Ann Bausum's latest book for older kids is The March Against Fear: The Last Great Walk of the Civil Rights Movement and the Emergence of Black Power.From her Q&A with Deborah Kalb:
Q: Why did you decide to focus on the March Against Fear?--Marshal Zeringue
A: This was history I had a glimpse of as a child—it was partly to complete a loop back to my childhood, and explore the history that seemed so perplexing when I witnessed it. It was a memory without context into my adult life. I didn’t realize it was this march I had seen.
It was partly to satisfy the childhood [memory] and partly to understand what happened to the civil rights movement, and use this endeavor as a way to look at what was going on with the civil rights movement mid-decade. Having written about it already, this felt like a missing piece.
Q: How did you research the book, and was there anything that especially surprised you?
A: The research was extensive, including a drive in 2012 which retraced the route of the March Against Fear, going South and then back North the way [James] Meredith walked the next year. I’d done that with other history. I find it...[read on]