Blood Brother: Jonathan Daniels and His Sacrifice for Civil Rights

by Rich Wallace, Sandra Neil Wallace

A Booklist Editor's Choice
A Parents' Choice Gold Award
A Eureka! Nonfiction Children's Book Award Honor Book

Jonathan Daniels, a white seminary student from New Hampshire, traveled to Selma, Alabama, in 1965 to help with voter registration of black residents. After the voting rights marches, he remained in Alabama, in the area known as “Bloody Lowndes,” an extremely dangerous area for white freedom fighters, to assist civil rights workers. Five months later, Jonathan Daniels was shot and killed while saving the life of Ruby Sales, a black teenager. Through Daniels’s poignant letters, papers, photographs, and taped interviews, authors Rich Wallace and Sandra Neil Wallace explore what led Daniels to the moment of his death, the trial of his murderer, and how these events helped reshape both the legal and political climate of Lowndes County and the nation.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, High School, Historical, Biography

352 pages, Hardcover

First published September 13, 2016

Reviews

[Amy Formanski Duffy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here’s the story of a hero of the civil rights movement who isn’t a household name. Jonathan Daniels was studying to become an Episcopalian priest when hearing Martin Luther King Jr’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech inspired him to travel to Alabama to help with the protests taking place there. Unlike a lot of well-meaning white supporters of civil rights, he stayed for many months and showed unusual dedication to the cause of getting black people registered to vote and other equal rights initiatives. He traveled to very dangerous rural areas where the KKK was killing civil rights workers. Daniels eventually won the respect of the locals involved in the movement. Unfortunately he lost his life in the process. But he inspired many others to keep fighting the racism that had run rampant for so long in America, and unfortunately still does. One of the most inspiring stories included here is that of Ruby Sales, a seventeen-year-old protester who was with Daniels the day he died. She faced his killer, the racist jury and court officials and told the truth of what happened that day even though they tried to twist the story and blame Daniels for his own murder. I am in awe of her courage and would like to read a whole book about the work she’s done for social justice causes since then. Publishers, are you listening?

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.8 stars. The only reasin I did not give this book 5 stars is the design. Will kids lug this huge book around? It is big, it is heavy. Some pages with blue backgrounds are difficult to read. I hope they do! The text and photos are excellent! This story needs to be told! Why is it so obscure? The authors did an amazing job telling Jonathan's story. Well-written and researched. Fascinating, sad, honest depiction of the struggles of our nation, and the heroes who step up bravely and do the right thing.

[Beth Honeycutt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent nonfiction text about Jonathan Daniels, a Civil Rights activist. I hadn't heard his story before, and I am so glad that I've heard it now. I heard the authors speak about this book at NCTE and was inspired to buy it right away. The primary documents included in the book make the story come alive.

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever started reading a biography and thought, "Why haven't I ever heard of this person?!? They did so much!" That was my reaction while reading the story of New Hampshire native, Jonathan Daniels. (There's also a documentary about him, but I never knew that either.)

Daniels was a young man, interested in becoming an Episcopalian priest, when he answered the call for white clergy to travel to Alabama and march with Dr. King and many other folks fighting for equality for all citizens. Even after the march, he ended up staying in Alabama because he felt the need to continue his work as a civil rights activist.

What is so fascinating about Daniels' story, is the fact that both his life and death completely changed the Southern jury system. (Read the book to find out how.) He made a difference. And if you're ever in Keene, NH, you can see his name in various places around town including the elementary school.

My only gripe is the size of this book. Not the number of pages, but the fact that it's nearly the size of a coffee table book. Jonathan Daniels story is important, though, and I truly hope this book finds an audience among teens and adults.

[Laura Phelps · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish that everyone would read this book… and by everyone I mean everyone in middle school and older. It tells us so much about America today, and about our history. It is meticulously researched and documented and also hard to put down.

[Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A compelling and comprehensive biography of Jonathan Daniels, a young New Hampshire seminarian who became involved in the Civil Rights movement and died as a result, this book was powerful not only in its depiction of his life, but also the huge societal upheavals of that era. I will be honest that my immediate response was to question the reason for an exhaustive biography of a white Civil Rights volunteer in the face of the lack of stories of black activists who paid the same price for their involvement in the movement. Ultimately, though, the Wallaces have created a book that goes beyond the single narrative of this one character, showing us Daniels' reactions and relationships in a way that creates a useful and astoundingly detailed glimpse into history.

Born in New Hampshire and murdered at age 26 in Lowndes County Alabama by a man who would later be found not guilty of the crime, Daniels is a character who interests and inspires the readers of this book. His own oddly rebellious youth and time in military school before entering a seminary, his relationship with sharecroppers in Alabama and friendship with Stokeley Carmichael are particularly well detailed, with an amazing combination of photos, letters and historical documentation.

The countdown to Daniels' murder and the layout of the book draws us in to the deep national crisis that was occurring in the 1960s, and highlights the horrific divides and injustices which still run so deep in this country.

[Michael McCue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blood Brother is a new book about the short life of Jonathan Daniels. Published in 2016 it was cataloged in the Teen section at the Gates(NY)Public Library. It tells the story of Jonathan Daniels life and his work on the 1965 voter registration campaign in Alabama. After spending just a few months in Alabama Daniels was murdered by a segregationist white irregular deputy sheriff. Though charged with murder his killer was found not guilty by an all white jury. I have known about Jonathan Daniels since he was placed on the Episcopal Church's Calendar of Saints in 1991. It is such a sad story but at the same time his life was a triumph of love or hate.

The book is full of photos, some taken by Daniels himself, which show the Civil Rights struggle and the segregationists who opposed it. I was struck by the symbols of confederate flags and nazi swastikas which are used so much today by the so called alt-right. If there is any question about the symbolism of confederate flags and monuments this book answers that.


While written for younger adults there is much that is worthwhile for those of us who are a bit older too. I find myself wondering what else Jonathan Daniels would have accomplished if his promising life had not be cut short by murder. He would be 78 this year if he had lived.

[Jamie Huston · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I am called first to be a saint, as we all are. The rest is incidental." -Jonathan Daniels

To me, this was a book about consecration. Daniels devoted his whole heart and soul to serving God by saving his brothers and sisters, period. He lived and died like the Lord he loved.

I wish the writing style had been a little more mature and the narrative a bit more in depth, but those are small complaints. This story moved me--I was choked up for the last couple of chapters.

I appreciated all the photographs--this documentary of a book (clearly with a young audience in mind) really came alive for me that way.

The climactic section of the book, with its unjust imprisonment, banal martyrdom, and official denial of justice, reminded me of the heroes in my own church's early history. Daniels is a spiritual Everyman who actually did what had to be done, no matter the difficulty or cost; like the pastors God looked for in Ezekiel 22:30, he "stood in the gap."

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A biography of a civil rights activist that is not very well known today. Jonathan Daniels was the valedictorian of the 1961 Virginia Military Institute class and then a New Hampshire seminary student before he was inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I have a dream” speech to become involved in the Civil Rights struggle. He went to Alabama and quickly became involved in the voter registration efforts in Selma, Alabama. Daniels sacrificed his own life to save the life of a 17 year old girl when a special deputy sheriff took aim at her in 1965 after just a few months in Alabama. His murderer was found not guilty by an all-white jury.
The large format and glossy pages are attractive and inviting. Notes from the authors are included as well as a bibliography, source notes, a timeline, and resources.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned stuff about Daniels and the Selma march and civil rights activities in Alabama; it was fun to read this soon after John Lewis's March: Book Three since some of the same characters (including Lewis) show up in both. The bright colors of some of the pages made the book seem lively but also made some pages hard to read.

