Ann Bausum

Freedom Riders is a Sibert Honor Book that tells the story of the 1961 Freedom Rides from the perspective of two men: John Lewis and Jim Zwerg. What makes the story so interesting is how the two riders' divergent backgrounds were united for the cause. Representing 'Black America', the book details John Lewis' humble upbringing in rural Alabama and his obstacle-laden journey to Nashville to pursue his education. Jim Zwerg's story represents an opposite existence, or a "different world" as the show more book describes. Raised in a middle-class town in Northern Wisconsin, Zwerg's early years were completely shielded from any exposure to the discrimination that was taking place in the South. The historical details are jaw-dropping once the two meet in Nashville and the Freedom Rides begin.

At multiple points during the read I had to remind myself that these events did not take place that long ago. When you look at the photos and read the accounts there is a tendency to think, "This must have happened a long time ago" -- but didn't! And in so many ways discrimination, racial or otherwise, is still taking place. I was astonished by the courage of the riders, and even more astonished by many of the factual details of the event (i.e. the pre-arranged deals between the KKK and the local police departments to allow violence without intervention; the number of mob members in Montgomery -- over a 1,000; and the calculated organization of the attacks: take out media first, then attack the passengers). Needless to say, it was an emotional read.

From a teaching perspective, this book is widely applicable. Last semester I worked on a To Kill A Mockingbird unit through the conceptual lens of injustice. One of the lessons involved study and discussion of the Jim Crow Laws of the South -- this book would have been a perfect supplementary text. With such a strong connection to the Civil Rights Movement, American History, and the general spirit of courage, I can see this book finding its way into many other lesson plans.

The book itself was both an engaging and thought-provoking read. The writing was easy to follow, and the primary source documents (mainly photos) gave the book a great deal of authenticity. Both riders, Lewis and Zwerg, share their thoughts in the "Foreword", and the back of the book features a wide variety of rich supplemental material (a partial roster of the other riders, a timeline of events, a comprehensive resource guide, research notes, bibliography, citations, and an index). This is a fantastic book that I would highly recommend to others! show less

With short vignettes that could stand alone looking at Chinese immigration, Japanese internment, deportation of anarchists, and the blocked borders on those on the St. Louis trying to escape Germany, this book explored the dark side of immigration. The book starts with a fantastic poem by Naomi Shihab Nye. The stories are compelling as Bausum explores the story of a person or family in each section and then weaves in the larger social and political context. I found this book to be accessible show more and thought-provoking. show less

When I saw this book, I knew I wanted to read it. I knew Stonewall was important in the fight for gay fights, but that was about the extent of my knowledge. This was one of those books that made me learn and also want to know more. It included information I wanted to share with others as I read.
Well written and thoroughly documented, the book gives historical context of Stonewall Inn and the riots. It also paints a larger picture of the place of that moment into the gay rights movement and show more LGBT issues from the 50s to present day. show less

This was a well-organized and engaging book about what is considered to be one of the most important moments in LGBTQIA+ US history. It was wonderful to be able to read something that taught me about a notable event that was purposefully left out of our history books in school.

The 1/2 point is docked because I felt it could have been told in a bit more of an interesting and/or focused manner. Sometimes, it felt like a bit too much was being pushed into small sections.