I purchased and read this book for a Civil Rights class that I took which focused on the Civil Rights movement in Alabama. Fortunately I was exposed to the movement's highlights in many forms of literature and multimedia, thus not seeing only one view of events. This particular book was my first introduction to the Rev. Shuttlesworth, and I was vastly disappointed in the way the book portrayed the Reverend. I think the authors over compensate for the lack of attention given to Shuttlesworth in mainstream Civil Rights pieces, trying too hard to compare his actions with other leaders. I was put off by the descriptions, which seemed to try to discredit the other leaders.
Thankfully, later in the class I was reintroduced to Shuttlesworth and I took away a much more positive view of him and his contributions to the movement.
I would recommend reading Parting the Waters and Pillar of Fire by Taylor Branch instead of this particular selection.