A nagging thought in the back of my head wondered why this guy got a book. There's no doubt that he was an inspiration to his hometown and a part of of the civil rights movement, but why not a book about Ruby Sales or some of the murdered locals (mostly black)? This is a story worth telling, but there are many such stories and it seems the story is more likely to be told/published if it's about a white boy. But death makes for a good ending, and the authors had just moved to his hometown where his name shows up a lot (local elementary now named after him).

[Nickie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a non-fiction book about a young white man involved in the Civil Rights Movement, and who paid the ultimate price for his involvement. I was unaware of Jonathan Daniels' life and death and this book beautifully illustrates both. It is well written, well researched, and had wonderful photographs and artifacts from Jonathan's life. The time and the young man were both vividly brought to life.

This book is timely in that it's about a young man who stood up for what he believed and made a difference.

[Beth Kakuma-Depew · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a testament: certain kinds of people excepted to be cleared of murder under the cloak of "self defense". They shot in cold blood, with the confidence that they would be protected.

My only quibble is that this book is too long for a grade school audience. It's length seems better for middle or high school.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A compelling story, simply told

The sparse and simple, young adult style narrative, was appropriate for a book which tells what is ultimately a simple story about good challenging evil. Compelling. Changed me. Glad I found it. I had a couple of pedantic quibbles, but overall this was a great read.

[Themountainbookie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a unique way to write a nonfiction book. Tons of pictures which added a lot of depth to the story, like how big that shotgun was. I never knew about Jonathan until reading this book and it's worth the read. Get transported into the Deep South and see what racism is like.

[Mary Bassett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nonfiction/Informational:
In Blood Brother Rich and Sandra Neil Wallace tell the heart-wrenching story of Jonathan Daniels. Starting with his childhood, they characterize him as a determined, rambunctious, caring, and empathetic person. Captivated by religion and adamant about doing what he believed to be right Daniels, after attending the Virginia Military Institute, entered the Episcopal Theological School to become and Episcopal Priest. Following Bloody Sunday in Salem, Alabama, Jonathan traveled to help with the Civil Rights Movement, staying long after much of the clergy had left, and working to register black voters and desegregate churches. Jonathan was murdered by Tom Coleman after sacrificing himself to save Ruby Sales, a 17 year old civil rights worker. His death and the corrupt trial of Coleman sparked a change and prompted the landmark lawsuit White v. Crook, prohibiting the systematic exclusion of racial minorities from juries, revolutionizing the American legal system especially in the Southern United States. The Wallace's book captures an important story of kindness and sacrifice in a time when it is essential to adopt these qualities.

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating story about a man I knew nothing about. I just wonder if we needed a book about a white man's role in the civil rights movement as opposed to one of the many black people who lost their lives.

[Jaci · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing.

[Chrissy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent story, written very well, and expressing a piece of the civil rights movement I did not know. My only quibble would be the pages printed on solid blue and red were hard to see.

[Dotty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ted Talk that propelled me into this book: https://www.ted.com/talks/ruby_sales_...

Loved this book about a person from my era who I never heard of, yet he was key person in the Civil Rights movement. Authors used primary source material and crafted a narrative nonfiction that kept me engaged throughout.

I would have given the book 5 stars but the black print on royal red and blue pages was difficult to read.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know. I feel like, if you described this story to me, I would have been told you it was a great story. Reading it, I felt detached. For me, I wondered why I was reading a book about a white person helping out in the civil rights movement when there are so many people of color that we don't know enough about. Then, I felt conflicted because I want white people to be a part of the movement as well, and books like this might inspire them. So I don't know really what I wanted from this book, but the mood I was in while reading it says to me that it wasn't the right book for me at the right time.

As far as the writing goes, it's fine. The main problem is the blue pages with black text on it, which makes those pages hard to read. There are some black pages where they use white text, so changing the font color wasn't a problem there.

[Kellee Moye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review with teaching tools: http://www.unleashingreaders.com/?p=1...

