Freedom Riders RLB: John Lewis and Jim Zwerg on the Front Lines of the Civil Rights Movement

How did two youths-one raised in an all-black community in the deep South, the other brought up with only whites in the Midwest-become partners for freedom during the civil rights movement of the 1960s? 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. This book introduces young readers (grade 5 and up) to the concept of nonviolent resistance as practiced by Zwerg, Lewis, and their classmates in Nashville, Tennessee. These students broke the color barrier at local movie theaters using this form of protest. Freedom Riders conveys the history of the Freedom Rides through the shared experiences of Lewis and Zwerg. No other book on the subject has used such a personal perspective. These two young men, empowered by their successes in Nashville, 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, when the Freedom Ride penetrated deeper into the South. When these new participants arrived in Montgomery, Alabama, Zwerg and Lewis were singled out by a mob numbering in the hundreds armed with chains, bats, and hammers. The two youths were nearly beaten to death before police stepped forward to end the violence. The two surviving photographs from their experience provide testimony to the severity of their attacks. Release of these images along with accounts of the violence in Montgomery served to focus national attention on the Freedom Rides. Waves of volunteers came South to continue them. Freedom Riders summarizes the history of the subsequent rides and their success at ending discriminatory seating on Southern interstate bus service. It concludes by relating the divergent paths of Lewis and Zwerg. Lewis rose to prominence with continued participation in the civil rights movement. He became a U.S. Congress member in 1986. Zwerg, at the encouragement of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., took up the ministry, a career he continued for 20 years until turning to community service and business. The book is stunningly illustrated with 50 duotoned historical photos and detailed maps. It includes a resource guide of landmarks and references and a related chronology.

As part of her research for her book on the Freedom Rides, Ann Bausum followed the route of the Freedom Rides in a primary-source-gathering research trip supported in part by the distinguished Anna Cross Giblin nonfiction research-in-progress grant from the SCBWI. She personally interviewed Congressman John Lewis at his office in Washington and met with Jim Zwerg as well. Ann Bausum is the author of National Geographic's With Courage and Cloth: Winning the Fight for a Woman's Right to Vote, Our Country's Presidents and Dragon Bones and Dinosaur Eggs: A Photobiography of Explorer Roy Chapman Andrews. She lives in Beloit, Wisconsin, with her husband and two sons. Awards and Recognition for WITH COURAGE AND CLOTH: Kirkus-starred review "Bausum�makes the history live as she explains, exhorts, and lets nothing drop by the wayside�.Excellent." School Library Journal-starred review "Bausum's careful research is evident throughout�.[a] vivid presentation." New York Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year Awards and Recognition for OUR COUNTRY'S PRESIDENTS: 2002 Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People Joint selection by the National Council for Social Studies and the Children's Book Council Awards and Recognition for DRAGON BONES AND DINOSAUR EGGS: 2001 Juvenile Literary Award from Friends of American Writers, Chicago-presented annually to new authors who either reside in or set their books in the Midwest Choices 2001 Cooperative Children's Book Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison Outstanding Books by Wisconsin Authors and Illustrators for 2001 one of ten children's books chosen by the Wisconsin Library Association Gold Award 2000 National Parenting Publication Awards Blue Ribbon List Center for Children's Books University of Illinois in Urbana "Outstanding" rating Parent Council 2001 Books for the Teen Age List New York Public Library