Reviews

A fantastic plain spoken, deceptively simple, and extremely moving & inspirational story from the youngest marcher on Montgomery in 1965.

A part that especially stuck with me was the part about all the children activists packing bologna sandwiches & penny candy every day to eat in jail (where they were sent nearly daily).

The photos and drawings are also fantastic.

Highly recommend to children, teens, and adults interested in a personal take on civil rights history.

bookgal1980's review against another edition

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5.0

In my opinion, everyone should read this book. I can't say enough great things about it. I love the fact that young adult readers can see pictures of American History. One theme really came through in the reading of this book. Steady Loving Confrontation was the message that Dr. Martin Luther King really drove home during the civil rights movement. The other thing that is really touching about Lynda Blackmon Lowery's story is the fact that her mother died due to segregation. That was her driving cause from that point forward in joining the civil rights movement. She was the youngest individual that marched from Selma to Montgomery. She didn't realize it at the time that she was a part of American History. There were laws in place that provided the right to vote. However, areas of the country were still discriminating against African Americans and making it impossible for them to vote. This is important for people to realize in these current times. There may be laws, it doesn't mean that people can't and do choose to discriminate. A voteless people is truly a hopeless people.

lilybear3's review

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emotional hopeful informative inspiring fast-paced

5.0

Content Warnings

emeraldblizzard's review against another edition

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emotional informative reflective sad fast-paced

4.0

tiffanyngari's review against another edition

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I have recently finished reading the book Turning Fifteen on the Road to Freedom, where Lynda Blackmon Lowery, the author, tells her Civil Rights story. Turning Fifteen on the Road to Freedom is a book that is written for all ages. To me I felt as if I could relate to the author because I have felt as if I don’t belong somewhere for the color of my skin as Lowery did throughout the book. On chapter five titled “Bloody Sunday” she describes her feelings as she is being brutally beaten by a white sheriff because she was black. “He hit me twice-hard...struggling to get up when he pushed me forward and hit me again, this time on the back of my head” (p.g.57). All the struggles she went through were because of her skin. While reading this book I felt as if I could comprehend it more because of the way she told her story. This book inspire me to hear other people’s story before assuming anything about them. As well as tell my own stories through poetry and writing. She told it in a way that someone any age could understand, and I think that was her goal. Although I would have thought of the book as more mature if she went more into detail I think her point was represented strongly. I really enjoyed reading this book and I recommend it to middle school kids.
I respect the fact that Lowery told her story to the world so others could here about it. If she never did this it would be one less thing I would know about my history, black history.

labibliobecca's review against another edition

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4.0

“By the time I was fifteen years old, I had been in jail nine times.”

With an opening line that hits you like a ton of bricks, Lynda Blackmon Lowery describes what it was like to march for voting rights as a young girl. Lowery was the youngest person to march all the way from Selma to Montgomery in 1965, despite the terror she endured shortly beforehand on Bloody Sunday.

I read this all in one go. There’s not much text per page, and there are illustrations and photographs. Lowery’s writing is direct and accessible.

I didn’t know about the so-called “brains”—students who went to school during demonstrations to make up assignments for their marching and/or jailed peers. Lowery also mentions cooking, carpooling, and medical help. She provides an interesting look at the many forms activism can take, and by extension who can embody that identity: in short, anyone, of any race, of any age.

This is a striking memoir for kids, teens, and adults alike, especially as Black History Month approaches. I can see it being assigned in schools alongside the [b:March|17346698|March Book One (March, #1)|John Lewis|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1360539808l/17346698._SX50_.jpg|24086771] graphic novels.

margothere's review

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challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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