Kristen Green’s Something Must Be Done About Prince Edward County deftly blends personal memoir and historical analysis, offering a compelling look at a Virginia county's fight against school desegregation. The narrative is praised for its emotional depth and incisive research, though some critics note occasional repetitiveness. Overall, it’s a provocative read that illuminates a key civil rights struggle.

Readers drawn to Something Must Be Done About Prince Edward County by Kristen Green are typically interested in civil rights history and educational inequality. Fans of The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson and Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson would appreciate the book's exploration of systemic racism and personal narratives intertwined with historical events.

Something Must Be Done About Prince Edward County by Kristen Green recounts the history of Prince Edward County, Virginia, where public schools were closed from 1959 to 1964 to resist desegregation following the landmark Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court ruling. Black students were left without formal education during this period, while a private school for white students was established. Green traces the historical events and their long-lasting community effects, interweaving her personal narrative as an alumna of the white-only academy and revealing her family's involvement in supporting school segregation. This book discusses racism and its profound impact on individuals and communities.

Informative / Challenging / Emotional / Mysterious

- Something Must Be Done About Prince Edward County is a unique blend of memoir and historical investigation, as journalist Kristen Green explores her own family's involvement in the school closures and desegregation resistance in Prince Edward County.
- The book was recognized for its insightful perspective on civil rights history and won several awards, including the Library of Virginia People’s Choice Award for Nonfiction in 2016.

**Kristen Green**  
A native of Farmville, Virginia, and former student at Prince Edward Academy. She becomes a journalist and author, exploring her family's involvement in the academy and broader themes of race and education.

**Elsie Lancaster**  
A Black woman who worked for Kristen Green's family for over fifty years. She faced the challenge of sending her daughter away when schools closed, impacting her experience as a mother.

**Samuel Cecil and Emma Lee Patterson (Papa and Mimi)**  
Green's grandparents, with whom she has nostalgic memories. Papa was a dentist and a founding member of a segregationist group, involved in Prince Edward Academy.

**Reverend L. Francis Griffin**  
Pastor of a prominent Black church in Farmville and a civil rights leader. He played an essential role in advocating for school integration and reopening during the closures in Prince Edward County.

**Barbara Johns**  
A student activist at Moton High School in 1951, who organized a strike over school conditions that contributed to a significant desegregation lawsuit.

**Jason, Amaya, and Selma Hamilton**  
Kristen Green's husband and daughters. Their experiences as a mixed-race family in Virginia provide perspective on racial dynamics and changes in the community.

Kristen Green

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