Jonathan Daniels, a white seminary student from New Hampshire, traveled to Selma, Alabama, in 1965 to help with voter registration of black residents. After the voting rights marches, he remained in Alabama, in the area known as “Bloody Lowndes,” an extremely dangerous area for white freedom fighters, to assist civil rights workers. Five months later, Jonathan Daniels was shot and killed while saving the life of Ruby Sales, a black teenager. Through Daniels’s poignant letters, papers, photographs, and taped interviews, authors Rich Wallace and Sandra Neil Wallace explore what led Daniels to the moment of his death, the trial of his murderer, and how these events helped reshape both the legal and political climate of Lowndes County and the nation.
Rich Wallace has written more than three dozen novels for children and teens. His first novel, Wrestling Sturbridge, was selected by YALSA as one of the Best of the Best for the twenty-first century. His recent children’s nonfiction includes the acclaimed Babe Conquers the World, co-written with his wife, Sandra Neil Wallace. He lives in New Hampshire. Visitrichwallacebooks.com.
Sandra Neil Wallace had a lengthy career as a news anchor and ESPN sportscaster and now writes historical fiction and nonfiction for young readers. Her children’s titles have been named to state and national awards lists, including Bank Street College’s Best Children’s Book of the Year, ALA-YALSA Quick Picks, and Booklist’s Top 10 Sports Books for Youth. She lives in New Hampshire. Visit sandraneilwallace.com
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