Bibliography: Wiles, D. (2001). Freedom Summer. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.
Summary: Set in the summer of 1964, this story is about two boys – Joe and John Henry. The boys do their best to ignore the fact that society does not grant John Henry the same privileges as Joe because he is black. Joe and John encounter this reality in various situations as when John is forced to wait outside the General Store while Joe gets them ice pops or when he is forbidden from going to the community pool with his friend. After the Civil Rights Act is passed, the two boys decide to test John’s new freedom by going to swim together in the community pool. They arrive at the pool only to discover that it is being filled in to prevent blacks from using it. Undaunted, Joe displays his firm friendship with John by accompanying him into the General Store.
Impressions: A great read! Freedom Summer perfectly captures the racial tension that existed in the South at this time in terms that young readers can understand. The incident with the pool highlights the fact that many Southerners at the time were willing to close down services for everyone if that is what it took to keep from serving blacks. Wiles did a good job of interweaving fiction and fact to produce a story of adversity and friendship that children of any age can relate to. This powerful tale is enhanced by colorful and well-drawn illustrations that add emotional impact to each scene in the book.
Reviews:
Gillian Engberg (Booklist, Feb. 15, 2001 (Vol. 97, No. 12))
“John Henry Waddell is my best friend," begins the narrator of this story, set during a summer of desegregation in the South. John Henry is black and the narrator is white, so the boys swim together at the creek, rather than at the whites-only town pool, and the narrator buys the ice-cream at the segregated store. When new laws mandate that the pool, and everything else, must desegregate, the boys rejoice, until the town fills the pool with tar in protest and the narrator tries to see this town, "through John Henry's eyes." The boy's voice, presented in punchy, almost poetic sentences, feels overly romanticized, even contrived in places. It's the illustrations that stun. In vibrantly colored, broad strokes, Lagarrigue, who illustrated Nikki Grimes' My Man Blue (1999), paints riveting portraits of the boys, particularly of John Henry, that greatly increase the story's emotional power. Beautiful work by an illustrator to watch. Category: Books for the Young--Fiction.” – Gillian Engberg (Booklist)
“John Henry Waddell is my best friend," begins the narrator of this story, set during a summer of desegregation in the South. John Henry is black and the narrator is white, so the boys swim together at the creek, rather than at the whites-only town pool, and the narrator buys the ice-cream at the segregated store. When new laws mandate that the pool, and everything else, must desegregate, the boys rejoice, until the town fills the pool with tar in protest and the narrator tries to see this town, "through John Henry's eyes." The boy's voice, presented in punchy, almost poetic sentences, feels overly romanticized, even contrived in places. It's the illustrations that stun. In vibrantly colored, broad strokes, Lagarrigue, who illustrated Nikki Grimes' My Man Blue (1999), paints riveting portraits of the boys, particularly of John Henry, that greatly increase the story's emotional power. Beautiful work by an illustrator to watch. Category: Books for the Young--Fiction.” – Gillian Engberg (Booklist)
Engberg, G. (2001). Freedom Summer Review. Booklist (Vol. 97, No. 12). Retrieved from http://libproxy.library.unt.edu:2378/cgi-bin/member/search/f?./temp/~JfO07C:1
“A great introductory step for parents and teachers to help children become writers is to examine the work of others. There are a slew of personal narrative picture books to help children understand this genre. Freedom Summer is one. It tells of two boys who are best friends. John Henry is black and Joe is white, and though they love the same things, segregation laws prevent them from doing everything together. They have compensated. Instead of going to the town pool, they dam a creek where they "jump in, wearing only our skins." Descriptions and a strong voice draw the reader into the kind of caring that builds as the boys anticipate the end of the law that has divided them. On the morning that desegregation goes into effect, the two boys leave for the clear waters of the town pool, taking John Henry's lucky coin to dive for. When they arrive, they discover workers have filled the pool with "hot spongy tar." Joe, wanting to shift the mood, suggests an ice pop that comes from a store John Henry has never entered. Joe hands his friend a nickel, but John Henry shakes his head and replies, "I got my own" and the boys walk into the store together. Lyricism and feelings will help children relate, better understand another era and discover the power of a personal narrative.” – Susie Wilde (Children’s Literature)
Wilde, S. (2001). Freedom Summer Review. Children’s Literature. Retrieved from http://libproxy.library.unt.edu:2378/cgi-bin/member/search/f?./temp/~JfO07C:1
Suggestions for Use in a Library:
As one of the reviews above suggested this book is a great way to introduce the concept of racism as it existed in the past. Librarians can also discuss with children how the world has changed since then and how people of all races in the United States have more freedom than ever before.
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