While recounting the details of this historical movement, the author leaves readers with a deep respect for the courage shown by the people involved. An engrossing and inspiring read! A note from the author regarding terminology in the book: "Many words have been used to describe people of color. I use 'black' and 'African American' interchangeably and with equal respect in the pages that follow. Older terms, some equally respectful at one time and some that were never well intentioned, will appear when they contribute to an understanding of the past." Freedom Riders compares and contrasts the childhoods of John Lewis and James Zwerg in a way that helps young readers understand the segregated experience of our nation's past. It shows how a common interest in justice created the convergent path that enabled these young men to meet as Freedom Riders on a bus journey south.

No other book on the Freedom Riders has used such a personal perspective. These two young men, empowered by their successes in the Nashville student movement, were among those who volunteered to continue the Freedom Rides after violence in Anniston, Alabama, left the original bus in flames with the riders injured and in retreat. Lewis and Zwerg joined the cause knowing their own fate could be equally harsh, if not worse. The journey they shared as freedom riders through the Deep South changed not only their own lives but our nation's history.

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