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shaunireads1's review against another edition
5.0
This book is incredibly moving. It's not a true autobiography, but rather a compilation of MLK's writings and speeches. It begins with an introduction by the compiler/editor Clayborne Carson, followed by LeVar Burton reading the book. His readings are interspersed with actual recordings of MLK's speeches and segments of African-American spirituals. I can see why the audiobook won a Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album! LeVar Burton does an excellent job. About a year ago, I listened to Clayborne Carson's entire African American History course on iTunesU (he teaches at Stanford), so it was cool to hear his voice in this book's introduction.
Before listening to this book, I had read some of MLK's speeches and heard snippets of others, but it was so inspiring to hear his speeches in their entirety and in context. I was moved to tears a few times, and came away feeling very inspired. MLK has always been a hero of mine, but now I have a much deeper understanding of what he actually accomplished. I have a greater appreciation for the risks he and the other activists took in using civil disobedience to fight for the rights that should have been theirs all along. My only lament is that I didn't write down my favorite quotes as I heard them. I guess I'll just have to listen to it again!
Before listening to this book, I had read some of MLK's speeches and heard snippets of others, but it was so inspiring to hear his speeches in their entirety and in context. I was moved to tears a few times, and came away feeling very inspired. MLK has always been a hero of mine, but now I have a much deeper understanding of what he actually accomplished. I have a greater appreciation for the risks he and the other activists took in using civil disobedience to fight for the rights that should have been theirs all along. My only lament is that I didn't write down my favorite quotes as I heard them. I guess I'll just have to listen to it again!
mariewordaddict's review against another edition
5.0
So many moving speeches and the context of the Civil Rights movement in which they were given. Very heartening even now in disheartening times.
gimmeshoes's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
jamesthomas79's review against another edition
5.0
What an incredible man, and an incredible life - to think, he achieved all he did before turning 40!
lucy_qhuay's review against another edition
4.0
I think everybody should read about the lives of great men such as Martin Luther King.
tjmhh's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
jroberts1995's review against another edition
5.0
Clayborne Carson rose to the challenge exceptionally when he was invited to form an autobiographical synthesis from Martin Luther King Jr's written works. The memoirs, speech transcriptions and letters are arranged and presented seamlessly; and Carson's transparency in the preface and acknowledgements should settle any of his readers' concerns about authenticity.
This book delivered as expected - and gave much more. King's first-hand account of cornerstone events in the civil rights movement is perhaps the most historically valuable aspect of the book, but there is an abundance of fascinating material for readers of all levels of familiarity with Martin Luther King Jr and the civil rights movement. For instance, I was particularly engrossed as I read King's view of Malcolm X, Stokely Carmichael and the Black Power initiative; his travels in India and his assessment of Mahatma Gandhi; King's take on the Kennedys and Lyndon B. Johnson, and the philosophical underpinnings of his commitment to nonviolence.
This book delivered as expected - and gave much more. King's first-hand account of cornerstone events in the civil rights movement is perhaps the most historically valuable aspect of the book, but there is an abundance of fascinating material for readers of all levels of familiarity with Martin Luther King Jr and the civil rights movement. For instance, I was particularly engrossed as I read King's view of Malcolm X, Stokely Carmichael and the Black Power initiative; his travels in India and his assessment of Mahatma Gandhi; King's take on the Kennedys and Lyndon B. Johnson, and the philosophical underpinnings of his commitment to nonviolence.
worldlibraries's review against another edition
5.0
Are you tired of resisting?
I have the cure!
The United States has seen much worse times of hatred, oppression and racism. Listening to this incredibly inspiring audiobook narrated by Levar Burton, with audio of Martin Luther King Jr. himself spliced in, will give you the fortitude to not sit down in weariness but to continue the march toward the midterms elections!
