This heartfelt, unflinching novel is a story of Louisiana’s school integration in the 1960s, based on the author’s experience. This novel takes on the issues our nation currently faces regarding race, unity, and identity.
The story includes viewpoints from Colleen, an idealistic young white teacher; Frank, a black high school football player; and Evelyn, an experienced black teacher. Freedom Lessons is the story of how the lives of these three very different people intersect in a rural Louisiana town in 1969.
Colleen enters into the culture of the rural Louisiana town with little knowledge of the customs and practices. Overnight, the school where she teaches is integrated, an event for which the town’s residents are unprepared. Her values are tested as she seeks to understand her black colleagues, particularly Evelyn. Why doesn’t she want to integrate the public schools? Frank, meanwhile, is determined to protect his mother and siblings after his father’s suspicious death—which means keeping a secret from everyone around him.