Troubled Waters: A River's Journey Toward Justice

From Young People's Poet Laureate Carole Boston Weatherford and award-winning illustrator Bryan Collier, a stirring account of the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches, as witnessed by the Alabama River.

Some say water is the mightiest force on earth.

But the yearning for freedom is even stronger.



For centuries, the Alabama River has been a witness. It has seen countless fossils and artifacts, secrets, souls, and stories buried in its depths.



In the voice of this mighty waterway, Troubled Waters recounts the history it witnessed in 1965, when Black citizens in Selma rose up like a river to demand their right to vote.



The peaceful protesters embarked on a march across the bridge that spanned the Alabama River, but faced violent resistance from lawmen. Though the protesters retreated, a powerful current still coursed through their hearts. On their third attempt, the protesters finally succeeded, marching from Selma all the way to the state capitol and carving the way for the Voting Rights Act to become law a few months later.



In this breathtakingly original picture book, celebrated creators Carole Boston Weatherford and Bryan Collier show that the Alabama River was much more than a witness to history. It was also a source of strength, a rising tide that kept afloat the marchers' dreams of justice.