As Fast As Words Could Fly

In the mid-1960s in North Carolina, fourteen-year-old Mason helps his father’s civil rights group by writing letters for them and he works so hard that the group buys him a typewriter which he loves and masters. When his father wins a court case to desegregate their local schools, Mason attends a previously all-white high school and despite the hostility and injustice he experiences, his dedication to education helps him overcome prejudice and break racial barriers. This engaging text, with vibrant illustrations, is based on the experiences of the author’s father, and examines segregation, racism, human rights, and government treatment of minorities.