Paul Kix shows readers the bloody front lines of the civil rights movement in his novel You Have to Be Prepared to Die Before You Can Begin to Live: Ten Weeks in Birmingham That Changed America.

This historical nonfiction novel explores in-depth the Birmingham, Alabama campaign known as Project C. Kix dives deep into the minds of dozens of key historical figures who helped orchestrate the campaign, such as Martin Luther King Jr., James Bevel, and Fred Shuttlesworth. Despite an overwhelming fear of failure, Project C needed to catch the attention of the nation.

When the brutal murder of George Floyd sparked the Black Lives Matter movement, Kix and his wife were faced with the difficult task of explaining racism to their children. Kix, who is white, and his wife, who is Black, chose not to shield them from news coverage of the deaths and the protests that followed.

The jarring footage of Floyd’s death paralleled another startling image: that of a 15-year-old boy being attacked by a German shepherd handled by the Birmingham police.

Kix was fascinated by the photo. As a journalist, he began to spot connections between the events his family was living through in 2020 and the Birmingham marches in 1963.

Choosing to march in Birmingham was a desperate attempt by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference—a major player in the civil rights movement—to push for desegregation. They hadn’t made any real impact since the Montgomery bus boycotts nearly a decade ago and their recent Albany campaign had flopped.

Running out of money, and with the Kennedy administration refusing to enact civil rights legislation, the SCLC decided they needed to venture into the heart of segregated America.

Birmingham refused to desegregate, and often turned violent towards its Black citizens. The incredibly active KKK bombed the homes of activists, castrated Black men, and upheld the city’s moniker “the Murder City of the World.” Even facing reluctance from the city’s Black citizens, a lack of funds, and thinly veiled threats from mayor Bull Connor, the SCLC pushed forward. Kix brings to life the tension, inspiration, and determination that fueled Project C.

Kix’s detailed writing brings readers into the midst of vivid historical scenes, from extravagant fundraisers in New York to the desolate conditions in a Birmingham jail.

His writing gives due credit to many lesser-known participants in the project and shows how each individual overcame their own battles to contribute to a larger movement.

This novel includes enough nuance and historical analysis to keep any history buff engaged. By seamlessly introducing important context, Kix also makes sure even readers with limited knowledge know not only what is happening, but why it’s happening.

Kix’s background as a journalist shines through in the book’s factually rooted events and thoughtful commentary.

He offers insight into the rhetorical choices behind sermons, comments from the government, and King’s infamous Letter from Birmingham Jail. The only potentially dramatized aspect is occasionally heated dialogue, though most quotes come directly from newspapers, press conferences, or memoirs by those involved. Kix’s choice of quotes and his analytical comments don’t drag down the pace of the novel at all. Instead, they add a fiery authenticity to the story, which moves quickly from dramatic event to dramatic event.

The infamous marches in Birmingham are now more than sixty years in the past. As time moves on, it is important not to forget Project C and how it contributed to legislation that still protects Americans’ rights today.

Authors like Paul Kix help preserve America’s history by bringing it to life in the minds of readers. His unique insights, comprehensive research, and captivating characterization honors the stories of leaders that changed history. You Have to Be Prepared to Die Before You Can Begin to Live is a worthwhile educational read that illustrates why these stories are essential to understanding our present.

You Have to Be Prepared to Die Before You Can Begin to Live by Paul Kix won Grand Prize in the 2023 CIBA Nellie Bly Awards for Journalistic Non-Fiction.