
Freedom Summer
The Savage Season That Made Mississippi Burn and Made America a Democracy
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $18.91
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
David Drummond
-
By:
-
Bruce Watson
About this listen
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
In Peace and Freedom: My Journey in Selma
- Civil Rights and Struggle
- By: Bernard LaFayette Jr., Kathryn Lee Johnson
- Narrated by: Andrew L. Barnes
- Length: 7 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
LaFayette was one of the primary organizers of the 1965 Selma voting rights movement and the Selma-to-Montgomery marches, and he relates his experiences of these historic initiatives in close detail. Today, as the constitutionality of Section Five of the Voting Rights Act is still questioned, citizens, students, and scholars alike will want to look to this audiobook as a guide. Important, compelling, and powerful, In Peace and Freedom presents a necessary perspective on the civil rights movement in the 1960s from one of its greatest leaders.
-
-
Good history we should all know
- By Amazon Customer on 08-18-20
By: Bernard LaFayette Jr., and others
-
The Blood of Emmett Till
- By: Timothy B. Tyson
- Narrated by: Rhett Samuel Price
- Length: 8 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Mississippi, 1955: 14-year-old Emmett Till was murdered by a white mob after making flirtatious remarks to a white woman, Carolyn Bryant. Till's attackers were never convicted, but his lynching became one of the most notorious hate crimes in American history. It launched protests across the country, helped the NAACP gain thousands of members, and inspired famous activists like Rosa Parks to stand up and fight for equal rights for the first time.
-
-
Tough read. Rest in Peace Emmit. We are so sorry!
- By Melanie B on 09-16-18
By: Timothy B. Tyson
-
The Assassination of Fred Hampton
- How the FBI and the Chicago Police Murdered a Black Panther
- By: Jeffrey Haas
- Narrated by: George Newbern
- Length: 11 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Uncovering a cold-blooded execution at the hands of a conspiring police force, this engaging account relentlessly pursues the murderers of Black Panther Fred Hampton. Documenting the entire 14-year process of bringing the killers to justice, this chronicle also depicts the 18-month court trial in detail. Revealing Hampton himself in a new light, this examination presents him as a dynamic community leader whose dedication to his people and to the truth inspired the young lawyers of the People's Law Office.
-
-
Terrible narrator for a great story!!!
- By D. Rolland on 11-06-20
By: Jeffrey Haas
-
Freedom Riders
- 1961 and the Struggle for Racial Justice: Oxford University Press: Pivotal Moments in US History
- By: Raymond Arsenault
- Narrated by: Mirron Willis
- Length: 14 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The saga of the Freedom Riders is an improbable, almost unbelievable story. In the course of six months in 1961, 450 Freedom Riders expanded the realm of the possible in American politics, redefining the limits of dissent and setting the stage for the civil rights movement. In this new version of his encyclopedic Freedom Riders, Raymond Arsenault offers a significantly condensed and tautly written account.
-
-
excellent book
- By test on 05-05-11
-
The Souls of Black Folk
- By: W. E. B. Du Bois
- Narrated by: Mirron Willis
- Length: 8 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
“The problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line,” writes Du Bois, in one of the most prophetic works in all of American literature. First published in 1903, this collection of 15 essays dared to describe the racism that prevailed at that time in America—and to demand an end to it. Du Bois’ writing draws on his early experiences, from teaching in the hills of Tennessee, to the death of his infant son, to his historic break with the conciliatory position of Booker T. Washington.
-
-
Essays of 'life and love and strife and failure'
- By ESK on 02-08-13
By: W. E. B. Du Bois
-
No Name in the Street
- By: James Baldwin
- Narrated by: Kevin Kenerly
- Length: 5 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This stunningly personal document and extraordinary history of the turbulent '60s and early '70s displays James Baldwin's fury and despair more deeply than any of his other works. In vivid detail he remembers the Harlem childhood that shaped his early consciousness, the later events that scored his heart with pain - the murders of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, his sojourns in Europe and in Hollywood, and his return to the American South to confront a violent America face-to-face.
