Colleen is a white teacher which has moved into Louisiana. She is teaching at the “black” school. Colleen has a room full of good students but not a lot of good supplies or equipment. But, she learns how to make things work. However, one day everything changes. The school board is closing her school as of today. Everyone is being incorporated into the “white”school. This changes the lives of so many children. And their safety is no longer guaranteed.

Growing up in the Deep South, I can see all of this happening. So much of this was very ingrained into the culture. This book nailed so many things and brought to the forefront exactly what transpired and the wrongness of the situation. I felt so upset for the children. The unfairness tore me up!

It’s amazing how life has changed…and how it has stayed the same. The people who went before us really made their mark. This book highlights the horror some of the children and the teachers were put through for “so called” equality! I highly recommend this read just so people do not forget…it was not easy! And it is still a struggle every day!

Need a dang good read…this is it! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review. ( )

This is such an important book that I truly believe everyone needs to read. Parts were difficult, as there are racial slurs, blatant racism, and police brutality, but I believe that makes it even more important. I think it would be a great book for students to read in class when learning about segregation and the civil rights movement. While the book is fictional, I actually learned quite a bit from it. Of course, I knew the basics of the history of segregation, but this book taught me quite a bit about the smaller details. It was so much darker and deeper than we're taught at school.

The book is told through alternating perspectives, focusing mostly on Colleen, Frank, and Evelyn. Colleen is a white teacher who is new to town, Frank is a black football player, and Evelyn is a black teacher. There were hardly any characters - excluding the racist characters, cops, etc. - that I disliked. Though a bit cold at first, Evelyn was actually a really sweet, caring woman. Frank was hardworking and dedicated when it came to both his family and future, which I truly admired. I loved Colleen's view on racism as a whole, the integration (or lack of), and most of all, her students.

This book shows how messy and unfair the world was for people of color, not only in the past, but in today's time as well. This book opened my eyes even more to the terrifying reality of racism and police brutality. Even if things are different from the way they were decades ago, it's still a severe problem that minorities deal with on a daily basis.

This truly was an amazing read. I was constantly reminded of The Freedom Writers Diary while reading this book. Colleen and Erin Gruwell are so similar in the sense that they do everything they possibly can to help their students grow and change. The way characters interacted with each other and formed bonds was heartwarming and actually felt realistic. It flowed really well, and it was such a quick read that I couldn't put down.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book via iRead Book Tours. This did not influence my opinion in any way. ( )

The first thing to capture my attention to this story was the cover. I grew up in this time era, so the depiction of the old-style school room brought me back to my youth. Secondly, I love reading historical fiction and non-fiction—both recent and distant, and I equally love learning from the lessons of the past.

What I liked:
The story itself was the next thing to draw me in. The characters were diverse in far more than just race and culture. I was intrigued by Colleen, a naïve white teacher from the North, delving into the segregated South. I learned to appreciate Evelyn, the black teacher who wore a hard shell and was difficult to read. And it was easy to connect and empathize with Frank, the high school football player. The author showed the changes in the nation through these varying points of view, revealing the mean and vindictive reluctance to change through their individual and diverse contexts.

What I feel was lacking:
Our upbringings can birth either prejudice or acceptance—this story makes that clear. But I wanted more from this book. I expected to get a better understanding of the hearts and minds of both those who longed for change and those who bitterly fought it. And in some ways, I did. But I still wanted more. I longed to dig deeper, to peel back more layers and unearth cavernous emotions, but the writing style felt more like reporting than storytelling.

Overall:
Freedom Lessons depicts the intolerances and injustices of the civil rights era. I feel this is a wonderful book to introduce middle grade readers to this pivotal time in history, but as an adult I expected the story to penetrate deeper.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. ( )

Thank you to the author for this book which I won on a FB book group.

What a fast read. I don't think I've ever read a book like this before which was set in 1969 in Louisiana. during segregation/desegregation.

Desegregation was not a thing in this small town and Colleen was a white teacher in a black grade school. She loved her students and they loved her. The other teachers didn't accept her because because she was white obviously. The book also focused on Frank, who was one of the black football players. Also Evelyn was another character, who was a teacher at Colleen's school.

It wasn't just about people but about the town, the segregation/desegregation of schools and the anger of everything happening. I loved those kids as much as Colleen did I think. ( )