Lucas E. Morel
...[W]ill instruct while it fascinates even the casual reader....Given the symbolic status ascribed to the Supreme Court's "first Negro," Marshall's tenure of nearly a quarter century on the Court cannot be glossed over.
— Books & Culture: A Christian Review
Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly
This liberally illustrated companion volume to an upcoming six-part PBS-TV series, produced by black filmmakers, offers a detailed account of the Civil Rights movement. Assisted by the film's production team, Washington Post national correspondent Williams singles out from the main political events, demonstrations and legal actions the stories of little-known activists, some of whom lost their lives fighting for political, social, economic and educational rights. Quotes from the students involved in the landmark 1954 Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka and Little Rock cases are recorded, as are those of a woman whose son was lynched and those of both black and white participants in sit-ins, Freedom Rides and marches, some of whom were badly beaten and jailed. An epilogue traces the lives of the movement's leaders and other activists since the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. 75,000 first printing; 60,000 ad/promo; BOMC and QPBC alternates; author tour. (January 26)
Library Journal
This companion volume to the PBS TV series of the same name is an excellent, highly readable account of black America's struggle for social and political equality, covering the civil rights battle from the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision in 1954 to the Selma protest marches and Voting Rights Act of 1965. Williams focuses upon specific key events, providing a narrative overview of each, interspersed with photographs and excerpts from interviews and writings of the participants. He gives a vivid portrait of the courage of individual blacks and the violence they had to endure in their struggle for desegregation and the right to vote in the South. The events themselves provide the drama. Recommended for academic and public libraries. BOMC alternate. Louis Vyhnanek, Washington State Univ. Lib., Pullman
School Library Journal
YAEyes On the Prize is an outstanding contribution to the memory of the lessons of the Civil Rights Movement. Williams brings the events of the nonviolent civil rights years to life with photographs and lucid text, as well as brief asides interspersed throughout to provide participants' perspectives. Written in conjunction with the production team of the PBS-TV series of the same name, the book uses still photography, which provides different insights than the film footage of the same events shown on television. While the two could be used together, the book stands solidly alone as one of the best available summaries of the period. Dorcas Hand, Episcopal High School, Bellaire
From the Publisher
A fascinating, fast-moving overview.” —The New York Times Book Review
“Skillfully combines written and oral sources with the historical narrative . . . Will be invaluable to students as well as the general reader.” —The Boston Globe
