By Esther Callens
In conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the 1965 voting rights march that took place in Selma, Ala., award winning author Russell Freedman has written a vital book that chronicled this major event. Because They Marched – The People’s Campaign for Voting Rights That Changed America (Holiday House), gives a breath-taking account of the peaceful protestors that dared to fight injustice.
It has been proven that Russell Freedman skillfully captures in print numerous monumental historical events. His extensive researches breathe life into circumstances of the past that birthed change in America as a whole. His latest undertaking, Because They Marched – The People’s Campaign for Voting Rights That Changed America, brilliantly narrates the pivotal Selma to Montgomery march that set wheels in motion to petition equal voting rights. Drawing upon a plethora of resources and illustrated with intriguing photographs, Freedman has given youth of today an extraordinary portrait that realistically portrays heroism at its best.
Listed within Because They Marched are various chapters that provide thorough details. In reading Freedman’s latest, young minds are privy to such astounding facts such as: Why protest and the significance of it, the origin of it, the demographics of the demonstrator, non-supporter and the cause and effects, the meaning of Bloody Sunday and voting importance. Freedman has written a powerful depiction that young minds can easily understand.
Author’s bio: Russell Freedman is one of America’s most prolific writers of nonfiction books for young readers. He has authored more than 50 titles that include The Boston Tea Party, Washington At Valley Forge, Freedom Walkers and others. He is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley and a veteran (he served in the Korean War). He has received numerous awards that includes the Newbery Medal, three Newbery Honors, the National Humanities Medal, the Orbis Pictus Award, the Robert F. Sibert Medal, the May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture Award, and the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award for “a substantial and lasting contribution to literature for children.” Russell Freedman lives in New York City and travels the globe to gather material for his works.
