The Freedom Summer Murders

Starred review from June 23, 2014
Mitchell commemorates the 50th anniversary of the murders of three civil rights workers in Mississippi who died helping African-Americans register to vote. A recount of the brutal slayings of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner at the hands of the Ku Klux Klan opens the book. The narrative then rewinds to the upbringing and family lives of the three young men (two white and one African-American), while final chapters recap the long road to justice for their killers (a state trial resulted in the conviction of the suspected mastermind just nine years ago). Archival photos are included throughout, including a jarring image depicting the victims' partially buried bodies, discovered two months after the men went missing. Mitchell (Driven) concludes that it wasn't just "racist thugs" to blame for murdering the men. Rather, "they were killed by institutionalized racism that in 1964 permeated every aspect of Mississippi's legal, political and social order." Vignettes profiling other courageous civil rights figures connected to the case wrap up this extensively researched page-turner. A must-read in any young adult study of the civil rights era. Ages 14âup.

Starred review from April 1, 2014
A 50th-anniversary examination of the Mississippi murders of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner and their aftermath. An introduction describes the legally entrenched racism of Mississippi and the inception of the Freedom Summer campaign. Following this, Mitchell drops readers right in with the events that led up to the murder of the three young men, evoking the hostility and fear that covered Neshoba County like a blanket. He pulls back to sketch the victims' biographies in separate chapters, then takes readers through the investigation and the steps toward the 1967 trial that infamously failed to deliver justice. That account alone, illustrated with ample archival photographs and memorabilia, makes riveting reading. He clearly states the legal intricacies and thoroughly incorporates the players' own voices, with often breathtaking effect: "They killed one nigger, one Jew, and a white man. I gave them all what I thought they deserved," said the presiding judge later. Mitchell takes the story into the present day, describing how the families of the victims continue to fight for civil rights and how both locals and state officials kept the case alive, simultaneously working toward legal and emotional resolution. He leaves open the question whether now "the killing of a black mother's son is as important as the killing of a white mother's son"--but the country is getting closer to that goal. Essential. (map, endnotes, bibliographic essay, bibliography, index [not seen]) (Nonfiction. 12-16)

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April 1, 2014

Gr 6-9-The June 1964 murders of three civil rights workers in Mississippi's Neshoba County merits study and reflection not only as a pivotal event in the Civil Rights Movement but also as a yardstick to measure our country's progress since then toward true racial equality. Why? Because, as Mitchell and others repeatedly suggest in this authoritative and brutally honest chronicle, a major reason that, of the many racial atrocities committed in the South, this one gained such intense national attention and led to decades of investigations and trials is that two of the three victims were white. The author never makes an explicit connection with current events in Florida and elsewhere, but thoughtful readers will have no trouble connecting the dots. He also never uses the word "terrorism," but he clearly shows it in action by detailing the systematic campaign of threats, intimidation, assaults, and worse to which African Americans, particularly in Mississippi but also throughout the Jim Crow South, were subjected by whites-including, often, law enforcement officials. Distilling court records, printed sources, and original interviews with surviving family members, the author sets the ugly scene, describes the murders, recounts in detail the ensuing efforts to bring the killers to justice (or at least, as he puts it, "a measure of justice"), and offers biographical sketches both of the victims and of four associated heroes who played important roles in the case. A timely, essential account, illustrated with contemporary photos and capped with extensive endnotes and source notes.-John Peters, Children's Literature Consultant, New York City

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2014
Grades 6-9 During the Freedom Summer in 1964, volunteers came to Mississippi to help locals with black voter registration. There were many ramifications, but the most shocking event was the murders of young civil rights workers James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner. Full of original research and interviews with many personally involved, including the victims' families, this book goes into detail about what occurred and how the perpetrators were brought to at least partial justice. Better organization and a cast of characters would have helped readers sort out who was who. When the book gets rolling, however, the drama catches readers and doesn't let go. One of the book's most interesting points is how little interest American society had in civil rights violations against African Americans in the Deep South; when two white men were killed, though, the federal government and the media turned their spotlights on the issue. The black-and-white photographs are plentiful, and some are quite dramatic. An eye-opening read for young people, especially those coming to the Freedom Summer for the first time.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)