One of the most fascinating chapters in this book concerned Birmingham, Alabama. Wow, such active and horrible hatred was directed toward black people. So thoroughly had white people made it hard for blacks to vote there through various tactics, that only 350 out of a possible 15,000 were registered to do so. Truly, black people have only started representing themselves through the vote since the mid-1960s in the United States thanks to the Voting Rights Act secured under Martin Luther King's leadership. Martin Luther King Jr. felt the vote was one of the most important vehicles for black empowerment possible. He has a marvelous sermon called 'Give Us The Vote!' Do you use yours to its fullest power? Or let it go to waste?
In my education, I learned about the bombing of the black church where four little girls were killed. What I didn't learn about was that bombing black churches and their pastors' homes was 'a thing' in Birmingham. There were seventeen different bombings before the famous one! Imagine! When the famous one occurred, the white mayor of Birmingham went on national TV and 'cried,' yet not a single white official showed up at those funerals to mourn with the black community. How lonely and scared the Birmingham black community must have felt! You can feel the sorrow so deeply hearing King's eulogy for those little girls. It feels like you are there. To not have given in to bitterness, despair, or sitting down in frustration at that moment is a lesson for all of us.
In many ways this book doesn't feel dated. It feels contemporary. King felt that violence toward black people and poor whites had morphed from the days of lynching to gun violence as the method of keeping them cowed. Sound contemporary? It does to me. He felt that militarism would be the spiritual death of America, as we spend money on killing people who look different than the American white majority, rather than on improving the lives of American people at home. Sound contemporary? It does to me. We just increased the defense budget by 80 billion (even prior to that budget increase our nation spent more than the next 12 countries combined). The USA is getting ready to cut Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security next. It was inspiring to hear him try and head off that 'spiritual death' for my generation.
The resistance continues. How can we all help the United States of America avoid 'spiritual death?2
I have the cure!
The United States has seen much worse times of hatred, oppression and racism. Listening to this incredibly inspiring audiobook narrated by Levar Burton, with audio of Martin Luther King Jr. himself spliced in, will give you the fortitude to not sit down in weariness but to continue the march toward the midterms elections!
One of the most fascinating chapters in this book concerned Birmingham, Alabama. Wow, such active and horrible hatred was directed toward black people. So thoroughly had white people made it hard for blacks to vote there through various tactics, that only 350 out of a possible 15,000 were registered to do so. Truly, black people have only started representing themselves through the vote since the mid-1960s in the United States thanks to the Voting Rights Act secured under Martin Luther King's leadership. Martin Luther King Jr. felt the vote was one of the most important vehicles for black empowerment possible. He has a marvelous sermon called 'Give Us The Vote!' Do you use yours to its fullest power? Or let it go to waste?
In my education, I learned about the bombing of the black church where four little girls were killed. What I didn't learn about was that bombing black churches and their pastors' homes was 'a thing' in Birmingham. There were seventeen different bombings before the famous one! Imagine! When the famous one occurred, the white mayor of Birmingham went on national TV and 'cried,' yet not a single white official showed up at those funerals to mourn with the black community. How lonely and scared the Birmingham black community must have felt! You can feel the sorrow so deeply hearing King's eulogy for those little girls. It feels like you are there. To not have given in to bitterness, despair, or sitting down in frustration at that moment is a lesson for all of us.
In many ways this book doesn't feel dated. It feels contemporary. King felt that violence toward black people and poor whites had morphed from the days of lynching to gun violence as the method of keeping them cowed. Sound contemporary? It does to me. He felt that militarism would be the spiritual death of America, as we spend money on killing people who look different than the American white majority, rather than on improving the lives of American people at home. Sound contemporary? It does to me. We just increased the defense budget by 80 billion (even prior to that budget increase our nation spent more than the next 12 countries combined). The USA is getting ready to cut Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security next. It was inspiring to hear him try and head off that 'spiritual death' for my generation.
The resistance continues. How can we all help the United States of America avoid 'spiritual death?2
fevi's review against another edition
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Acredito que antes de qualquer crítica é importante afirmar que Martin Luther King foi um grande líder e revolucionário. Não há como deixar isso de lado. Ele foi um homem negro corajoso que resolveu enfrentar o sistema preconceituoso e racista sem armas. É um mérito. Ainda mais por tudo aquilo que ele ajudou a conquistar para a população negra dos Estados Unidos.
