Eyes on the Prize, by Juan WIlliams

If you watched PBS in the late 1980s, you might remember a 14-part documentary series called Eyes on the Prize.  Political commentator Juan Williams wrote a companion volume to the series, Eyes on the Prize: America's Civil Rights Years, 1954-1965.  There are plenty of histories of the Civil Rights Movement, most of which I haven't read.  I don't know if this one is the best, but it is definitely readable, relatable, and thorough.

As you might expect, due to its origin as a companion to the films, this book is set apart by two things.  First of all, there are great pictures from the period throughout.  Second, the best thing about the book is the large number of extended first-person accounts of key events.  The book's coverage of the Montgomery bus boycott, the integration of Little Rock Central High School, the Selma march, and other events includes the basic historical account, but it really brings these events to life with the personal accounts by people on the front lines, not just the official voices.

This is a valuable volume that is worth revisiting even now, more than thirty years after its original publication.  Some of these events may be familiar to readers, but, unless you were living during that time or have read widely on the era, you will probably read about events that were previously unknown to you.  May we never stop appreciating the strides our culture has made since that time.