Buses Are a Comin': Memoir of a Freedom Rider Hardcover – April 27, 2021, by Charles Person and Richard Rooker

The authors trace the historical precedent that led to the creation of The Freedom Riders. Charles Person was the youngest Freedom Rider. He passed on 01/08/2025. The co-author, Richard Rooker, was a long-time friend and collaborator.

The first three hundred pages are a testament to the excellent historical research related to the Freedom Riders. These pages serve as an introduction to the road that led to the Freedom Riders. They are indeed a good review of the history for the reader who may need this review. There is a serious need for editing throughout the book as the topic of Mr. Person’s ride is introduced around page three hundred.

Person and Rooker enthrall and captivate the reader with the young Person’s Freedom Ride, fraught with a situational fear and simultaneously, the brave knowledge of the importance of this Freedom ride for a young man and a nation living in a country that wants both a young Black man and a Black nation to return to an enslavement of mind and movement.

Short biographies of the riders on the bus are provided, and notes are available for some of the riders who became prominent members of the Civil Rights movement including Mr. Person.

Information about other Freedom Riders is used to prove that all Freedom Riders had faith that to expose a scary truth is tantamount to overt oppression. The Freedom Riders use the bus both literally and figuratively to extend the foundation of the movement.

Mr. Person returned, greeted by his family in awe of what he did and relieved that he was home.

As mentioned above, the entire book is too long and in need of editing. The reader has a long literary wait to experience the Freedom Ride of Mr. Person. Readers may need to persevere to see Mr. Person’s first step on the Freedom bus for the Freedom Rise.

I was completely moved by this book. Hearing about the Freedom Rides directly from Charles Person gave me a deeper understanding of the courage it took to stand up during the Civil Rights era. It felt personal, powerful, and painfully relevant. I’m so glad I read this

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. This captures the challenges and courageous acts of a group of people who were willing to give it everything to fight for freedom and rights for their fellow citizens, A truly impactful book well worth the read.
#BusesAreaConin’ #Netgalley #StMartinsPress

I never rate a memoir because someone has gone through the process of putting their life, their story out for the world to read. This is one, you should read.

Wow - I knew this memoir would be impactful based on its topic but it's even greater than I hoped. I'm not normally a huge non-fiction reader but this one deserves to be read again and again.

I was given. An early copy from NetGalley

I have not done a lot of research on the Civil Rights Movement and the Freedom riders were always an interest of mine. This story kept my interest and made me want to look more into the subject matter.

Outstanding memoir written by one of the Freedom Riders. Learned a lot and enjoyed doing so. Admire the courage of these leaders standing up for civil rights and equality in a non-violent way.

In a world where teachers are getting in trouble for attempting to show kids that history isn't all sunshine and rainbows, books like this are even more important than they used to be. Charles Person's first-hand account tells of the abuses he and his fellow riders faced for simply sitting in a bus seat to which they had a legal right. He ends his memoir by saying that he loves America despite all of the hatred directed at him over the years, but he loves America even more for what it could be if everyone would truly set aside their prejudices and work together. Maybe through more books like this, and the teaching of history as it actually happened, his dream will one day be realized.

Absolutely riveting. I can not emphasize how important this book is to read, especially in today’s political climate. While there are several parts that are difficult to read (emotionally - the writing is fantastic) it is so important for us to continue reading these events and discussing these societal issues. I will recommend this book to everyone.

Title: Buses Are A Comin'
Author: Charles Person
Release Date: April 27th, 2021
Page Count: 304
Start Date: February 2nd, 2022
Finish Date: February 4th, 2022

Review:
As this is a nonfiction book, I will not review it the way I review other books. I will say that I am very impressed with the book. I learned so much of this horrific event. Learning history from historical books is one thing. Hearing it from somebody who was actually there and experienced it all… well that's a whole other thing. I think all history books should be written like that if possible. I mean I'm aware that there are some time periods that we don't have anybody left from that time, but still. I'm sure there are documents that can be used.

I listened to this in audiobook. I was a little worried that audiobook would take away from the meaning of the book. I was wrong. I'm so glad I was wrong. I still plan to buy the book. I plan to reread this book a few times. Do some research on things referenced in the book. It's very captivating, and I'm so glad I got the opportunity to read it.