This book is not just an important book for young adults to read, it is an important book PERIOD. The story of Jonathan Daniels and his impact within the Civil Rights Movement shows how rights for equality is a fight for all people, not just those who are being discriminated against. Daniels had the guts to stand up for what he believed in. The connection between Jonathan Daniels’s story and the current racial tension is scary yet hopeful because it shows how differences can be made by those who believe in equity, equality, kindness, and love.

[Dana · Rating 5 out of 5]

The format of book draws in reader. It includes little known facts about the civil rights era.


A well-researched and written nonfiction book about a little known man from Keene, New Hampshire who made a great impact on society in the south and sacrificed his life during the civil rights movement. Jonathan Daniels, a white Episcopal seminary student and northerner, heard the call of God and the message of Martin Luther King, Jr. to help southern blacks register to vote and end racial injustice. He traveled to Selma, Alabama to participate in the civil rights march to Montgomery, but decided to remain in Lowndes County when he realized the total lack of justice and equality for blacks. He was arrested with other civil rights workers and protestors. After a strange release without bail being posted, the group walked out of the jail only to be shot at by Thomas Coleman, a known segregationist. Jonathan Daniels threw himself in front of Ruby Sales, a black teenager, to save her life, but lost his own. Thomas Coleman was acquitted of murder by a jury of all white males, who were his friends. Shortly after, a related lawsuit ended this type of jury in Alabama. The state was forced to include blacks and women on juries. The Wallace’s created a biography of Daniels and a vision of the terrors endured by southern blacks in the 1960’s. The extensive collection of photographs adds to the appeal of the format used. The use of glossy blue and red pages with black text used periodically throughout the book can be hard to read. This book is highly recommended for readers who have an interest in the civil rights movement and little known facts about this time period.

Curriculum Connections: English classes – use for a narrative nonfiction project or reading selection. History classes – studies in civil rights era to share little known people and facts, reading selection for class, photographs can be used to show civil rights era, 1960’s History, Alabama history.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

At the height of the civil rights movement, Dr. Martin Luther King urged members of the clergy and seminaries to stand beside the activists in the South in an effort to encourage change. Jonathan Daniels, a young seminary student from New Hampshire answered the call in 1965. He participated in demonstrations and worked alongside other activists to encourage the registration of black voters in Selma, AL. His murder five months later inspired a change in Alabama law allowing the inclusion of blacks and women on juries.
Blood Brother is a powerful biography that examines one man’s legacy. Interviews, primary source documents, numerous photographs, and skillful writing make this a compelling read. The authors do not shy away from the graphic details making this more suited for more mature readers. The large format and glossy pages are attractive and inviting. Notes from the authors are included as well as a bibliography, source notes, a timeline, and resources. This title is a well-researched and moving look at a little-known figure in the fight for social change.

[Karen Roettger · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the authors state "the timeliness of Jonathan's story is being driven home to us by present-day events". So true! I had never heard about this courageous young man's efforts during the civil rights events of the mid 1960's. I am so glad that my daughter recommended this book to me.

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspirational

[Ann]

Top 10 Biographies for Youth 2017 (Booklist)

[Saleena Longmuir · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had no idea who Jonathan Daniels was, so this book intrigued me with it's photo cover of a priest and a young African American girl....and I am so glad I read it. Wallace shows the civil rights movement from a different perspective, but really works hard to show the full picture. Daniels wasn't some do-good white person, he genuinely cared and that deep commitment to equality cost him his life; but also showed the flaws in the legal system when his killer went free. This was very informative, with lots of photos and references; my only complaint is that it is SO big and heavy it was difficult to hold while reading....and I worry that people won't borrow it because of it's size. You should read this.

