The Story of the Civil Rights Freedom Rides in Photographs

August 1, 2014

Gr 5-8-Through fresh, well-done reproductions, these books present overviews of specific moments from the Civil Rights Movement. The black, white, and red design give the books a slick, professional look, and the images are well chosen, including both moments from demonstrations and protests as well as examples of victory (President Lyndon B. Johnson signing the 1964 Civil Rights Act into law as Martin Luther King Jr. and others look on). Though not quite as personal or innovative as Capstone's Little Rock Girl (2012), these books nonetheless provide a nuanced, well-organized perspective on the time period.

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2014
Grades 5-8 The Story of the Civil Rights Movement in Photographs series offers relatively short, fully illustrated introductions to major events of the 1950s and 1960s that furthered the cause of justice for African Americans, particularly in the South. While longer books on the movement (often cited in the appended bibliographies here) offer more complete accounts of what happened, Aretha's clearly written, succinct texts introduce significant individuals, follow major actions chronologically, place events within their social context, and comment on their long-term significance. Quotes from participants are used to good effect. Throughout the books, well-captioned photographs (usually black-and-white news photos) introduce the participants and add you-are-there immediacy to the historical account as it unfolds. Freedom tells of the Freedom Riders, whose integrated bus rides through the segregated South in 1961 provoked bloody resistance but brought about change. Well-focused, useful books for students researching the civil rights movement in mid-twentieth-century America.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)