From the mind and memory of Charles Person comes this timely tale of his experiences as a young man growing up in the segregated south. Starting with his youth growing up in a poor neighborhood in Alabama known as “the bottom”, to his role as a Freedom Rider. There are few times that are notable in history for their impact on society and how the world worked. The decade of the 1960’s can definitely be defined as one of those times, and here we are given an insiders view of just what they may have been like and it’s fascinating. All the legendary figures of the civil rights movement like Martin Luther King Jr, and John Lewis are resurrected and become real again. We also learn of others who may not be well known, but who’s roles are equally important. This story also serves as a call to action to all of us to keep pushing, keep fighting against injustice, and to get on the bus when it comes for us. Definitely, the right time to be reading such a story and never a more important time to make people remember what we fought against and the sacrifices that were made to get us where we are. This also serves as a reminder of just how far we have to go still to become truly equal under the law. Thank you Netgalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review. ( )

Charles Person grew up in Atlanta amidst the Civil Rights movement. As a young college man, he quickly joined those fighting and became one of the youngest of the original Freedom Riders.

I had a hard time getting into this book. The author continually foreshadowed and broke off in the middle of a story to relate something to the future. I just wanted to hear the stories without the foreshadowing and interruption. With some editing, I think this would be a much more readable book. Overall, 2 out of 5 stars. ( )

In 1961, a small group of people, both black and white and of a variety of ages from the author at 18 years old up to a retired white couple, got on a variety of buses, planning to head from Washington, DC to New Orleans. The idea was to test what would happen when they sat at various places on the bus, front or back, regardless of their colour. They also (black and white), in some cases, sat together. Supreme Court Decisions in the 1940s (before Rosa Parks) and the 1950s said that anyone should be able to sit anywhere on interstate buses, and that anyone should be able to sit anywhere, use any washroom, order from any food place, etc. inside the depots.

Wow… what an amazing group of very brave people! Granted, some of them didn’t realize how bad it would get (including Charles, though he had grown up in Georgia… but Georgia wasn’t the worst), but this was the first group of “Freedom Riders” that set off a chain of others to continue when they were unable to finish their trips. It’s crazy to me how the KKK was still alive and well in the deep South, and even police were involved. Obviously, this book includes violence (though the Riders themselves had vowed to be nonviolent), and some awful subject matter. It was heart-wrenching at times.

The first chapter tells of the climax of the trip, but then backs up to tell us about Charles’ life growing up. In May 1961 for those two weeks that the first Freedom Ride was happening, he was at the tail end of his first year of college. He had previously been involved in some protests in Atlanta with other college students regarding the segregation of blacks and whites in restaurants and cafes. But this was something else. When I finished, I “had” to check a few videos on youtube. ( )

Look around. What injustice do you see? What change needs to happen? Get on the bus. Make it happen. There will be a cost.~from Buses are a Comin' by Charles Person

"We intended to be the change," Charles Person writes in the prologue of his memoir Buses are a Comin'.

Sixty years ago, Person walked away from a college education, walked away from the safety of his family's love, and boarded a bus headed for the deep south. He and his companions, black and white, old and young, male and female, were determined to challenge the illegal practice of segregation on the buses.

Person wanted the dignity, respect, and the privileges that whites took for granted. He could have chosen safety. But he heard the call to "do something" and answered it.

He was eighteen when he donned his Sunday suit and joined the Freedom Riders. Over the summer of 1961, four hundred Americans participated in sixty-three Freedom Rides. The Supreme Court had ruled against segregation on the buses, but Jim Crow ruled the south. Four hundred Americans put themselves into harm's way because they believed that "all men are created equal."

Person mentions the well-remembered leaders of the Civil Rights movement, but they are not the only heroes. This is the story of the people who did the hard work. Those whose names are not on street signs across the cities. The students, ministers, homemakers, writers, social workers, people from across the country who believed in E pluribus unum.

One of the heroes in the book is Jim Peck, a wealthy, white man who was severely beaten by white supremacists, and still got back on the bus. It baffled Person how a man with everything would give so much for the rights of another.

Person's voice and personality come through the memoir. It is the story of a young man finding his purpose, committing himself to endure jail and beatings and near death.

I had seen the documentaries and I had read the history. But a memoir brings something new to the story. Person's first hand account is moving, his words have rhythm and lyricism, his story takes us into hell, and finally, into hope.

If they could stand up to power, we can, too. Every generation has its purpose.

I received a free ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. My review is fair and unbiased. ( )