Don Mitchell (2) (1957–)

ARC provided by NetGalley

In June 1964, at the height of the Civil Rights movement, one of the most horrific events occurred when three young men (one black and two white) were lynched by the Ku Klux Klan of Mississippi for trying to register African Americans to vote. The horror though did not end with their murder, but the failure of the courts to convict the guilty parties of their murder, some of whom were members of local law enforcement. This book, published on the 50th anniversary of show more James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner’s murders, is the first comprehensive book for a young adult audience to understand the racial hatred and prejudices that led to these murders and the guilty being free for so long.

Writing about the murders and miscarriages of justices during the Civil Rights movement is never an easy task, particularly with these three murders, as many people want to forget the blind eye that turned to these types of events. Don Mitchell though shines the biggest light possible unto the event and leaves no stone unturned. Working with court records, printed sources, and original interviews with surviving family members, Mitchell sets the scene for readers. Mitchell doesn’t just recite facts...he tells us about the lives of the three young men, why they did what they did, who their families are, and those that were left behind with their murders. In a few short pages these three men become more than names on a page, but people that we know and care for. And then...they’re gone. Cruelly and violently murdered. Mitchell walks us through the scene, describes the murders, and recounts the efforts to bring the killers to justice...and the travesties that occurred while doing so. But Mitchell doesn’t just describe those that helped these men escape justice, he also describes the people that never stopped telling the truth, the ones that lived their lives in fear, but did what was right.

This is a timely and honest look at the Civil Rights era and how the government ignored lynchings and brutal murders, until two white men were killed. Mitchell lays out the facts that are clear for all to see and to make connections to what continues to be a problem to this day. This book should be required reading for all students, in the hopes that we can learn from the past to change the present. I give the book 5 out of 5 stars. show less

"An educated man is not one whose memory is trained to carry a few dates in history -- he is one who can accomplish things. A man who cannot think is not an educated man no matter how many college degrees he may have acquired." Henry Ford had a huge impact in making manufacturing processes more efficient, clean, and safe for workers in America. He spent years trying and failing, thinking through problems and learning from his engineering mistakes. He figured out how to make the assembly line show more model work, and he built cars that were affordable enough for average people to buy. Because there were more cars, more gas stations and roads were needed, and this meant more jobs and businesses across the country! Henry Ford also was incredibly generous. He built the Henry Ford Hospital, and insisted that prices for care be low and fixed, so that all could afford to get quality care. He built schools, and spent millions on improving education, developing better farming techniques and investigating possible sources of renewable energy. He hated war, and joined a group of peace activists who tried unsuccessfully to go to Europe in 1915 to end the fighting there. For all he did to help others, Henry Ford didn't do everything right. He allowed his security force to beat and abuse striking workers who wanted to join a union, he undermined his only son's efforts to run the company, and he bought a newspaper to publish his anti-semitic articles blaming Jews for most of the world's problems. Henry Ford was a complicated, flawed human being, and Don Mitchell does an excellent job balancing his successes with his problems. Large, historical photos show the development of various automobile lines, factory improvements, and important people and places in Ford's life. Everything is washed in silvery steel colors -- the light, Vanadium steel that made the Model T possible, opening the door to the rest of the story. Strong 6th grade readers and up. show less

"When historians weigh the sixth decade of the twentieth century in the United States, they will call this murder one of the revealing acts of this decade. It was a planned, deliberate murder to try to prevent racial change; and it was committed by men who called themselves Christians and thought they were doing right. - William Bradford Huie

This particular quote stood out to me about the events that took place in this book from the dreams of what the Freedom Summer of '64 would accomplish show more by getting blacks registered to vote in Mississippi, the murder of the three civil rights workers by the Ku Klux Klan, the attempted cover up by the local authorities, and the amount of time it took to finally prosecute one of the men involved.

The families can take heart that as a result of the mens death a national spotlight was shown on the situation in Mississippi and the need for Civil Rights and Voter Rights Legislation was propelled forward.

The book is a young adult non-fiction which I did not realize when I picked the book up from the New Release shelf. With that said adults and young adults alike should take the time to read and learn about this part of our history. Plus it had some recommendations for further reading more adult oriented along with one movie and a documentary film.

This is one that should be on school reading lists not only for African Americans but for all to show that their were white Americans who embraced the fact they could not stand idle and even if it might be dangerous they needed to stand with their fellow man and help them attain the rights they already enjoyed. show less

I lived in the deep South during this time and this story brought back so many memories of what I saw and experienced. Roads to the Negroes homes were NOT paved, and libraries were closed to black people. Water fountains and rest rooms were marked White and Black, and when I attempted to drink from a 'colored" drinking fountain, was told that they were tainted. This was in the public library where I worked, and at the time, black people could not use the library. This separation was for the show more negro help! I still have horrible thoughts about what I now to be the truth of what the Negro endured. Reading author Don Mitchell's accounting woke me up to how I slowly put this aside for other matters of my world. It is so easy being white and not having had to suffer as they did.

The details of the murders of the three social workers who wanted to end civil unrest and segregation in the South should strike EVERYONE as tragic and not to be done again. But as we know, segregation is still a fact ,if not in observations, but in the minds of so many. Just as WW2 was hoped to be always remembered , so that we would try to get along, so exposing the horrors of the 1960's has done nothing to stop further discrimination.

I heartily recommend this book, which should be required reading in every school, every police station, and in every religious institution, as we, in our endless struggle to close this gap, need reminders. Buy this book for anyone who has a narrow view of others, who for those who have not moved on in their empathy and wonder why Negros are still looked down on in the South. show less