also written articles for The National Enquirer, The Christian Science Monitor, Ladies Home Journal, and The Palm Beach Post. His syndicated comic strip "The Ghost Story Club" ran in American newspapers from 1995 to 1998.

Zullo currently lives in Fairview, North Carolina.

Reviews

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book Young Civil Right Heroes by Allan Zullo is based on different stories about events that happened during times when it was rough for colored people (African Americans) . This story can be very inspiring to kids and adults to treat everybody equally because we are all human. I recommend this book to kids and adults because it can teach the reader how unfair life was and still can be to colored people. For example, African American kids were needing police to escort them back to their homes. The reason for this was because the African Americans were attending a whites only school and the whites wanted the African Americans to leave their school.

[Gustavo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about 10 true tales of civil right heroes there are a lot of them but my favorit is It was called the Rodney Hurst and the Ax Handel with 200 white people with base ball bats and axhandles chased african americans and then the next day the African responed with a peaceful lunch. The police stood by members of a black street gang called the Boomerangs attmpted to protect those being attacked they even killed the people iin the black church any blacks they could see were going to get badly hurt.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will hurt your heart... and it should.

[American Mensa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Scholastic publication captures a series of true life stories about African Americans who risked their lives in the American Civil Rights Movement of 1950s and 1960s. It focuses on the strivings of ten lesser-known heroes such as Andy Heidelberg and Janice Wesley among others, who faced racism on a daily basis at their schools, churches and workplaces, and rose to the challenge to better themselves and the society around them. Andy’s story of a teenage boy trying to get a better education in an all-white school, and eventually winning recognition as a star athlete, will resonate with those youth today who are still facing discrimination, are victims of bullying or other abuse. The story of Rodney Hurst and how he escaped a bludgeoning by Klansmen is graphically recounted. This gripping compilation of the struggles and tensions in the United States during the Civil Rights era will leave readers with a deeply lasting appreciation for human rights in the twenty-first century. This book is recommended for ages 8 and above.
Reviewed by Umar A, Age 10, Central New Jersey Mensa

[Bec · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every United States citizen should read the history of the Civil Rights movement of the 1960's. This book includes various firsthand accounts of individuals who were apart of the movement. We are a country that has come to the aid of people in other countries being persecuted, yet we've persecuted our own. This gives truth to the idea that knowing our history helps us to not repeat it. What many don't take the time to realize is that the news media played a big role in the civil rights movement of the 1960's. Many times reporters were badly beaten when trying to show what was happening in the South. When they were successful, people were enlightened and the movement gained success. Good, truthful media can be a good thing. I'd definitely recommend this book for others to read! It was a great, fast paced read.

[Kourt Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a sad book because of what African Americans had to got through trying to be free. For example there was a white person who following the black people during that period of time. When the racists white people had a chance the beat the man. They beat him so bad he passed out and nearly bled to death. Which was hard for me to imagine such hatred toward another human being. So this book changed my thoughts on people like just because you might not like a person it doesn't give you the right to talk badly about that person let alone physically hurt them. But other than that I recommend you get this book because then you will really understand what African Americans had to go through back then to get to where we are now.

[Zachary Curtis]

I liked this book it was really informative. It showed how states in the south denied segregation laws. It told how the Clinton 12 changed integration in the south. How in the south peaceful protest were met with violence. Like in Jacksonville angry whites beat black protesters bloody. And the newspapers didn't have anything about the first Jacksonville sit-in. All in all I learned a lot about how the south denied black people their liberties and rights.

[Mistyblue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely a thought provoker. At times I wanted to rail at the adults who let their kids participate in events that lead to this treatment but the other part of me recognizes what the adults were trying to show the world. For a children's book, this one really makes u think.

[Mel Raschke]

This is a series of gripping stories of extraordinary persons who have met the challenges of dangerous, sometimes life-threatening, situations.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was incredibly touching because you just wish you could have been alive to help in this cause.