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cemoses's review against another edition
3.0
I think to read this book you have to have an interest in the history of the civil rights movement and the Freedom Ride. The diary itself is somewhat dry; Ms. Silver sticks mainly to the facts. Not much emotion comes through in the diary. I found it interesting that she wrote that there was a culture conflict between the Northern Freedom riders and those from the South; the Freedom Riders from the South, both Black and White, were extremely religious and spiritual. They believed that the power of love to overcome hate. In contrast the Northern Freedom riders were influenced by the ACLU and had a secular orientation.
Ms. Silver providers some missing information regarding her background in the afterwards. However, I still wondered what the impact of being in the Freedom Rides had on her. I was also curious how her fellow law students saw her being in the Freedom Rides. Was she seen as a hero or eccentric? Her style of writing still is very much WHAT she did but there is not much emotion or introspection.
However, I would give five starts to the afterword written by Cherie A Gaines who is a black female lawyer. She writes about how important it was to have white freedom riders and the impact of the civil rights movement on her. She was a woman lawyer in the 1960s at a time there weren't many women lawyers.
The afterward written by Claude Liggins was also very good. He is a black man who took part in the Freedom Rights.
I received an ARC copy of this book in turn for an honest review.
Ms. Silver providers some missing information regarding her background in the afterwards. However, I still wondered what the impact of being in the Freedom Rides had on her. I was also curious how her fellow law students saw her being in the Freedom Rides. Was she seen as a hero or eccentric? Her style of writing still is very much WHAT she did but there is not much emotion or introspection.
However, I would give five starts to the afterword written by Cherie A Gaines who is a black female lawyer. She writes about how important it was to have white freedom riders and the impact of the civil rights movement on her. She was a woman lawyer in the 1960s at a time there weren't many women lawyers.
The afterward written by Claude Liggins was also very good. He is a black man who took part in the Freedom Rights.
I received an ARC copy of this book in turn for an honest review.
felinity's review against another edition
4.0
This is not a history of mob violence, beatings and firebombings (although they are a part of it); this is a recounting of the peaceful, non-violent Freedom Rider protest which led to the inevitable and expected jail sentence in which more than 300 Freedom Riders spent a month or more in the Mississippi State penitentiary, often in maximum security, for minor supposed infractions.
Theirs was a strategy to force the American nation to give all its citizens freedom now, not freedom when all were deemed ready, to test the desegregation decisions of the Supreme Court, and it was a thoughtful strategy.
This unique diary shows Carol Ruth Silver's thoughts, fears, and plans, and offers insight into not only the women but also has some of the men's perspectives: a most valuable glimpse into the not-so-distant past.
She considered all the possible consequences of up to 2 months in jail, from losing her new position in law school to forfeiting her potential career as a lawyer to permanent physical injury or even death, and still chose to stand up for her beliefs and prove it with action. She prepared carefully, leaving instructions with her flatmate regarding her scholarship and admissions offers, and telling family what they needed to know. As a Jewish woman seeking entry to law, she could see the moral, social and legal implications of allowing segregation to continue, and chose to say "No".
She tells of how they ended up with 20 women crammed into a segregated cell intended for 4, the infrequent showers, the bugs, the cursory and very delayed medical treatment, the wardens' threats, and the visitors who stared at them like zoo animals. When inspections were due, some would be moved to another area while the remainder - now not overcrowded - would all be clean, with freshly-scrubbed cells. After inspection, conditions would return as before.
But it wasn't all bad. Morale was kept fairly high, at least on the women's side. They taught each other foreign languages, did a daily ballet class for exercise, and reminded each other that hate is a victory for the evil forces they were fighting, no matter how they were treated. Carol Ruth created a chess set out of bread, and they played even remotely, calling out the moves to another player in a different cell. And despite the health and personal sacrifices, they felt it was worth it.
The men were treated worse. At one point the entire cell block of 26 men were dragged into "the hole", a punishment cell designed for just one person, and kept there for hours during a Mississippi summer day, till they almost asphyxiated.
Upon their release on bail, this group were required to return for more court hearings. The hope was that most would default, causing CORE to forfeit the bail money, but out of a group of 200 only 4 failed to respond or could not be located.
Ultimately, as we all know, the Freedom Rides were successful, and their judgements were reversed 4 years later in 1965. Carol Ruth went on to champion social justice for many years, from offering legal aid to prisoners and the poor to helping Afghan women and girls receive education, fulfilling her interpretation of Tikkun Olam: that one must repair the world within one's capabilities. I feel the Freedom Riders did more than their part; I hope that I would have had her strength.
Disclaimer: I received a free ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Theirs was a strategy to force the American nation to give all its citizens freedom now, not freedom when all were deemed ready, to test the desegregation decisions of the Supreme Court, and it was a thoughtful strategy.
This unique diary shows Carol Ruth Silver's thoughts, fears, and plans, and offers insight into not only the women but also has some of the men's perspectives: a most valuable glimpse into the not-so-distant past.
She considered all the possible consequences of up to 2 months in jail, from losing her new position in law school to forfeiting her potential career as a lawyer to permanent physical injury or even death, and still chose to stand up for her beliefs and prove it with action. She prepared carefully, leaving instructions with her flatmate regarding her scholarship and admissions offers, and telling family what they needed to know. As a Jewish woman seeking entry to law, she could see the moral, social and legal implications of allowing segregation to continue, and chose to say "No".
She tells of how they ended up with 20 women crammed into a segregated cell intended for 4, the infrequent showers, the bugs, the cursory and very delayed medical treatment, the wardens' threats, and the visitors who stared at them like zoo animals. When inspections were due, some would be moved to another area while the remainder - now not overcrowded - would all be clean, with freshly-scrubbed cells. After inspection, conditions would return as before.
But it wasn't all bad. Morale was kept fairly high, at least on the women's side. They taught each other foreign languages, did a daily ballet class for exercise, and reminded each other that hate is a victory for the evil forces they were fighting, no matter how they were treated. Carol Ruth created a chess set out of bread, and they played even remotely, calling out the moves to another player in a different cell. And despite the health and personal sacrifices, they felt it was worth it.
The men were treated worse. At one point the entire cell block of 26 men were dragged into "the hole", a punishment cell designed for just one person, and kept there for hours during a Mississippi summer day, till they almost asphyxiated.
Upon their release on bail, this group were required to return for more court hearings. The hope was that most would default, causing CORE to forfeit the bail money, but out of a group of 200 only 4 failed to respond or could not be located.
Ultimately, as we all know, the Freedom Rides were successful, and their judgements were reversed 4 years later in 1965. Carol Ruth went on to champion social justice for many years, from offering legal aid to prisoners and the poor to helping Afghan women and girls receive education, fulfilling her interpretation of Tikkun Olam: that one must repair the world within one's capabilities. I feel the Freedom Riders did more than their part; I hope that I would have had her strength.
Disclaimer: I received a free ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
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