Troubled Waters

From Young People's Poet Laureate Carole Boston Weatherford and award-winning illustrator Bryan Collier, a stirring account of the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches, as witnessed by the Alabama River.

Some say water is the mightiest force on earth.
But the yearning for freedom is even stronger.

For centuries, the Alabama River has been a witness. Buried in its riverbed are countless fossils and artifacts—as well as souls, secrets, and stories.

Troubled Waters brings history to life through the voice of this mighty waterway, from the earliest settlers on its shores to 1965, when Black citizens in Selma rose up like a river to demand their right to vote.


In this breathtakingly original picture book, celebrated creators Carole Boston Weatherford and Bryan Collier show that the Alabama River is much more than a witness to history. It is also a source of strength, keeping hope afloat through times of trouble; and a rising tide, coursing on a journey toward justice.