-
-
A strange and terrible vehicle
- By Darwin8u on 02-07-20
By: James Baldwin
-
In Peace and Freedom: My Journey in Selma
- Civil Rights and Struggle
- By: Bernard LaFayette Jr., Kathryn Lee Johnson
- Narrated by: Andrew L. Barnes
- Length: 7 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
LaFayette was one of the primary organizers of the 1965 Selma voting rights movement and the Selma-to-Montgomery marches, and he relates his experiences of these historic initiatives in close detail. Today, as the constitutionality of Section Five of the Voting Rights Act is still questioned, citizens, students, and scholars alike will want to look to this audiobook as a guide. Important, compelling, and powerful, In Peace and Freedom presents a necessary perspective on the civil rights movement in the 1960s from one of its greatest leaders.
-
-
Good history we should all know
- By Amazon Customer on 08-18-20
By: Bernard LaFayette Jr., and others
-
The Blood of Emmett Till
- By: Timothy B. Tyson
- Narrated by: Rhett Samuel Price
- Length: 8 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Mississippi, 1955: 14-year-old Emmett Till was murdered by a white mob after making flirtatious remarks to a white woman, Carolyn Bryant. Till's attackers were never convicted, but his lynching became one of the most notorious hate crimes in American history. It launched protests across the country, helped the NAACP gain thousands of members, and inspired famous activists like Rosa Parks to stand up and fight for equal rights for the first time.
-
-
Tough read. Rest in Peace Emmit. We are so sorry!
- By Melanie B on 09-16-18
By: Timothy B. Tyson
-
The Assassination of Fred Hampton
- How the FBI and the Chicago Police Murdered a Black Panther
- By: Jeffrey Haas
- Narrated by: George Newbern
- Length: 11 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Uncovering a cold-blooded execution at the hands of a conspiring police force, this engaging account relentlessly pursues the murderers of Black Panther Fred Hampton. Documenting the entire 14-year process of bringing the killers to justice, this chronicle also depicts the 18-month court trial in detail. Revealing Hampton himself in a new light, this examination presents him as a dynamic community leader whose dedication to his people and to the truth inspired the young lawyers of the People's Law Office.
-
-
Terrible narrator for a great story!!!
- By D. Rolland on 11-06-20
By: Jeffrey Haas
-
Freedom Riders
- 1961 and the Struggle for Racial Justice: Oxford University Press: Pivotal Moments in US History
- By: Raymond Arsenault
- Narrated by: Mirron Willis
- Length: 14 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The saga of the Freedom Riders is an improbable, almost unbelievable story. In the course of six months in 1961, 450 Freedom Riders expanded the realm of the possible in American politics, redefining the limits of dissent and setting the stage for the civil rights movement. In this new version of his encyclopedic Freedom Riders, Raymond Arsenault offers a significantly condensed and tautly written account.
-
-
excellent book
- By test on 05-05-11
-
The Souls of Black Folk
- By: W. E. B. Du Bois
- Narrated by: Mirron Willis
- Length: 8 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
“The problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line,” writes Du Bois, in one of the most prophetic works in all of American literature. First published in 1903, this collection of 15 essays dared to describe the racism that prevailed at that time in America—and to demand an end to it. Du Bois’ writing draws on his early experiences, from teaching in the hills of Tennessee, to the death of his infant son, to his historic break with the conciliatory position of Booker T. Washington.
-
-
Essays of 'life and love and strife and failure'
- By ESK on 02-08-13
By: W. E. B. Du Bois
-
No Name in the Street
- By: James Baldwin
- Narrated by: Kevin Kenerly
- Length: 5 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This stunningly personal document and extraordinary history of the turbulent '60s and early '70s displays James Baldwin's fury and despair more deeply than any of his other works. In vivid detail he remembers the Harlem childhood that shaped his early consciousness, the later events that scored his heart with pain - the murders of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, his sojourns in Europe and in Hollywood, and his return to the American South to confront a violent America face-to-face.
-
-
A strange and terrible vehicle
- By Darwin8u on 02-07-20
By: James Baldwin
-
A Few Days Full of Trouble
- Revelations on the Journey to Justice for My Cousin and Best Friend, Emmett Till
- By: Reverend Wheeler Parker Jr., Christopher Benson
- Narrated by: JD Jackson
- Length: 14 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1955, fourteen-year-old Emmett Till was lynched. That remains an undisputed fact of the case that ignited a flame within the Civil Rights Movement that has yet to be extinguished. Yet the rest of the details surrounding the event remain distorted by time and too many tellings. What does justice mean in the resolution of a cold case spanning nearly seven decades?
