Wayne Greenhaw

This is a detailed account of the Civil Rights movement by a reporter who lived through it in Montgomery. Alabama. The amount of detail is huge and all the famous names are present as well as many who made huge contributions but remained relatively unknown to those of us who live outside Alabama. If I have criticisms, it would be for the lack of dates when Greenshaw started a new section. This oversight meant that I had to go back over the last few pages to find dates that told me what year the incident took place.
The author included photos of the important participants in the narrative which was very much appreciated when the individual was not well known.
Reading this volume again leaves me in awe of those men and women who despite the fear that they must have felt, still went out and faced down the racists and bigots who lorded it over them just because their skin was not white. The hypocrisy of the religious leaders who preached the word of Christ and then could not see that they were not following it. Incidents such as that only confirm the validity of my decision to become an atheist.
The book is also a good introduction to the Ku Klux Klan and the many crimes they committed against the Black population. As with any extremist group whether the Islamist of today or the Nazis of the 1930, most of them are criminals who take advantage of the opportunity to kill and maim those who they see as weak.… (more)

We're very lucky that Mr Greenhaw, who covered all of this ground as a journalist, has taken the time and care to produce a succinct but comprehensive review of the battlefield that was Civil Rights work in Alabama in the mid-to-late 20th century. Very few people would have the resources to revisit the pockets of this story that haven't already been mythologized. Fewer still have the skills to weave them into a compelling narrative, full of unforgettable word-portraits that the author has sketched from life.

For readers too young to have lived through these times, the truth is more complicated, and quite a bit uglier, than we've been told. But it is the kind of truth that can't be ignored and must be confronted head on. Greenhaw has a firm grasp on the big picture and gives us precisely that opportunity. It's our responsibility to take it.… (more)