Jonathan Daniels and His Sacrifice for Civil Rights
In this astonishing story of allyship and the first white civil rights worker in Alabama’s bloodiest county, Sandra Neil Wallace and Rich Wallace weave a heart-pounding portrait of the danger Daniels faced, teenager Ruby Sales--whose life he saved--and how Daniels’ 1965 murder changed southern justice.
INTERNATIONAL LITERACY ASSOCIATION SOCIAL JUSTICE LITERATURE AWARD WINNER
An ALA-ALSC Notable Children’s Book
YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults, Official nominee
Int'l Literacy Association Social Justice Literature Award
Parents' Choice Gold Award
Booklist Editors' Choice Award
Booklist Top 10 Biographies for Youth
A Bank Street College Best Children’s Book of the Year
Paterson Prize for Books for Young People
Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Books
NCSS CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People
A Junior Library Guild selection
The Kirkus Prize nominee, Young Readers
California Reading Association, EUREKA! Nonfiction Children’s Honor Book
Nonfiction Detectives Best Books of the Year
Nerdy Book Club Nerdies Winner, Long Form Nonfiction
(Cybils) Children's and Young Adult Bloggers' Award Finalist, Young Adult Nonfiction
Kansas State Reading Circle Recommended Book
POWERFUL... An unusually inspiring story, skillfully told.
Kirkus (starred review)
RIVETING ...a thoroughly researched, meticulously documented biography.
Booklist (starred review)
This well-told tale of Jonathan Daniels—one of the most courageous figures of an earlier civil rights movement—comes at a generational moment when America needs to hear this story.
Cornell William Brooks, past president, NAACP
Everyone, young and old, should read this book and find a trace of themselves in the life of Jonathan Daniels. His story reminds us that we can all be heroes.
Sy Montgomery, National Book Award finalist and Sibert Medal winner
One of the most heroic Christian deeds of which I have heard in my entire ministry and career for civil rights was performed by Jonathan Daniels.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Jonathan Daniels has been an important figure in my life—his sacrifice and his work. His extraordinary heroism and commitment to realizing equality in practice, not just in law, remind us to light a candle in the darkness and say we are not going to give up; we’re going to do something.
Ken Burns, filmmaker
Jonathan Daniels was inspired to get in trouble. Good trouble. Necessary trouble. He wanted to do something about making things right.
John Lewis, U.S. Congress
