This book tells the true story of the spy network that tried to destroy the civil rights movement. Young adults will learn about the victories and heroes who fought against white supremacy. Selected Primary Documents, Bibliography, Quote Sources, Index.

Talk about backwoods Mississippi. This book reveals a lesser-known aspect of the civil rights movement, in which the state of Mississippi worked to destroy the civil rights movement and maintain white supremacy, using an elaborate network of spies and informers, including, sadly, using willing black citizens. It's hard to believe how stubbornly anti-desegration people were back in those days. It hurts to read this book but it's important to know this was part of our history. ( )

Adult Reader Reaction: My reactions ranged from intrigue to disbelief to outrage. I had no knowledge of the Sovereignty Commission or just how outrageously it (and others) misbehaved. I would add this to my "must read" list for all high school students.

Pros: Everyone needs to read this story about anti-Civil Rights activities in the 1950s and 1960s. It will add depth to their understanding of the time.

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This book divulges the little known history of the government group orchestrated to spy on members of the Civil Rights Movement in order to hinder the progress and paint them as rogue operatives who were struggling to destabilize the state. This group, the Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission was charged with spreading lies and misinformation and propaganda to the public in order to argue the merits of segregation. It was intriguing to see through this book how some African American actors aligned themselves with this commission, and the variety of reasons they chose to do so. This gives nuance to the picture of the Civil Rights Movements, which is by and large understudied and misrepresented in history classes. The number one flaw of this book is the highly monotonous tone of voice that carries through the story. This would have been a perfect opportunity to use rhetoric to express the intrinsic attacks against civil liberties undertaken by the government, and how to show the horror of what happens when the government willingly aligns itself with the KKK, a known hate group that regularly terrorizes and targets minorities with violence. Thus, although the book is capable of maintaining an even tone that may help its claims of legitimacy and unbiased reporting of the truth, the lack of emotion inhibits the emotional response this segment of history should evoke. Also, although the book contains photographs, the layout of the narrative could have been much stronger had the pictures been placed throughout. This would have allowed readers to put faces to the story, without having to wait until the middle of the book to find this information. Recommended for additional purchase. Ages 12 and up. ( )

As a basic overview, this history is quite good in detailing the spy network set up by the government of the State of Mississippi in the 1950s and 1960s. It's a better read for 8th or 9th grade than upper levels, however, because the style is quite simple. ( )