Three Lives for Mississippi

By William Bradford Huie

Book Overview

Three Lives for Mississippi by William Bradford Huie Introduction by Martin Luther King, Jr. Afterword by Juan Williams In the Civil Rights movement, 1964 was the year of Freedom Summer. On June 21, Mississippi, one of the last bastions of segregation in America and a bloody battleground in the fight for black equality, reached a low point in its history. On that steamy night three young activists were abducted and murdered in Neshoba County near the small town of Philadelphia. William Bradford Huie was sent to this seething community to cover the breaking story. This book is his documentary account written in the heat of the dangerous and dramatic moment. Huie reveals not only the harrowing events in this heinous case but also the reaction of ordinary citizens who allowed murder to serve as their defense of prejudice. This Banner Books edition includes Huie's report on the trial three years later. Nineteen local men were charged. Seven were found guilty-of conspiracy, not murder. William Bradford Huie (1910-1986), an Alabama journalist and novelist, was the author of many books, including The Americanization of Emily, The Execution of Private Slovik, The Revolt of Mamie Stover, Mud on the Stars (all made into films), and Wolf Whistle.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1578062470
• ISBN13: 9781578062478
• Release Date: June 2000
• Publisher: University Press of Mississippi
• Length: 186 Pages
• Weight: 0.56 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.0" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Dreaded Assignment becomes Starvation for More

I was given this book to read as an assignment in my Sociology class at college. I dreaded reading the book and put the assignment off as long as I could. However,once I started reading I could not put it down. Huie does a great job, through his interviews and quest for the truth, at putting you as close to the people and events of this historical time as one possibly could. It displays the most extreme and openly admitted amount of prejudice toward the African Americans held by the citizens of the state of Mississippi during the 1960's.

Buy it!

What makes this book interesting is that it was written between the murders and the trial. Huie knew who the murderers were, how they did it, and never expected a guilty verdict.The book introduces you in detail to Michael (Mickey) Schwerener and all the details leading up to his murder. This detail will help you understand exactly why and how these murders took place.This latest edition includes updates by the author to compare his early speculation against the results of the trial.