The Freedom Summer Murders
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4.5 • 4 Ratings
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- $6.99
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- $6.99
Publisher Description
A gripping true story of murder and the fight for civil rights and social justice in 1960s Mississppi.On June 21, 1964, three young men were killed by the Ku Klux Klan for trying to help black Americans vote as part of the 1964 Fredom Summer registration effort in Mississippi. The disappearance and brutal murders of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner caused a national uproar and was one of the most significant events of the civil rights movement.The Freedom Summer Murders tells the tragic story of these brave men, the crime that resulted in their untimely deaths, and the relentless forty-one-year pursuit of a conviction. It is the story of idealistic and courageous young people who wanted to change their county for the better. It is the story of black and white. And ultimately, it is the story of our nation's endless struggle to close the gap between what is and what should be.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
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 14 up.