I partly read, partly listened to this one, and I highly recommend both. The audiobook is fantastic, and the book includes some amazing photos from the Freedom Rides. Buses Are a Comin’ should be required reading in the U.S. because this personal history of the Freedom Rides of 1961 is quite amazing story, but it is also truly horrifying. It often made me really mad and really sad. The bravery and strength of the individuals who participated in these rides to secure equal rights for all in the face of such pure hatred is truly mindboggling. The fact that some people were so upset by integration that they would wait for buses to arrive just to torment and attack the riders is crazy to me, but I also am so impressed by those who were willing to risk everything to secure the rights they should already have. I learned a ton about the build-up to these rides and the clever strategies used to prevail. I highly recommend this one – it is a fabulous history lesson as well as a good reminder about sticking up for what you believe and doing what is right.

Both empowering in its message for future generations but heartbreaking in its detailed brutality, this memoir is a must read.

While not one of the most well known names of this era, the author makes a name for himself with this book.

It details the suffering the Freedom Riders endured and mixes in advice and methods for young activists today.

This book should be a part of every high schools curriculum.

A lot of times the celebrity names from the Civil Rights era take on a larger-than-life quality. I think it's easy to get in the mindset well I couldn't do with someone like John Lewis or doctor King did. They were destined for something greater. That's why I enjoyed this memoir showed how an everyday teenager could risk his life for basic freedom.

Highly recommended. I'd have this to any teen learning about the civil rights era, or anyone working on anti-racism and social justice learning that's having a hard time with "all white people are horrible" thoughts.

An amazing story! Charles Person was only 18 when he joined the first group of people in the Freedom rides challenging the segregation of buses, bus depots and restaurants in many states, from the South to Washington D.C. He was with a small group of people, black and white that would sit where there were generally not allowed. Of course, they encountered bigotry and hatred, but occasionally kindness as well. Person was awestruck that one of the men (Jim Peck) who joined them was not only white, but a rich man as well. He did not need to do this, where Person felt he must.

This was an engaging story, well, told. We hear how Person joined, you had to apply and he didn’t have much experience fighting for justice, but he had joined a protest that landed him in jail and solitary confinement for singing for freedom a bit too enthusiastically for the jailors. Once picked, he had to convince his parents he could go, as he needed a signature from one of them. This was his first year in college, and his family had their sights on him being one of the first to graduate, so it wasn’t an easy thing asking for a few weeks from college during finals.

Anyway, this review is turning into my telling of the story and it’s better left from the man himself. An excellent book!

Buses Are a Comin': Memoir of a Freedom Rider was a good read by Charles Person and Richard Rooker. Charles Person was the youngest of the original Freedom Riders at the age of 18. Freedom Riders were key U.S. Civil Rights Movement figures, that left Washington D.C. by bus in 1961. They were headed to New Orleans. There was a purposeful mix of black and white, male and female activists that were set out to discover whether America would abide by the ruling that segregation is unconstitutional in bus depots. I enjoyed reading this book and can't wait to read more by the author.

Charles Pearson did something in his youth not everyone was able to do during the 1960's. He was one of the brave individuals that purposely rode buses in the south and was apart of the freedom rider movement. The story in itself can be triggering while reading, but i applaud and appreciate these great men and women for putting themselves in harms way to right a wrong that has been done to African Descendants Of Slaves. Although this is apart of our recent past, our fight is not over. This was such a powerful book and a very important part of our history.

I appreciate the publisher allowing me to read this book. This is a very well written book that makes you think I highly recommend.

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Wow! Charles Person and his co-writer, Richard Rooker, amazed me in their retelling of the Freedom Rides. What started with 13 riders in 1961 turned into more than 400. These brave agents of change put their lives on the line in the 1960s. And civil rights activists are driving change 60 years later in the protesting of Black Lives Matter movement.

This is an emotional ride. What I found most moving is the Epilogue where Person shared this call to action: when the buses start a comin (and they will), and the doors open, we need to get on the bus, to make change. To be the change.

This is an extremely well-written account of Black history along with Person's first-person accounting of what it was like to work alongside Martin Luther King, Jr., John Lewis and other leaders. I highly recommend this book -- especially in junior high/high school curriculum. We need to learn about history from those who've experienced it . . . without it being whitewashed.

Special thanks for the advanced reader copy via the NetGalley app. I also purchased the audiobook to have as a future reference.