Synopses & Reviews
This in-depth look at the civil rights movement goes to the places where pioneers of the movement marched, sat-in at lunch counters, gathered in churches; where they spoke, taught, and organized; where they were arrested, where they lost their lives, and where they triumphed.
Award-winning journalist Charles E. Cobb Jr., a former organizer and field secretary for SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee), knows the journey intimately. He guides us through Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee, back to the real grassroots of the movement. He pays tribute not only to the men and women etched into our national memory but to local people whose seemingly small contributions made an impact. We go inside the organizations that framed the movement, travel on the "Freedom Rides" of 1961, and hear first-person accounts about the events that inspired Brown vs. Board of Education.
An essential piece of American history, this is also a useful travel guide with maps, photographs, and sidebars of background history, newspaper coverage, and firsthand interviews.
Review
"Cobb brings alive America's last good war and its many heroes, unsung as well as famous. From chapter to chapter, you are there."—Hodding Carter III
Review
"Cobb's book is truly extraordinary. He takes us on a physical and emotional journey on the road to freedom."—Constance Curry, author of Silver Rights
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"A well-researched and engaging book, enriched by Cobb's vivid tales of remarkable acts of resistance to injustice."—Clayborne Carson, director of the Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute
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"In On the Road to Freedom: A Guided Tour of the Civil Rights Trail, Charles Cobb Jr. injects some much needed immediacy into the myth by compiling a detailed, city-by-city guide to its lesser known people, places and events. Even readers who think they've got a pretty good grasp of civil rights history are likely to find stories and personalities in the book they haven't encountered before. . . . On the Road to Freedom benefits from both [the author's] intimate knowledge of the movement and his investigative skills. . . . This book is first-rate popular history, and deserves a place in any freedom-lovers library."-- Nashville Scene Nashville Scene
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"It could easily be a textbook for Black History Month. It is so tightly written that the reader follows the trail Cobb skillfully outlines in the 388-page book."--Currents Currents
Review
On the Road to Freedom: A Guided Tour of the Civil Rights Trail is another chance for us to learn, remember and be proud of a group of people who struggled to make changes without seeing what vacation days we have. . . . Cobb's book will certainly make you think about places you are familiar with where change happened and how it affected you."-- The State
Synopsis
Through firsthand interviews, maps, photographs, and sidebars, award-winning journalist and 1960's activist Charles E. Cobb Jr. conducts a pilgrimage through the heart of the Civil Rights era.
Synopsis
Charles Cobb leads us from Washington, D.C., through eight southern states to visit the places where pioneers of the civil rights movement fought for freedom. This in-depth look at the movement—its long history, its stunning triumphs, its devastating losses, and its brave participants—goes off the beaten path to give us the real grassroots story in the words of those who lived it.
About the Author
Charles E. Cobb Jr. originated the "Freedom School" proposal that became a crucial part of the 1964 Mississippi Summer Project. A founding member of the Nnational Association of Black Journalists, Cobb has reported for WHUR Radio in Washington, D.C.; NPR; PBS's Frontline; and National Geographic. Cobb is a senior writer for AllAfrica.com.