-
-
Different perspective
- By Anonymous User on 01-25-23
By: Reverend Wheeler Parker Jr., and others
-
Team of Rivals
- The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
- By: Doris Kearns Goodwin
- Narrated by: Suzanne Toren
- Length: 41 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On May 18, 1860, William H. Seward, Salmon P. Chase, Edward Bates, and Abraham Lincoln waited in their hometowns for the results from the Republican National Convention in Chicago. When Lincoln emerged as the victor, his rivals were dismayed and angry. Throughout the turbulent 1850s, each had energetically sought the presidency as the conflict over slavery was leading inexorably to secession and civil war.
-
-
Beautiful, Heartbreaking, and Informative
- By JJ on 09-10-12
-
Four Hundred Souls
- A Community History of African America, 1619-2019
- By: Ibram X. Kendi - editor, Keisha N. Blain - editor
- Narrated by: full cast
- Length: 14 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A chorus of extraordinary voices comes together to tell one of history’s great epics: the 400-year journey of African Americans from 1619 to the present - edited by Ibram X. Kendi, author of How to Be an Antiracist, and Keisha N. Blain, author of Set the World on Fire.
-
-
History never taught
- By Scott P ODonnell on 02-16-21
By: Ibram X. Kendi - editor, and others
-
Coming of Age in Mississippi
- By: Anne Moody
- Narrated by: Lisa Reneé Pitts
- Length: 15 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Born to a poor couple who were tenant farmers on a plantation in Mississippi, Anne Moody lived through some of the most dangerous days of the pre-civil rights era in the South. The week before she began high school came the news of Emmet Till's lynching. Before then, she had "known the fear of hunger, hell, and the Devil. But now there was…the fear of being killed just because I was black." In that moment was born the passion for freedom and justice that would change her life.
-
-
A Gripping, Visceral Account of 1960's Reality
- By Philomena on 01-03-13
By: Anne Moody
-
Allow Me to Retort
- A Black Guy's Guide to the Constitution
- By: Elie Mystal
- Narrated by: Elie Mystal
- Length: 8 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This is an easily digestible argument about what rights we have, what rights Republicans are trying to take away, and how to stop them. Mystal explains how to protect the rights of women and people of color instead of cowering to the absolutism of gun owners and bigots. He explains the legal way to stop everything from police brutality to political gerrymandering, just by changing a few judges and justices. He strips out all of the fancy jargon conservatives like to hide behind and lays bare the truth of their project to keep America forever tethered to its slaveholding past.
-
-
Informative and Entertaining
- By Kindle Customer on 03-06-22
By: Elie Mystal
-
Blood Done Sign My Name
- A True Story
- By: Timothy B. Tyson
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 11 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On May 11, 1970, Henry Marrow, a 23-year-old Black veteran, walked into a crossroads store owned by Robert Teel and came out running. Teel and two of his sons chased and beat Marrow, then killed him in public as he pleaded for his life. Like many small Southern towns, Oxford had barely been touched by the civil rights movement. But in the wake of the killing, young African Americans took to the streets. While lawyers battled in the courthouse, the Klan raged in the shadows and Black Vietnam veterans torched the town’s tobacco warehouses.
-
-
This Is A Very Good Book
- By Caleb on 03-22-05
By: Timothy B. Tyson
-
The Broken Constitution
- Lincoln, Slavery, and the Refounding of America
- By: Noah Feldman
- Narrated by: Noah Feldman
- Length: 11 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Abraham Lincoln is justly revered for his brilliance, compassion, humor, and rededication of the United States to achieving liberty and justice for all. He led the nation into a bloody civil war to uphold the system of government established by the US Constitution - a system he regarded as the “last best hope of mankind”. But how did Lincoln understand the Constitution?
-
-
Takes you to Lincoln’s time for a new understanding
- By Jason Cecil on 12-22-21
By: Noah Feldman
-
Emmett Till
- The Murder That Shocked the World and Propelled the Civil Rights Movement
- By: Devery S. Anderson
- Narrated by: Brandon Church
- Length: 21 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Emmett Till offers the first truly comprehensive account of the 1955 murder and its aftermath. It tells the story of Emmett Till, the 14-year-old African American boy from Chicago brutally lynched for a harmless flirtation at a country store in the Mississippi Delta. His death and the acquittal of his killers by an all-white jury set off a firestorm of protests that reverberated all over the world and spurred on the civil rights movement.