[Richie Partington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Richie’s Picks: BLOOD BROTHER: JONATHAN DANIELS AND HIS SACRIFICE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS by Rich Wallace and Sandra Neil Wallace, Calkins Creek, September 2016, 352p., ISBN: 978-1-62979-094-7

“Well I heard Mr. Young sing about her
Well I heard old Neil put her down
Well, I hope Neil Young will remember
A southern man don’t need him around anyhow”
--”Sweet Home Alabama by Lynard Skynyrd (1974)
(The Wikipedia entry for “Sweet Home Alabama” is accompanied by an image of the Confederate flag. Same with the song’s YouTube video.)

“Tom Coleman walked calmly to the front of the courtroom, chewing a wad of gum. He’d been a free man since the morning after killing Jonathan on August 20 [1965]. Coleman wore a dark suit, a cold stare, and the same glum expression reporters had become familiar with But they wouldn’t hear Coleman speak. He had no plans to testify. Coleman would observe his trial while sitting at a table a few feet from the juror’s box. Inside that box sat twelve white men, all of them friends and neighbors of Tom Coleman, including the jury foreman. Like Coleman, the foreman was a highway engineer.
Coleman’s lawyers would speak for him. His nephew, attorney Robert Coleman Black, would help defend his uncle. Leading the three-man defense team was state senator Vaughan Hill Robison.
A tall and wiry politician who rarely smiled. the sandy-haired Robison had fought hard to keep Montgomery buses segregated despite a Supreme Court ruling against it. He had a talent for flustering witnesses by peppering them with rapid-fire questions, then switching the subject.
‘How does the defendant plead?’ the judge asked Coleman’s attorneys.
‘Not guilty, your honor.’”

Jonathan Daniels was a young white man from New Hampshire who taught Sunday school to children at his local Episcopal church. After earning an undergraduate degree, and aspiring to become a priest and teach religion at a university, Jonathan enrolled at the Episcopal Theological School in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Jonathan Daniels attended the March on Washington and was inspired to heed Martin Luther King’s call for white clergy to head south and participate in the struggle for black Americans to register to vote. After he participated in the historic Selma-to-Montgomery march, when other out-of-state marchers left Alabama to return to their normal lives, Jonathan stayed put. He’d found his calling.

BLOOD BROTHER is the moving tale of Jonathan Daniels’s too-brief life. It was a life cut short when Tom Coleman attempted to fire a twelve-gauge shotgun point-blank at a black teenage girl, and Jonathan, reacting quickly, shoved her to the ground. The shotgun blast blew an inch-wide hole through his chest. Jonathan’s murder took place right after he and others, including the girl, Ruby Sales, had suddenly, without explanation, been released from Alabama’s Lowndes County jail. In fact, they had been set up. The power structure in 1965 Lowndes County, Alabama did not want Jonathan around.

Jonathan and the others had been thrown into county jail a week earlier for protesting against businesses in Fort Deposit, Alabama that refused to serve black residents.

If you know anything about the history of Alabama, particularly in the George Wallace years, you’ll likely conclude correctly that (1) there was no shortage of white men in Alabama who wanted to see Jonathan dead; and (2) that the jury of his white male peers found Tom Coleman not guilty of killing Jonathan. In fact, “Following his acquittal, Tom Coleman defiantly stated, ‘I would shoot them both tomorrow.’” (Coleman had also shot a priest who’d been in jail with Jonathan, but the priest survived his injuries.)

From beginning to end, BLOOD BROTHER is an emotional page-turner and a well-researched story about the struggle against racial intolerance in the South. I appreciate that the authors didn’t end their story with the anger-inducing outrageousness of Jonathan’s murderer walking free. Instead, they go on to explain what happened with some of the other characters, including the young woman whose life Jonathan saved by sacrificing his own As the authors show, some good came out of this disgusting episode in American injustice.

As the result of the outcry over Tom Coleman’s mockery of a trial, a lawsuit was filed. It resulted in a Federal judge ordering that the jury rolls must henceforth include blacks and women. This was a significant Civil Rights victory, an important change away from the “Southern way of life.”

While incredibly saddening, BLOOD BROTHER is a truly inspirational tale about a real American hero.

Richie Partington, MLIS
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