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molly_dettmann's review
4.0
"The work remains unfinished. And so the march continues."
Wow, this book looks at the little known Civil Rights March known as the March Against Fear and the emergence of black power (kinda what we would know today as Black Lives Matter). Sadly, I learned about many Civil Rights figures I had never heard of before and it gave lots of insight on how black people felt during this time, what they were marching for, and the power dynamics and fear that kept white people in power during these times especially. My only complaint was that the font was super tiny.
Wow, this book looks at the little known Civil Rights March known as the March Against Fear and the emergence of black power (kinda what we would know today as Black Lives Matter). Sadly, I learned about many Civil Rights figures I had never heard of before and it gave lots of insight on how black people felt during this time, what they were marching for, and the power dynamics and fear that kept white people in power during these times especially. My only complaint was that the font was super tiny.
novelesque_life's review against another edition
5.0
Rating: 5 Stars
2017; National Geographic Children's Books/National Geographic Books
(Review Not on Blog)
I really enjoyed this book. This book concentrates on the last walk of the civil rights movement which I did not know much about. After finishing the book I realize I have SO much more to learn about the civil rights movement. Everything I know I have seen on television, movies, and from a lot of historical fiction novels. While this book is aimed at young adults, I think it is a great place to start learning about civil rights. I am a firm believer that we can learn much from history and past loss and wins. I recommend this book to anyone, especially for schools and libraries.
***I received an eARC from EDELWEISS***
2017; National Geographic Children's Books/National Geographic Books
(Review Not on Blog)
I really enjoyed this book. This book concentrates on the last walk of the civil rights movement which I did not know much about. After finishing the book I realize I have SO much more to learn about the civil rights movement. Everything I know I have seen on television, movies, and from a lot of historical fiction novels. While this book is aimed at young adults, I think it is a great place to start learning about civil rights. I am a firm believer that we can learn much from history and past loss and wins. I recommend this book to anyone, especially for schools and libraries.
***I received an eARC from EDELWEISS***
annebennett1957's review
5.0
Excellent book about the last march in the Civil Rights era when the term Black Power was born. I had never heard of this march before and was fascinated by the details I learned. Bausum is a talented writer and capable of giving information without coming across as biased. I will recommend this book to anyone who will listen, especially teen readers.
russk's review
5.0
I received this book for free from National Geographic as part of a goodreads giveaway.
I was excited to receive this book because it's a part of the Civil Rights Movement that I had never heard of before. Ann Bausum has experience writing about this era, having written two other books about the movement before. Her passion for the events comes through in her description of the narrative and her commentary in later chapters.
It's a great narrative too. James Meredith wants to walk from Memphis to Jackson to show the world he isn't afraid of his oppressors - and he gets shot for it. Then Martin Luther King, Stokely Carmichael, and hundreds more swoop in to pick up where he left off. It reveals the inner conflict within the Civil Rights Movement between different organizations and between the ideals of nonviolence and the controversial rise of black power. The story serves as a reminder that we sometimes look at heroic movements of the past with rose-colored glasses.
This book is targeted at students, but the violence and language in the book probably doesn't fit well for very young or immature children. I think it would make a great supplement to any Civil Rights unit in a middle school or high school classroom. I say supplement because it assumes readers already have basic knowledge of other events such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and MLK's marches in Washington and Selma.
One criticism that Bausum might be vulnerable to is that present-day politics definitely get injected into the story. Comments about confederate flags and monuments (while completely true) and a nod to Black Lives Matter are included with a present-day audience in mind. This is great for starting discussion, and the need for discussion about civil rights will unfortunately be relevant for years to come. However, it makes the book feel locked in the present and makes me wonder how immediate these issues will feel in 5-10 years time, especially for schools considering buying a class set.
I was excited to receive this book because it's a part of the Civil Rights Movement that I had never heard of before. Ann Bausum has experience writing about this era, having written two other books about the movement before. Her passion for the events comes through in her description of the narrative and her commentary in later chapters.
It's a great narrative too. James Meredith wants to walk from Memphis to Jackson to show the world he isn't afraid of his oppressors - and he gets shot for it. Then Martin Luther King, Stokely Carmichael, and hundreds more swoop in to pick up where he left off. It reveals the inner conflict within the Civil Rights Movement between different organizations and between the ideals of nonviolence and the controversial rise of black power. The story serves as a reminder that we sometimes look at heroic movements of the past with rose-colored glasses.
This book is targeted at students, but the violence and language in the book probably doesn't fit well for very young or immature children. I think it would make a great supplement to any Civil Rights unit in a middle school or high school classroom. I say supplement because it assumes readers already have basic knowledge of other events such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and MLK's marches in Washington and Selma.
One criticism that Bausum might be vulnerable to is that present-day politics definitely get injected into the story. Comments about confederate flags and monuments (while completely true) and a nod to Black Lives Matter are included with a present-day audience in mind. This is great for starting discussion, and the need for discussion about civil rights will unfortunately be relevant for years to come. However, it makes the book feel locked in the present and makes me wonder how immediate these issues will feel in 5-10 years time, especially for schools considering buying a class set.
backonthealex's review
5.0
By the time James Meredith planned his one man Walk Against Fear in 1966, he was already an accomplished African American man. yet he had remained on the sidelines during the early days of the civil rights movement. Although he certainly would have been an asset to it, Meredith was a strongly independent man. He was among the first recruits to serve in the newly integrated Air Force in the 1950s, and after returning home in 1960, Meredith decided to realize his lifelong dream of attending the University of Mississippi. Ole Miss was still a segregated school but it was Meredith who integrated, it thanks to a Supreme Court ruling. So why avoid the Civil Rights movement?
