The Impact
One thing that this book never fails to do, is shock me. Perhaps it’s ignorance, perhaps it’s me forgetting everything I learned in my history classes, but the story that it tells feels so personal. It’s a different and fresh perspective from how we usually learn about these events, and it does an amazing job at putting us up close and personal with these tragedies.

The Horrors
Starting this week’s reading was heartbreaking. The very first few pages were dedicated to the bombing and the four tragic deaths of those innocent girls. Addie Mae Collins, Carole Robertson, Cynthia Wesley, and Denise McNair had their lives ripped away from them. Knowing that these four girls never got to grow up, really puts things into perspective. The aftermath of the bombing was also a shock. The multiple casualties that all linked back to this event just added a layer of horror. What really bothered me most however, was the fact that all of the deaths were of kids. It showed that even after all this time, things had yet to change. That they are about to enter an era that they know will bring a number of casualties like the ones caused on that day. Reading through these pages felt like a downward spiral from one awful event to the next.

The Assassination
Even if they showed steady progress, it all came crashing to a stop when John F. Kennedy was assassinated. This was a huge turning point, especially since the one in charge now was President Johnson. John Lewis however, wanted to give him a chance. Although President Johnson didn’t have the best track record when it came to helping with passing civil rights legislation. The only thing I wish he’d done differently is that he would’ve asked John Lewis to continue the protests. They would add more pressure to the up coming election, sure, but that wouldn’t be a problem if you had the people you are fighting for, be able to vote for you. That’s why I found it kind of counterproductive, when he was asking civil rights activist groups to halt their work.