Layers of Truth: A Novel Set During the Turbulent 1964 Mississippi Freedom Summer Project

Description

In the spring of 1964, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) is recruiting white college students to teach in Freedom Schools and encourage Blacks to register to vote in the racial hotbed of Mississippi. At her best friend's urging, Lenore Rogers, a white student at Barnard College in New York, signs up for the Freedom Summer Project. She is reluctant at first, but ultimately, her belief that segregation is unjust prevails along with her desire to make a difference. While in Ohio for training, Lenore learns what to expect-and how to protect herself-in the Jim Crow South. There she meets Luke, a young Black man working for SNCC. His expressive eyes hold the anger and pain that Black Americans have experienced for generations. When their arms inadvertently touch, she feels an instant, dangerous, spark. Working with archival material and foot soldiers who lived it, Layers of Truth brings to life many of the unsung heroes whose names will never make it into the history textbooks but who nevertheless put their lives on the line for the sake of true equality for Black Americans. Includes Readers Guide.