I listened to the two cds that were included with the text, photos and incredible stories of the Civil Rights movement and the struggles in America. Then, I read this large, excellently written chronicle of a nation undergoing turmoil and chaos.

Clearly, expertly written stories outline the beginning of the Civil Rights movement through the continuing struggles of the black people who live in a country where we judge the brutality of other countries, while forgetting our own bloody legacy.

I continue to read many books about the Civil Rights movement, and the more I read, the more I realize that ignorance is not bliss.

When fourteen year old Emmett Till was savagely beaten to death for what might have been a comment or a whistle directed toward a white woman, her bigoted husband took it upon himself to hunt down young, naive in the ways of the south, Emmett, and to set his brutal death as a message to others. The people hoped for justice. Instead, the murderer was judged not guilty and set free.

When Meggar Evers, the first state field secretary of the NAACP in Mississippi, was brutally gunned down in the driveway of his home in Jackson, Mississippi, those who wanted justice once again watched as his killer was tried and found not guilty. It would take three trials to finally bring justice for Meggar's family.

When blacks were delegated to the back of the bus, it was Rosa Parks who had had enough and refused to give up her seat to a white person.

This book excellently provides an in depth look at so many struggles faced by the black community as they demanded what was rightfully theirs, ie life with opportunities afforded for all.

The reader learns of the horror of Birmingham, then called "Bombingham, Alabama", when four innocent young girls met their death at the hands of the KKK who planted at least 15 sticks of dynamite attached to a timing device beneath the front steps of the Sixteenth Street Church. The bombs exploded with so much force that they tore the head from the body of one of the innocent young girls.

It was Martin Luther King, Stokely Carmichael, Malcolm X and a host of others who led those who demanded justice, equality and benefits afforded to whites. So well written, the reader feels as though they were marching from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama to demand voting rights.

As the brave freedom riders rode through the states of Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia, through miles and miles of territory, the atmosphere of the south simmered in the hot August sun when the nation watched as powerful water hoses, snarling German Shepherd dogs, and bully clubs were leashed upon black children and adults.

Highly recommended.