MURDER ON THE HIGHWAY: The Viola Liuzzo Story

In a well-researched re-creation of the heady days of the Civil Rights movement, the story of one of its white martyrs. Siegel takes great care to place events firmly in context: after establishing Selma, Alabama's deep involvement with slavery and segregation, she emphasizes that African-Americans led the struggle against those evils and that substantial white support materialized only with mass-media coverage of escalating police violence. Further, she presents the background of poverty and an idealistic struggle against injustice that led to Liuzzo's impulsive drive to Selma, including some details of her civil rights work and her death. Particularly commendable is the sensitive account of the effect of Liuzzo's dying on her family. The contemporary photos are well placed and captioned; this dramatic treatment brings history to life. Illustrations not seen. Annotated bibliography; reading list; index.