The books presented here provide an overview of the Civil Rights Movement as well as information on individuals and specific events integral to the movement during the 1960s. This list of books is by no means comprehensive, but should be helpful in getting you started.
Additional books on the Civil Rights Movement can be found by searching the Mirlyn Catalog by using key terms such as ‘Civil Rights’ or specific people such “Martin Luther King, Jr.” or “Malcom X.” Furthermore, most of the books below have annotated bibliographies that are good sources for further reading.
The Civil Rights Movement: by Peter B. Levy is an introductory guide designed for college student research on the development, issues, and leaders of the Civil Rights Movement. It combines narrative description, biographical profiles, analytic essays, chronology, key primary documents, and an annotated bibliography of recommended further reading.
The Second Reconstruction: A History of the Modern Civil Rights Movement: by Gary A. Donaldson covers the events of the 1960s and beyond, reviewing social and legal changes, key actions, and individual efforts in the civil rights process.
Want to start a revolution? Radical Women in the Black Freedom Struggle: by Dayo F. Gore, Jeanne Theoharis, and Komozi Woodard is a series of essays concerning prominent black women in the Civil Rights Movement.
Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement: Controversies and Debates: by John A. Kirk combines the latest scholarship on the Civil Rights Movement and one of its most influential leaders. This volume introduces readers to key topics, debates and scholars in the field.
Freedom Summer: by Sally Belfrage is a detailed account of a young white woman who participated in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee’s summer project in Mississippi in 1964. The text covers one intense summer from the basic training session in June to the Democratic Convention in August.
Harlem vs. Columbia University: Black Student Power in the Late 1960s: by Stefan M. Bradley tells the story of how black students and the black community were able to stand up against the power of an Ivy League institution despite the violent opposition from both fellow students and the police. Bradley locates this story within the context of the Black Power movement and the heightened youth activism of the 1960s.