We Are Not Afraid: The Story of Goodman, Schwerner, and Chaney, and the Civil Rights Campaign for Mississippi [Paperback]

Seth Cagin (Author), Philip Dray (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 26, 2006

We Are Not Afraid is the story of the 1964 killing of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner in Philadelphia, Mississippi, at the hands of Ku Klux Klansmen and the local cops. Described as "one of the best books on the civil rights movement," the murders it describes inspired the acclaimed film, Mississippi Burning. The events surrounding this seminal event have re-entered public debate due to the recent conviction of manslaughter by Klansman and Imperial Wizard, Edgar Ray Killen, for his part in orchestrating the murders. As America struggles to honestly confront its history of racism, there has never been a more timely moment to reissue this fully updated edition of We Are Not Afraid. From the roles played by such figures as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert Kennedy to the remarkable courage of the Freedom Riders, this book relates the definitive story of a nation's ongoing battle for true democracy.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The infamous murder of three civil rights workers by a Ku Klux Klan mob and Mississippi law-enforcement officers in 1964 takes on the dimensions of a personal, political and national tragedy in this riveting account. The drama of the triocollege students Michael Schwerner and Andy Goodman, both white Northerners, and James Chaney, a young black activist from Mississippipits their faith in nonviolence against a murderous rage fueled by racism. Cagin and Dray, who coauthored Hollywood Films of the Seventies, have done their homework: interviews, news reports, FBI documents and trial transcripts undergird their brilliant re-creation of the incident, interwoven with a full-scale history of the civil rights movement. The search for the bodies turned up many black corpses, purported victims of police/Klan violence; the Klan conspirators were paroled before serving their full sentences; in the aftermath, Lyndon Johnson questionably maneuvered to defuse the situation. This is surely one of the best books on the civil rights movement.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

A richly detailed morality tale set against the backdrop of the Civil Rights movement of the early 1960s, this account pits idealistic and courageous civil rights workers against violent and bigoted defenders of segregation. As the central tragedythe murders of Goodman, Schwerner, and Chaneyunfolds, federal officials ultimately bring the perpetrators to justice. In spite of its obvious bias and a tendency toward melodrama, this is a fine work by two freelance journalists: the most exhaustively researched, eloquently written, and accessible account of this crucial episode. Exciting and inspiring; highly recommended for most libraries.Anthony O. Edmonds, Ball State Univ., Muncie, Ind.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 500 pages
• Publisher: Nation Books; Revised edition (April 26, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560258640
• ISBN-13: 978-1560258643
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.5 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #366,120 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thorough and riveting, December 6, 2000

By 

Schmerguls "schmerguls" (Sioux City, Ia USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: We Are Not Afraid: The Story of Goodman, Schwerner, and Chaney and the Civil Rights Campaign for Mississippi (Hardcover)

Every so often we need to refresh our memory of the bad things that happened in our lifetime. That is why I read books about the Holocaust. It is also why I read this book, telling of what Mississippi was like for black people in the early 1960s. The murder of Goodman, Schwerner, and Chaney on June 21, 1964, is a defining event in the struggle to bring Mississippi to greater respect for the basic liberties guaranteed to Americans. This book tells the story in some detail, and also covers other events leading up to the murders. And there are some pages telling what has happened since (up to 1988, when the book was published). Very worthwhile and carefully done.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must Read, July 4, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: We Are Not Afraid: The Story of Goodman, Schwerner, and Chaney and the Civil Rights Campaign for Mississippi (Hardcover)

Even if you already know the story of Goodman, Schwerner, and Chaney, this book is very detailed and interestingly put together. The background information on the freedom summer project and other activists is insightful, and this book reads like a story, and not just as boring facts. I recommend this book to everyone.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mississippi's and America's Shame, July 20, 2009

By 

C. W. Emblom "Bill Emblom" (Ishpeming, Michigan USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: We Are Not Afraid: The Story of Goodman, Schwerner, and Chaney and the Civil Rights Campaign for Mississippi (Hardcover)

This is a story of domestic terrorism. In this book we have domestic terrorists posing as police officers, another as a preacher, and other assorted riff-raff making up the police state of Mississippi during the 1960s. I was a college student when the shameful execution of Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman, and James Chaney took place on June 21, 1964. It's true that all that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing. These three men paid the ultimate price trying to get African Americans registered to vote in Mississippi. To be sure, Mississippi wasn't alone in denying African American citizens their basic civil rights. The authors of this book point out the denial of civil rights in other states as well, namely neighboring Alabama.
Don't be intimidated by the books length, 457 pages. This book is a riveting read exposing Mississippi's as well as America's shame in regard to civil rights. The 1960s was a violent decade marked by political assassinations, the struggle for civil rights for African Americans, race riots, and the Vietnam war. Other than the three gentlemen who grace the cover of this book I feel another hero in the book is President Lyndon Johnson for pushing for passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Bill and the 1965 Voting Rights Act. American history is filled with events we would like to sweep under the carpet. This book exposes the difficulties African Americans have confronted in gaining their much-deserved equal status in American society. It isn't enough to be embarrassed after reading this book, we, as Americans, need to feel shame and disgust.