The author looks back on the early days of the civil rights movement and recreates the tension and fear of that time for young Blacks. He describes the first freedom ride to Jackson, Mississippi, where White supremacy still ruled, and the courage it took to challenge segregation injunctions backed by mobs. (PP)

The story of the 1970 Jackson State College slayings following an unruly anti-war demonstration by black students is pieced together via interviews with students wounded in the gunfire and other eyewitnesses, as well as an examination of public records, court testimony, and newspaper accounts. The events are presented in the context of the history…