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hayleybeale's review against another edition
4.0
As a Brit I'm probably less knowledgeable about the Freedom Summer than many Americans, so reading this upper middle grade/high school book on the topic was a good introduction. It's well-written and I applaud the focus on the three men who were murdered. As narrative nonfiction, it works well, but I felt the narrative was a little too fractured to always follow, and I could really have done with a glossary of names and organizations to refer back to (as per Neal Bascomb's The Nazi Hunters). Back matter includes thorough source notes and further reading plus a rather unhelpful map of Mississippi. These are really just minor quibbles and, in this 50th anniversary year of the Freedom Summer, it is an excellent addition to both school and public library collections.
annieebeeonly1's review against another edition
5.0
This book was very well written. It saddens me that those three men had to die because back then people just were treated unfairly. I love how the author wrote the book. Great read!
sarahannkateri's review against another edition
4.0
Poignant, clearly-written, and important - hard to believe this was only fifty years ago.
sc104906's review against another edition
3.0
During Freedom Summer (1960s), three men were brutally murdered by local law enforcement/ Ku Klux Klan members. The three were civil rights activists working to bring equality for all races and were killed as a result. While many worked to find justice for these men, it took many years before any progress was made and no true justice has ever been reached.
While I found the overall book pretty dry, I felt that it touched upon important subject matter. I did appreciate the incorporation of photos.
While I found the overall book pretty dry, I felt that it touched upon important subject matter. I did appreciate the incorporation of photos.
ckjesq's review against another edition
2.0
Obviously the story is a must read. However I found it very basic and writing less than stellar
daisey's review against another edition
3.0
The Freedom Summer Murders is packed full of information about the three young civil rights workers who were murdered in Mississippi in 1964. It delves into the lives of these three men in a way that makes them seem more real and their deaths more tragic than in the other historical accounts I have read.
The book starts out with a description of the events of the murder, then goes into a detailed description of each of the three young men that was killed, moves on to the investigation and search for the bodies, and continues on through the years to follow the cases to prosecute involved KKK members. After all of this, it goes on to provide brief descriptions of others involved in researching the facts and working towards justice.
Although I found the story interesting, I think it would have been even more powerful to introduce each of the men and describe their background first, so that the reader would better experience the impact of their choices to participate in the civil rights activities and their murders. Additionally, the book was so full of information that even I was sometimes surprised by how many pages I still had left to read. I find it hard to imagine many teen readers would be willing to make their way all the way through it.
* I received an electronic copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review.
The book starts out with a description of the events of the murder, then goes into a detailed description of each of the three young men that was killed, moves on to the investigation and search for the bodies, and continues on through the years to follow the cases to prosecute involved KKK members. After all of this, it goes on to provide brief descriptions of others involved in researching the facts and working towards justice.
Although I found the story interesting, I think it would have been even more powerful to introduce each of the men and describe their background first, so that the reader would better experience the impact of their choices to participate in the civil rights activities and their murders. Additionally, the book was so full of information that even I was sometimes surprised by how many pages I still had left to read. I find it hard to imagine many teen readers would be willing to make their way all the way through it.
* I received an electronic copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review.
coffeechug's review against another edition
4.0
Moving on to much deeper level of fear in terms of dealing with race I read The Freedom Summer Murders. I found this to be a very powerful read. The murder of three people working hard for the right to vote for African Americans that probably only drew attention in the wya that it did because two of them were white. This story did a nice job setting the stage and taking a look at how things operated back then(which was not that long ago). We claim we live in a society of democracy, but I don't know that that democracy is always fair and just. I was really drawn into this storyline.
One line that stood out to me was when I was reading about Andrew Goodman and he was described as, " ....(his) background shaped him but didn't in any way define him, in that he went out and he was his own person."
As I read this book this statement stood out to me. We must move beyond our circumstances to be who we want to become even if everyone else does not see the vision.
Later, the following quote really struck a chord with me especially with the current events of today.
"The unfortunate thing is that it took this kind of symbol to make the rest of the country turn its eyes on the fact that there are bother bodies lying under the swamps of Mississippi. Until the killing of black mother's on becomes as important as the killing of a white mother's son, we who believe in freedom cannot rest."
Wow! Here is a story from 50 years ago and really we have the same issue on our hands. If I was teaching a language arts or history class I would be using this story to connect dots with current events of today to try and find some new awareness about who we are as a society.
It is because of fear that events like this happen time and time again.
One line that stood out to me was when I was reading about Andrew Goodman and he was described as, " ....(his) background shaped him but didn't in any way define him, in that he went out and he was his own person."
As I read this book this statement stood out to me. We must move beyond our circumstances to be who we want to become even if everyone else does not see the vision.
Later, the following quote really struck a chord with me especially with the current events of today.
"The unfortunate thing is that it took this kind of symbol to make the rest of the country turn its eyes on the fact that there are bother bodies lying under the swamps of Mississippi. Until the killing of black mother's on becomes as important as the killing of a white mother's son, we who believe in freedom cannot rest."
Wow! Here is a story from 50 years ago and really we have the same issue on our hands. If I was teaching a language arts or history class I would be using this story to connect dots with current events of today to try and find some new awareness about who we are as a society.
It is because of fear that events like this happen time and time again.
yapha's review against another edition
4.0
This book about the murders of Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman, and James Chaney in Mississippi in June of 1964 differs from the others in that it covers much more than the actual murders. It gives in depth background information on all three of the young men who were killed, and follows the quest for justice up through the 40th anniversary of the murders in 2004. This book does not spend a great deal of time talking about the Freedom Schools and the voter registration drives, but rather focuses on the reign of terror in Mississippi. Recommended for grades 5 & up.