Customer Reviews

Freedom Road

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

THis book was my assignment for US History. At first, I thought it was going to be boring. But I just couldn't put it down after I started.After reading it , I had a better understanding to the difficulties of rebuilding the peaceful society between the blacks and white, especially under the presence if KKK.It is a truly touching and sad book.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I have found books about the Civil War. This is one of the few books I read that deal with its after-math. It gives a well written illustration of the Reconstruction. The reader becomes the free slave, carpetbagger, poor white and bankrupt plantation owner. As each character meets Gideon Jackson each person discovers their importance in the development of humanity.

I thought this was one of the best books I've ever read, right up there with To Kill A Mockingbird, Grapes of Wrath,and Black Boy. Howard Fast's writing style was a little different than what I am used to, but it is very effective. The story of Gideon Jackson is amazing and shows the power of education. I found that I became very passionate about this book. The way that Mr. Fast traces the rise of Gideon with the rise of the KKK is remarkable and the final chapters will leave you not wanting to put the book down. I highly recommend this book.

To not feel emotion while reading this book is impossible. The reader falls in love with the main character, Gideon Jackson. His enemies become the reader's enemies. His struggles break the reader's heart, because they've grown so close to Gideon. The reader becomes angry, sad, and just upset at how the people and the America that so many people fought for, can just turn its back on these poor black slaves. The hatred and the evilness portrayed by the Klu Klux Klan is unbearable and the reader realizes how unfortunate these times were for the black American. So if you want a very dramatic, but historically true novel this is the number ONE choice!

Gideon Jackson, a former slave, returns to the home of his youth in order to begin his post-war life. His wife and children await him and they take their first, halting steps into a free future.

Then the notice comes that all the men over age 21 are meant to go into town to vote. From this simple act comes more change than Gideon ever counted on, and maybe more than he wanted, at least at first.

Based on historic facts for those who care to dig deeply enough, Freedom Road presents a searing, alternative view of Reconstruction, using the words and work of the people it helped; the people for whom freedom was recently earned with great difficulty, and not to be forsaken at any price.

Freedom Road should be required reading for any devotee of quality fiction, for anyone who thinks they know the story of Reconstruction, and for anyone who is not afraid of being presented with issues that cause anger, introspection and, ultimately, hope that a better day has finally come.

Howard Fast does an extraordinary job of using one former slave, Gideon Jackson, to illustrate the hopes, struggles and triumphs of African Americans after the Civil War. The concept of using a ficional novel to teach actual historical events should be done far more often. The reader is brought in to post war South Carolina to get a glimpse of life for both African Americans and pro and anti slavery whites. Fast is a very good writer and this book should, without doubt, be used in classrooms around the country. It offers a refreshing break from wordy textbooks and students appreciate that!

Even though this fictional book was assigned for a class in Civil War history, it turned out to be an enjoyable assignment. It is a very readable account of Reconstruction from 1865 to 1877. The book describes how well Reconstruction was working for recently emancipated slaves in South Carolina, and how bad it was going for the elite southern whites there. It does an amazing job of portraying the positive struggles of African Americans, and some working class whites, and how they were succeeding, until the final withdrawal of Union troops from the South.

This book is fun to read in the beginning, but the sad consequences of Reconstruction bring it to the inevitable conclusion. This does not detract from the book's accurate portrayal of what really caused Reconstruction to fail.

This is an excellent book that you will have no trouble reading in one sitting. If you read this book, you will understand what really happened during Reconstruction, and the real facts that they failed to tell most of us in high school. This book was published in 1944, long before most US historians recognized how southern historians had distorted the country's view of Reconstruction. Thanks to recent historians, we now have a much more accurate picture of this era.

If you're looking for a fictional representation of Reconstruction times this book is a must! Howard Fast writes in a narrative fashion making it easy to get caught up in the story, I didn't want to put it down! Fast introduces readers to Gideon Jackson who acts as the main character in the book. Through him we get to see the relative successes and huge disasters of the Reconstruction. Fast's novel gave a face to the many African Americans who gained freedom at the time. Reading fiction rather than traditional texts, it was much easier for me to get a sense of the time. I believe this novel acts a personal read rather than a primary source because it is fiction and hard to extract specific information from. Combined with a useful text or primary source, this novel would be a good addition to a Civil War/Reconstruction discussion. My suggestion: Edward Blum's Reforging the White Republic. :)

I listened to this book on tape and it was moving and relevent to what is happening today in Iraq. A captive people were freed and fought for their freedom only to have the insurrectionists, the Klu Klux Klan in this book, return to power and harrass and oppress them. Black and white stood together opposing the KKK but are left unprotected as the US military pulled out of the south. One feels guiltly and angry for this action by our government.If one transfers those feeling to the plith of people in Iraq it leaves one calling for this history to not be repeated. Read this book and you will call for us to stay the course of freedom for all humanity.
A very moving story about a real historical event.

Very good book. It touched my soul