Dark Sky Rising: Reconstruction and the Dawn of Jim Crow, written by Henry Louis Gates and Tonya Bolden, reviewed by Stephanie Wilson

Summary: Dark Sky Rising details the failure of Reconstruction to bring peace and security to African Americans. After Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, Andrew Johnson was tasked with unifying the country after the Civil War. Initially, Johnson was viewed as a trusted ally of African Americans. He betrayed their trust time and time again. Johnson failed to stand up to southern Democrats and support African Americans’ quest for equality. Instead of fulfilling the promise of freedom and equality, his actions during Reconstruction led to the rise of the Jim Crow laws in the South and discrimination in the North. Many freed slaves found themselves once again entangled with their former masters through sharecropping arrangements. African Americans feared for their safety due to the rise of white supremacist groups whose power grew virtually unchecked. Successful, college educated African Americans advocated for change through speeches, protests and the power of the press. Dark Sky Rising includes tons of photographs and quotes from politicians and notable African American figures such as Frederick Douglass, Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois. First-hand accounts of the horrors of Reconstruction and Jim Crow give the text immediacy. 

Straight Talk for Librarians: Dark Sky Rising will appeal to students with an interest in history especially as it relates to issues of social justice. The book can be used across a variety of curriculums to talk about Jim Crow Laws and the rise of the Civil Rights Movement. The images and first-hand accounts powerfully portray the daily struggles African Americans faced in the South. The KKK was one of many white supremacist groups that targeted both African Americans and their Republican supporters. Many of the issues we continue to face have their roots in the Reconstruction era. Our country is still living with the aftermath of our failure to address the plight of African Americans. I highly recommend this book.