Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom by Lynda Blackmon Lowery

I was loaned Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom by a teacher at my school this summer. He is planning on reading this with his class in the upcoming school year, and invited me to do the same, provided I like the novel, of course. With school starting up again this week (yikes!) I figured that now was the time to give this a try and see if I wanted to use it in my classroom as well.

Turning 15 is the true story of Lynda Blackmon Lowery's political activism and participation in the Selma Voting Rights March in 1965. She begins her story by describing her early experiences with protesting by participating in various children's marches with her sisters and classmates in the early 60s. She feels very strongly about standing up and demanding her right to vote, and she endures multiple hardships, including being the target of hateful language, physical violence, and several arrests throughout her adolescence. She never gives up the fight though, even when she is hit with tear gas and badly beaten during the infamous demonstration that came to be known as Bloody Sunday.

Lowery's activism culminates in her participation in the Selma Voting Rights March. She was the youngest person to participate in the whole demonstration, walking all the way from Selma to Montgomery with her fellow activists at just 15 years old. She describes hearing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other leaders of the Civil Rights Movement speak, and feels pride in her accomplishment of making it all the way to the capitol building to show Governor Wallace her determination to fight.

At the end of the novel, Lowery reflects on how the courage and persistence of her community helped to get the Voting Rights Act of 1965 passed. She encourages the young people of today to fight for what they believe in, and reminds them that issues of racism and discrimination still exist in our world today, alongside an encouraging reminder that they do not have to wait until they are adults to start caring about these issues and making a difference. A section of interviews, reader discussion questions, and additional historical information about the Civil Rights Movement is included after Lowery's narrative to provide additional context for young readers and round out the text.

Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom is a very quick read, but its content is important and clearly communicated. Lowery's themes of equality and social justice are integrated smoothly throughout the text, and young readers will surely be moved and educated by her story. As an adult reader, I was still surprised to learn about the extent of children's participation in the civil rights movement and had no trouble being drawn into Lowery's experiences.

This novel is written around a 5th grade level, and as such, the writing is quite literal and unadorned. Scary language and events are softened to a level appropriate for children, and the intricacies of the social and political realities of the time period are simplified. At the same time, Lowery consistently tells the truth about what was happening in the world and doesn't shy away from explaining the difficult experiences she went through. Multiple photographs and artwork are also peppered throughout the text, creating a very attractive and eye-catching final product. Children interested in biographies or history will find a lot to like here, and won't get bogged down in an overly-long novel. I was able to finish this book in its entirety before I finished my morning coffee. Kids will be able to finish in a few days, or even less, depending on how long their reading sessions are.

Turning 15 is most definitely a book that teachers could use in their classrooms, depending on the reading level of their students. It lacks the detail and emotion that would make this a crossover hit with adults, but young readers and older, struggling readers, will most likely enjoy it. Beyond any discussion of writing style or difficulty level, however, is the importance of what this novel does. It talks about a difficult time in American history and shares a story about how people from our past worked together to overcome injustice and prejudice. These are discussions we need to have with students today, and Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom will certainly help facilitate that.  



Challenge Tally
Finally in 2019: 37/6 Books Read - Complete!

Total Books Read in 2019: 57