Book Review: Spies of Mississippi: The True Story of the Spy Network That Tried to Destroy the Civil Rights Movement (Ages 12 and Up)

Spies of Mississippi: The True Story of the Spy Network that Tried to Destroy the Civil Rights Movement
Rick Bowers

First, I couldn't put the book down. Then I couldn't believe that this occurred in America. And lastly, I couldn't believe I had never heard of this "Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission" before. This book delivers a crisp, clear story of another side of the Civil Rights movement, a story that typically never goes further than marches, cross burning, and KKK uniforms. These are stories of average citizens who were ultimately jailed for applying to college or whose businesses were burned, or who were shot in cold blood, all for trying gain equality.

Teenagers will love this book too— it ties into their growing awareness of social justice and why you have to push back when things are unfair. I looked up the MDAH website and read the original spy reports, now digitized. Chilling. A must read for inquiring minds who know there is always another side to history. The photos are compelling too. Give it to your child's history teacher, today.

Lynn Piper Carpenter
Five Points West Regional Library