Module Nine: Nonfiction

Bausum, Anne. 2006. FREEDOM RIDERS: JOHN LEWIS AND JIM ZWERG ON THE FRONT LINES OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic.

*Summary

The lives of two men who were involved in the Civil Rights Movement is compared and described.

*Impressions

This nonfiction book gets high marks for accuracy. It is a Sibert Honor Book and includes forwards written by both men who are the subject of the book. Photographs with captions and a timeline also make the book a useful tool for teaching about the Civil Right Movement. The book includes a resource guide, research notes, bibliography and citations, an index, and photo credits. All the information is easily accessible thanks to the organization of the book.

Overall, the design of the book is attractive and easy to read. The older black and white photos are presented in a creative layout with captions following in blue text. Also, the large font size makes the nonfiction work inviting and unintimidating. Chapter titles and quotations add interest; similarly, the photographs with matching captions will help readers understand the content of the book. Although this book contains a great deal of information, Bausum successfully keeps the tone similar to that of a story which makes the it appropriate for younger readers. The contrast drawn between the lives of each man shows different ways of life in America without bogging down readers with too many details.

To conclude, I would highly recommend this book to students and teachers alike. It can be read in full or used as a reference and companion to social studies curriculum or a historical fiction work.

*Review Excerpts

"The incredible courage and determination of young people, black, white, male and female, who risked great personal danger and even death as they participated in the freedom rides during the Civil Rights Movement are the focus of this remarkable book. A definite first purchase."
School Library Journal

"In another excellent work of nonfiction, the author of the acclaimed With Courage and Cloth (2004), covers a civil rights topic less frequently addressed than Brown v. Board of Education or the 1963 March on Washington. Eschewing a general overview of the 1961 Freedom Rides for specific, personal histories of real participants in the dangerous bus integration protests, Bausum focuses on two college students from strikingly different backgrounds: Jim Zwerg, a white Wisconsin native who became involved during an exchange visit to Nashville, and John Lewis, a black seminarian and student leader of the nonviolence movement."
BookList *Starred Review

(Image from http://www.madisonpubliclibrary.org/)