-
-
An important story narrated with power and warmth
- By R. Nance on 10-04-16
-
Parting the Waters
- America in the King Years 1954-63
- By: Taylor Branch
- Narrated by: Prentice Onayemi, Janina Edwards
- Length: 45 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Hailed as the most masterful story ever told of the American civil rights movement, Parting the Waters is destined to endure for generations. Moving from the fiery political baptism of Martin Luther King, Jr., to the corridors of Camelot where the Kennedy brothers weighed demands for justice against the deceptions of J. Edgar Hoover, here is a vivid tapestry of America, torn and finally transformed by a revolutionary struggle unequaled since the Civil War.
-
-
Excellent
- By Judith Princz on 05-15-19
By: Taylor Branch
-
Race Against Time
- By: Jerry Mitchell
- Narrated by: Jerry Mitchell
- Length: 13 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Race Against Time, Mitchell takes listeners on the twisting, pulse-racing road that led to the reopening of four of the most infamous killings from the days of the Civil Rights Movement, decades after the fact. His work played a central role in bringing killers to justice for the assassination of Medgar Evers, the firebombing of Vernon Dahmer, the 16th Street Church bombing in Birmingham, and the Mississippi Burning case. Mitchell reveals how he unearthed secret documents and found long-lost suspects and witnesses, building up evidence strong enough to take on the Klan.
-
-
Absolutely horrible reading
- By Grace O'Malley on 03-14-20
By: Jerry Mitchell
-
Freedom's Dominion
- A Saga of White Resistance to Federal Power
- By: Jefferson Cowie
- Narrated by: André Chapoy
- Length: 16 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
American freedom is typically associated with the fight of the oppressed for a better world. But for centuries, whenever the federal government intervened on behalf of nonwhite people, many white Americans fought back in the name of freedom—their freedom to dominate others. In Freedom’s Dominion, historian Jefferson Cowie traces this complex saga by focusing on a quintessentially American place: Barbour County, Alabama, the ancestral home of political firebrand George Wallace.
-
-
Very easily read and I learned a lot
- By Kev All on 02-05-23
By: Jefferson Cowie
-
Crusade for Justice
- The Autobiography of Ida B. Wells
- By: Ida B. Wells, Alfreda M. Duster - editor
- Narrated by: Adenrele Ojo
- Length: 15 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ida B. Wells is an American icon of truth telling. Born to slaves, she was a pioneer of investigative journalism, a crusader against lynching, and a tireless advocate for suffrage, both for women and for African Americans. She cofounded the NAACP, started the Alpha Suffrage Club in Chicago, and was a leader in the early civil rights movement. This engaging memoir relates Wells’ private life as a mother as well as her public activities as a teacher, lecturer, and journalist in her fight for equality and justice.
-
-
Important person, sing-song narration
- By Judith Evans on 03-05-22
By: Ida B. Wells, and others
Editorial reviews
In Freedom Summer, Bruce Watson’s amazing attention to detail vividly brings to life the dramatic events that took place in Mississippi in 1964. Watson’s account of the murder of three civil rights workers that summer and the ensuing aftermath told in David Drummond’s deep, baritone voice makes for a very powerful listen. Thanks to numerous interviews with eyewitnesses to this striking moment in American history, Watson fills Freedom Summer with precise details like the midnight runs one civil rights worker would take to relieve his stress and the first terrifying night another spent half awake in her new office in Mississippi. It’s these telling details that give the book a sweeping, novelistic quality.
There’s also a sense of immediacy that stems from Watson’s precise writing and Drummond’s performance. Drummond wisely takes a matter-of-fact approach to narrating the book. There’s no reason to add extra drama to Freedom Summer. What happened that year in Mississippi needs no embellishment.
