Eyes on the Prize is a great book that everyone should read—(it goes with the PBS series by the same name).  It does a great job walking through the key moments of the Civil Rights movement in the 50s and 60s in a vivid, readable, and engaging manner.  The book starts with the story of school desegregation and then has chapters on major moments of the effort:  Mississippi and the Till Case; the Montgomery Bus Boycott; the Little Rock Story; Albany and Birmingham; the March on Washington; and the stories of the efforts in Mississippi and Selma.  It is hard to believe that just 50 to 60 years ago there was such violence and strife over something that seems so normal today—the right to vote, use the same facilities, attend school, etc.  As I read through the details of each incident I thought there would be no way I could be more appalled by the actions of law enforcement and elected officials and then I would read another more outrageous example of discrimination, violence and oppression of basic human rights.  A high number of braze Americans literally gave their lives to help ensure equal rights for African Americans.  I highly recommend this book and believe it should be required reading for every student in public school.