A review by bethgiven
Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom: My Story of the 1965 Selma Voting Rights March by Lynda Blackmon Lowery

5.0

Lynda Blackman was the youngest of the marchers for voting rights who marched from Selma to Montgomery in 1965. She had been jailed many times, and she was only fourteen when she was brutally hurt on Bloody Sunday. The march from Selma to Montgomery was only a few weeks later, and while it was relatively safe, she was still afraid. Nevertheless, she was encouraged by the others around her, the songs they sang, and the cause she was advocating for: the right to vote.

I have been thinking these past few years about the current events that become our nation's history. So often we present the American story as some tidy thing, with clear bad guys and an inevitable happy ending. But it really isn't that way at all; the "bad guys" might be our neighbors (who see the opposing side as the real enemy), and many times, things get worse before they get better. As I listened to Lynda Blackman's story with that lens, I was in awe of her courage and bravery -- and I felt inspired to stand up for the marginalized in our current times.

This is a short, podcast-sized listen, and very engaging -- definitely worth the hour if you can find it in print or audio. Appropriate for upper elementary children, teens, and adults.

I'm glad I listened to this in the month of March, the anniversary month of the Selma/Montgomery march! (Though it's always a good time to learn about civil rights!)

For more context, definitely check out John Lewis's graphic novel trilogy, March. (I should reread it!)

Thanks to Daciana for putting this book on my radar!