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It is a great book if you want to know what Martin LK did, very inspiring indeed. But it does not cover at all the assasination which is something everybody would like to read about.
It gave great insight into factors that moulded King, from his childhood to the profound influence of Gandhi, and chronicled the rough and tumble struggle for justice, with its slings and arrows, and also the great men who helped him like JFK and Harry Belafonte.Clayborne Carson used King's personal papers to piece together an autobiography, that while half biographical, is as true as one could get. It left me feeling both inspired and accurately informed of the historical detail. I wanted to learn more about King and this great work really left me with a feeling of knowing him well. There are many fascinating original recordings etc.I was really pleased with this purchase.
It is an integral component of American history. Obviously I knew who Martin Luther King was, but this was my first opportunity to really see what an amazing man he was. And, sadly, neither has my son. I'm not just unaware of when Black History Month occurs, but pretty ignorant about Black History in general.Last week I began reading The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. One really has the sense that this is the autobiography King would have written had his life not been cut short.I had not expected to become so quickly engrossed in this book. I learned this by seeing a placard on the side of a bus.Dr. Carson did a masterful job, as King's voice and personality consistently shines through. I only discovered last week after getting half-way into the book that February is Black History Month.
Looking back, I realize how narrow and anglo-centric my public school history education was. in the true sense of the word.Besides being impacted by the encounter with King as a person, this book is also teaching me about the events of the Civil Rights movement and the various personalities involved. Ditto for Native American history. A consternating thought keeps bubbling up in my mind: Why was I never taught about this in public school. The Civil Rights movement was an epic moment in American history and it's effects continue to reverberate--most recently and obviously in the election of Barack Obama. I had purchased it a while back at the same time that I bought Gandhi's autobiography.
He was incredibly, well. But that thought is immediately followed by a more uncomfortable one: Where are people being oppressed today and what am I doing about it. Christian. So MLK was the next stop on my journey.
I was not given anything approximating a complete picture of American history. I self-flatteringly imagine that I might've trekked to the South and gotten onto the front lines, as so many people of good conscience from all over the country did. I'm going to try to get him to read this book.I also find myself thinking as I read this book that if I had been an adult during the 1960's, I hope I would have been one of those whites who joined into the Civil Rights movement to offer solidarity and support. King was an intellectual giant, yet also an extremely humble and honest man. I've been following the trail of non-violent thought from the Anabaptists to the Quakers to Leo Tolstoy to Gandhi to Martin Luther King (and points in-between). King's autobiography was not intentionally written by it's subject, in the same way that Gandhi's autobiography was. He was a brilliant theologian and scholar, but consistently chose to identify himself with the lowest of the low in society.
Perhaps because I grew up in a 99% white community in Colorado it was deemed irrelevant, just as I've typically viewed Black History Month as personally irrelevant.Now I'm realizing that Black History, from slavery to emancipation to Jim Crow to the Civil Rights movement and beyond is not just "for black people". Instead, his autobiography was assembled by King scholar Clayborne Carson (at the request of Coretta Scott King) by carefully gathering and collating King's public and private writings into a cohesive narrative. February is Black History Month, something which--to be totally honest--I'm usually completely unaware of. King was assassinated before he could write this work himself. Yet I can't recall being taught about it in school.
This was an outstanding page turner from cover to cover. I recommend it to all. I was overwhelmed by King's christian ethic and his brilliance. King showed us what true christianity and commitment are.
King made to create a better America, as well as a better economical and social status for African Americans. His nonviolent strategy was truly a genious way to fight the hands of racism and evil during the times in which he lived in. Dr. His strength through out the entire civil rights movement is without a doubt remarkable.
In this way they made it impossible for America to sit idlely by and do nothing.I believe this book should be read be everyone because it truly leaves the reader with a deeper appreciation for the struggles of great leaders who shaped the core values of this country. Although Malcolm X and Dr. But I now have to say I have two favorite books. is a must read, especially for the the youth of the 21st century. I have always appreciated the sacrfices Dr. King. He used the media to shame the racist who tried to keep all power for themselves and white America.
King had different approaches for fighting racism in America, I believe they were both effective because if nothing else they both brought media attention to the issue that was never there before. The Autobiography of Martin Luther King Jr. But after reading this book I have a new respect for Dr. King was a very intelligent man and I believe he had a deeper understanding of social behavior that was sharper than most.I have read many autobiographies on extraordinary people in the world, and prior to reading this book Malcolm X's autobiograpghy was my favorite of many.
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