Freedom Summer should be heard in every 20th-century American history class, as it zeros in on a specific time and place and reminds us exactly what happened so we will never forget this dramatic turning point in American history. Ken Ross
Critic reviews
What listeners say about Freedom Summer
Highly rated for:
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
- Roy
- 08-01-10
The Long Hot Summer
A child of the 60s I approached this book with the impression that I knew most of what took place. Fortunately, I was wrong. This book revisits the summer of 1964 when 700 or so volunteers arrived to register voters in Mississippi. Familiar characteris of the era come alive through Bruce Watson's pen - LBJ, Stokely Carmichael and others. More importantly, a critical number of the 700 participants also come to life which is so interesting. If you think you know what took place and you fully understand the implications - look at this book again. It is informative, well written by Watson, and wonderfully read by David Drummond.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
13 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- M. J. Christensen
- 09-01-14
A Turning Point In The Civil Rights Movement
This is a thorough and engaging look at the summer of 1964 when a number of dedicated young people went to Mississippi to register blacks to vote and establish "Freedom Schools". All the harrowing events that started with the murders of Goodman, Schwerner and Chaney are chronicled as Watson follows several of the volunteers through the months of June, July and August. The listener can feel the fear that the volunteers experienced daily and the culture-shock that many of them felt. Toward the end of the book, Watson mentions how Mississippi is one of the most progressive states in the South now, having more black elected officials than any other state in the country. This summer was the 50th anniversary of "Freedom Summer"; however, there is much more to be done before all Americans are considered first-class citizens.
The narrator David Drummond has the right tone and inflections for this important book.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- SydsAirplane
- 04-12-17
Does he have to yell?
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Yes, I really enjoyed getting to hear perspectives from people on both sides of the civil rights movement. This book offered a more in-depth view than I got from my textbooks in school.
Any additional comments?
I like to listen to audiobooks at work while I do mindless tasks (like filing or filling out endless forms). Maybe it was the subject matter, but it felt like whenever a certain derogatory word came up from letters on the opposing side, Mr. Drummond was apt to shout these words just as someone was walking by my desk. (I know it's unrelated to the actual book itself, but I thought I would share that you should prepare those around you if you're going to listen to this with others around)
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Maranda Zimmerman
- 06-11-24
thought provoking
I learned things I didn't know and the story very interesting and helped shape options about American history of the 60s and the struggle of civil rights.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Daryl
- 06-17-14
Important work of American history
Would you listen to Freedom Summer again? Why?
Yes! I have always been fascinated by the civil rights struggles, particularly in Mississippi, during the 1960s. Bruce Watson takes a complex time and place and brings it to life. I can feel the summer heat, the overpowering fear, and the glimmers of hope that were present during that summer that began the shift into voter racial equality.
What was one of the most memorable moments of Freedom Summer?
When Martin Luther King met the young teacher, telling her that what she was doing was not "nothing," that the children were the future.
Any additional comments?
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Bruce Watson is a talented writer, historian, journalist(?). David Drummond was very good in this performance, though there is something I can't put my finger on that does not make this a 5-star performance. I would listen to other performances of his - he is a good narrator (better than most).
Read this book if you have any interest in civil rights, Mississippi, the 1960s... heck, read this book!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Cheryl Aichele
- 05-16-15
I love this book
Very informative. I recently became interested in the civil rights movement's freedom summer & freedom schools and this book covers so much that I wanted to learn. Very detailed.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Lisa
- 05-14-24
An important inside view of the Freedom Summer movement
This book gave me an amazingly detailed look inside the freedom summer movement. It highlighted the humanity of the volunteers, giving the reader a truer and more vivid picture of who they truly were and what they were up against. I highly recommend this book.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
- David Hamilton
- 09-23-10
Change had to come.
Great read, or in my case listen to, "Freedom Summer" by Bruce Watson. 700 people going into Mississippi to draught attention to Jim Crow laws in the south in '64. Many were abused. Several lost their lives. This pales in comparison to the black population in Mississippi who were abused, and lost their lives under Jim Crow. Freedom Summer wasn't the beginning of the Civil Rights movement, nor was it the end. In My opinion Freedom Summer turned a candle into a spotlight. Change had to come
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Bee Dooner Farms
- 02-08-16
I learned so much I did not know
What did you love best about Freedom Summer?
I lived in N Mississippi at this time. I was a teen but had no idea!!
What about David Drummond’s performance did you like?
engasging
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
No
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- PaganDeva2000
- 09-05-24
I Don’t Want It To End!
I had NO IDEA how incredibly interesting this audiobook would be! I’ve been listening in the mornings during my commute to work. So many interesting facts! The narrator draw me in and I’m in a different world, seeing all that I already knew from a different perspective.
I thank BOTH, the author and the narrator for speaking to my soul.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!