Uma grande lição que podemos tirar dessa autobiografia é como o poder da união e da amizade pode fazer a diferença na vida das pessoas. Tenho para mim que sem isso a movimentação pelos direitos civis encabeçada por King dificilmente teria conseguido algo relevante. O despertar das pessoas negras e o desejo de não cair mais na sujeição das pessoas brancas foi o pontapé inicial. Sem bem que as pessoas negras sempre lutaram.
O racismo e toda a construção racial é um problema das pessoas brancas. Eles inventaram tudo isso. Fico aqui a questionar-me se King conseguiria essa mudança se as pessoas brancas que detinham o poder na época do levante negro não estivessem dispostas a ajudarem. Seria possível? E se não John F. Kennedy ali? Será que as caminhadas não violentas não terminariam em massacre? Apesar dessas e de tantas outras indagações é que tivemos outros acontecimentos.
Apesar de todo esforço e tantas conquistas King acaba morto. A minha divergência com King é ver o mundo através da religião. Para mim, ter uma vida influenciada pela religião, tê-la como um norte não é suficiente para grandes mudanças. O caráter é capaz disso. Você pode mudar pela religião, mas nada adiantará se você possuir um caráter ruim. A história não nega: muitos mataram em nome de um deus cristão.
Enfim, é um livro interessante para saber a trajetória de Martin Luther King e o seu esforço com resultados positivos em mudar a vida de milhões de pessoas negras. A sua luta não foi em vão, mas infelizmente não foi suficiente para acabar com a opressão do povo negro nos Estados Unidos. Tenho para mim que nunca presenciaremos o sonho de King tornar-se realidade. Acredito que só com uma revolução destituindo o poder das pessoas brancas para um dia isso se tornar real. Até lá é preciso que união e força mesmo que não haja mais esperança.
Fica a recomendação para conhecer um pouco mais de uma das grandes personalidades do século XX.
Uma grande lição que podemos tirar dessa autobiografia é como o poder da união e da amizade pode fazer a diferença na vida das pessoas. Tenho para mim que sem isso a movimentação pelos direitos civis encabeçada por King dificilmente teria conseguido algo relevante. O despertar das pessoas negras e o desejo de não cair mais na sujeição das pessoas brancas foi o pontapé inicial. Sem bem que as pessoas negras sempre lutaram.
O racismo e toda a construção racial é um problema das pessoas brancas. Eles inventaram tudo isso. Fico aqui a questionar-me se King conseguiria essa mudança se as pessoas brancas que detinham o poder na época do levante negro não estivessem dispostas a ajudarem. Seria possível? E se não John F. Kennedy ali? Será que as caminhadas não violentas não terminariam em massacre? Apesar dessas e de tantas outras indagações é que tivemos outros acontecimentos.
Apesar de todo esforço e tantas conquistas King acaba morto. A minha divergência com King é ver o mundo através da religião. Para mim, ter uma vida influenciada pela religião, tê-la como um norte não é suficiente para grandes mudanças. O caráter é capaz disso. Você pode mudar pela religião, mas nada adiantará se você possuir um caráter ruim. A história não nega: muitos mataram em nome de um deus cristão.
Enfim, é um livro interessante para saber a trajetória de Martin Luther King e o seu esforço com resultados positivos em mudar a vida de milhões de pessoas negras. A sua luta não foi em vão, mas infelizmente não foi suficiente para acabar com a opressão do povo negro nos Estados Unidos. Tenho para mim que nunca presenciaremos o sonho de King tornar-se realidade. Acredito que só com uma revolução destituindo o poder das pessoas brancas para um dia isso se tornar real. Até lá é preciso que união e força mesmo que não haja mais esperança.
Fica a recomendação para conhecer um pouco mais de uma das grandes personalidades do século XX.