Eyes on the Prize: America's Civil Rights Years, 1954-1965

Rating:
Summary: Eyes on the Prize
Review: A riveting book. I couldn't put it down. A very readable examination on the early civil rights years. I'd recommend it to any school.

Rating:
Summary: Eyes on the Prize
Review: A riveting book. I couldn't put it down. A very readable examination on the early civil rights years. I'd recommend it to any school.

Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Primer
Review: By now the number of volumes written on the Civil Rights Movement could fill whole libraries. Yet fifteen years later, this book still stands as one of the best introduction to the early years of the movement. Books such as Taylor Branch's Pillar of Fire and Parting the Waters may cover the same era of 1954 to 1965; this book is a good introduction for those who may be intimidated by Branch's comprehensive volumes. Rather than trying to cover everything, the book takes its cues from the documentary series and examines a select set of pivotal moments of the movement: school desegregation, the Montgomery bus boycott, the march on Washington, the Selma to Montgomery march and others. Each chapter delves into the story of the events, but also fleshes out the areas between these momentous events, both telling the background and hearing the experiences of those there, in their own words. The book is readable, not the dry tone that many associate with history books. But most of all it gives the reader the chance to delve into an important part of American history in the second half of the 20th century. This is an excellent book that should be picked up by anyone wanting to get a sense of where America was moving in these pivotal eleven years.

Rating:
Summary: WOW !
Review: Great book ! I was born in 1957 so I wanted to learn about the Civil Rights Movement as it was when I was growing up. This is not only an excellent history, but an incredibly interesting story, and a shocking testament to the injustices the Black people have suffered in America. I learned a lot and gained some insight into this issue.

Rating:
Summary: Familiar Stories, But Well Told
Review: Most of the stories in this book were familiar to me. But I still found them interesting. The author focuses on some of the lesser known participants to bring some fresh perspective to the stories. Seems hard to believe that the events are only 35 years ago.

Rating:
Summary: First hand account
Review: The book reads smoothly and contains unique ethnographic information. The book follows a chronological order of events in the civil rights movement. Readers who are interested in an eye witness account of the movement between 1954 and 1965 should purchase this book. It would be appropriate for a high school educational setting.

Rating:
Summary: First hand account
Review: The book reads smoothly and contains unique ethnographic information. The book follows a chronological order of events in the civil rights movement. Readers who are interested in an eye witness account of the movement between 1954 and 1965 should purchase this book. It would be appropriate for a high school educational setting.