Washoe County Library System

When thirteen-year-old Billie Sims learns that the Freedom Riders, a group of peace activists riding interstate buses protesting segregation, will be traveling through Anniston on their way to Montgomery, she feels that perhaps change is finally coming and her quiet little town will finally shed itself of its antiquated views. But what starts as a series of angry grumbles soon turns to brutality, and Billie is forced to reconsider her own views.