Meredith had a vision of his own for African Americans. It was his dream to conquer fear, “the fear that pushed through so many racial interactions in the south.” (pg14) And so he planned his one man 22o mile Walk Against Fear, starting from Memphis, Tennessee to Jackson, Mississippi. It wasn’t a protest, it was simply to show other blacks something he thought anyone should be able to do. Meredith began his walk on June 5, 1966. On June 6, 1966, not long after crossing the state line into Mississippi, James Meredith was shot in an assassination attempt by Aubrey Norvell, a white man.
Meredith survived the shooting, but was not be able to resume his walk. Which meant that all the leaders of the Civil Rights Movement, including Martin Luther King, Jr., an advocate of non-violence protests, and Stokely Carmichael, leader of SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee), whose use of the words “black power” on this march would usher in a more radical thinking. These men knew they have to continue Meredith’s walk for him - “To do otherwise would allow violence to have the last word. Not acting would embolden those who opposed change.” (pg 23) What they didn’t know that this lesser known event would splinter the Civil Rights Movement from within and steer it in different directions.
The March Against Fear clearly and succinctly follows James Meredith’s one-man Walk Against Fear as it morphed into a march that included 15,000 people from around the country with a focus on voter registration. And although thousands of previously disenfranchised African Americans were registered, the march also showed how divided the leaders were. Added to this disunity, when Carmichael introduced the concept of ‘black power’ a lot of young people quickly embraced the term black are a racial identifier of choice, while many whites were clearly uncomfortable with the term, as were the mainstream media. In a movement with conflicting leaders, goals and ideas, everyone wondered if those who aligned themselves with the “black power” faction bring about a social revolution.
I remember reading about James Meredith and his March Against Fear when I was in school, but I never really knew the details of the march until I read this book. And this is where Ann Bausum really shines when it comes to presenting and explaining the time line, the meaning and the participants of a movement. She did it so well in Stonewall, giving just enough background and history for readers, without overwhelming them and all done in a very accessible style.
Given what is happening on the political front in this country these days, it becomes even more important to look back and know the history of the Civil Rights Movement and the legislation that was passed because of it. These laws were meant to provide some measure of equality, political, and social freedoms for citizens of color, but now they are beginning to be slowly chipped away by those who would like to return to an earlier time.
The March Against Fear includes an abundant of archival photographs, so a bit graphic, as well as an extensive Bibliography. It is, without a doubt, a book I recommend highly for today’s young readers.
This book is recommended for readers age 12+
This book was sent to me by the publisher, National Geographic
This review was originally posted at Randomly Reading
Meredith had a vision of his own for African Americans. It was his dream to conquer fear, “the fear that pushed through so many racial interactions in the south.” (pg14) And so he planned his one man 22o mile Walk Against Fear, starting from Memphis, Tennessee to Jackson, Mississippi. It wasn’t a protest, it was simply to show other blacks something he thought anyone should be able to do. Meredith began his walk on June 5, 1966. On June 6, 1966, not long after crossing the state line into Mississippi, James Meredith was shot in an assassination attempt by Aubrey Norvell, a white man.
Meredith survived the shooting, but was not be able to resume his walk. Which meant that all the leaders of the Civil Rights Movement, including Martin Luther King, Jr., an advocate of non-violence protests, and Stokely Carmichael, leader of SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee), whose use of the words “black power” on this march would usher in a more radical thinking. These men knew they have to continue Meredith’s walk for him - “To do otherwise would allow violence to have the last word. Not acting would embolden those who opposed change.” (pg 23) What they didn’t know that this lesser known event would splinter the Civil Rights Movement from within and steer it in different directions.
The March Against Fear clearly and succinctly follows James Meredith’s one-man Walk Against Fear as it morphed into a march that included 15,000 people from around the country with a focus on voter registration. And although thousands of previously disenfranchised African Americans were registered, the march also showed how divided the leaders were. Added to this disunity, when Carmichael introduced the concept of ‘black power’ a lot of young people quickly embraced the term black are a racial identifier of choice, while many whites were clearly uncomfortable with the term, as were the mainstream media. In a movement with conflicting leaders, goals and ideas, everyone wondered if those who aligned themselves with the “black power” faction bring about a social revolution.
I remember reading about James Meredith and his March Against Fear when I was in school, but I never really knew the details of the march until I read this book. And this is where Ann Bausum really shines when it comes to presenting and explaining the time line, the meaning and the participants of a movement. She did it so well in Stonewall, giving just enough background and history for readers, without overwhelming them and all done in a very accessible style.
Given what is happening on the political front in this country these days, it becomes even more important to look back and know the history of the Civil Rights Movement and the legislation that was passed because of it. These laws were meant to provide some measure of equality, political, and social freedoms for citizens of color, but now they are beginning to be slowly chipped away by those who would like to return to an earlier time.
The March Against Fear includes an abundant of archival photographs, so a bit graphic, as well as an extensive Bibliography. It is, without a doubt, a book I recommend highly for today’s young readers.
This book is recommended for readers age 12+
This book was sent to me by the publisher, National Geographic
This review was originally posted at Randomly Reading
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