Ann Bausum narrates the story of the Freedom Riders from the perspective of John Lewis and Jim Zwerg. The content of the book is divided approximately 30/70, with thirty percent discussing the backgrounds and early years of Lewis and Zwerg and seventy percent, explaining the Freedom Rides. The book goes into depth explaining both young men’s families and homelives. Lewis and Zwerg grew up during the same years, though had completely different upbringings. Bausum tells their stories with exceptional clarity, her ideas are well structured and organized. The book begins with a forewords from Zwerg and Lewis, and then Bausum continues on to share the story with individual chapters. The bibliography is intensive and clearly lists all of the research Bausum conducted for this book. She adds a resource guide, including: books of general interest, books for young readers, music and videos, including companion readers, and places to visit in person and online. In her research notes and acknowledgements, Bausum goes into detail describing how she created this book, through travels, interviews, music and books. The Partial Roster of Riders is one of the most valuable access features, as Bausum states it is impossible to recognize the hundreds of riders in her small book, she did take the time to highlight 19 members and their experiences. Each member has an inspirational story to tell. There are numerous, powerful photographs in this book, at least one photograph for every two page spread. This book would not be the same without the photographs, the impact of seeing a segregated America is different than reading or hearing about it. As an educator I would absolutely use this title in my classroom. While the targeted audience is 5th grade, as an ESL English high school teacher these texts would be appropriate to use in this setting as well. ( )

Freedom Riders takes the reader on a journey into the Deep South in 1961 where hatred ran deep for anyone that wanted to invoke change from the generations of Jim Crow rule. I appreciate the fact that the forwards are written by Jim Zwerg and John Lewis. Reading the first hand account of what happened during their bus rides through the South brings instant authenticity to the book. In her research notes & acknowledgements at the end of the book, Ann Bausum states that "in May 2004 I spent two weeks retracing the route of the Freedom Rides." The journey that Bausum took was literal as well as figurative. She helps retell the story of how two men that were so different found some common ground. Lewis being black and Zwerg being white were able to fight for a cause that they knew would be dangerous but was "the right thing to do" (Bausum 6).
This book is recommended for ages 10 and up but I would refer this book to middle school age students and up. The graphic nature of violence through some of the pictures would deter me from sharing this book with children younger than middle school age. This book would serve history students well as this book provides a variety of both primary and secondary sources. ( )

This book would provide a good starting point to study the unbelievable events of our Civil Rights movement during the Freedom Rides. The treatment of the young people of all colors was simply horrific. Zwerg and Lewis grew up totally different and ended up fighting for the same beliefs. What courageous young men. Many of the participants new that each ride could mean they could meet with the end of their lives and would even write down their names and a last will, put it their pockes so if they were killed they could be returned to their families.

Curricular connections: Use this book as a starting point to study and research the Civil Rights movement particularly the Freedom Riders.

An account of the Freedom bus rides through the segregated South as experienced by John Lewis and Jim Zwerg, college students who were active in organizing and participating in the rides, despite great the great physical costs to themselves and others. As a white participant, Jim Zwerg was prominently featured in media coverage; his devotion to the cause inspired thousands across the country to join the rides. John Lewis later went on to become a U.S. Congressman for Georgia.

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 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! ( )