Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Even after some Jim Crow laws were declared unconstitutional, many states continued to refuse to adhere to the changes. Sibert Honor-winning author Brimner (Black and White, 2011) explores the first "Freedom Ride" in May 1961, as seven black and six white activists ranging in age from 18 to 61 set out to bring attention to this resistance. Recruited by the Congress of Racial Equality, they left Washington, D.C., on commercial buses, planning to arrive in New Orleans on May 17 to celebrate the seventh anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education. As they traveled south, they encountered expected resistance. White Freedom Riders were denied service at colored-only lunch counters. Joseph Perkins, a black rider, attempted to get a shoeshine in the "white chair" and, when he refused to move, was arrested. As the bus continued south, the responses to the riders became increasingly more violent. Three of the group, including John Lewis, were severely beaten even though they remained nonviolent. As they approached Birmingham, Alabama, they were met by the Ku Klux Klan and abandoned by law enforcement. Brimner does an excellent job giving the necessary context for the events, and the day-by-day focus provides dramatic tension for the narrative. Useful backmatter includes biographical sketches, bibliography, source notes, index, and picture credits. Richly illustrated with period photographs and strikingly designed, this is a clear, accessible depiction of a major story in the civil rights movement. (Nonfiction. 10-18) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Horn Book
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Brimner's narrative about the 1961 Freedom Ride from Washington, DC, to New Orleans and the civil rights events leading up to it focuses in particular on the violent, turbulent days when the thirteen riders ventured into the Deep South. He recounts the highlights, but the main attraction of this book is its photographs. A striking and spacious book design with black-and-white images provides immediacy. Bib., ind. (c) Copyright 2018. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.