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daniellersalaz's review
4.0
I read this book because I realized I hadn’t read much of Dr. King’s writing besides the well-known quotes that are trotted out at regular intervals. In particular, I was looking for the full text of his Letter from Birmingham Jail and this book fit the bill.
Reading this collection of Dr. King’s full speeches was all I hoped for and more. This book also gave a bit of context for how he was perceived during the years he was most active. I definitely recommend familiarizing yourself with his own words.
The book is organized by theme, which would be a useful structure for the discussion questions if used in a school setting. For me as an adult reader, I found the temporal jumping around disorienting as I was trying to follow King’s development in the context of the historical events that unfolded in the late 1950s and early ‘60s.
Whether it’s this book or another, take the time to get to know Dr. King through his speeches and published writing. You’ll be better for it, and better able to carry on his legacy.
Reading this collection of Dr. King’s full speeches was all I hoped for and more. This book also gave a bit of context for how he was perceived during the years he was most active. I definitely recommend familiarizing yourself with his own words.
The book is organized by theme, which would be a useful structure for the discussion questions if used in a school setting. For me as an adult reader, I found the temporal jumping around disorienting as I was trying to follow King’s development in the context of the historical events that unfolded in the late 1950s and early ‘60s.
Whether it’s this book or another, take the time to get to know Dr. King through his speeches and published writing. You’ll be better for it, and better able to carry on his legacy.
srah's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.75
I came to respect Dr King even more after reading more of his speeches and sermons. He had an amazing and inspiring commitment to justice and non-violence.
guinness74's review against another edition
4.0
Per FTC rules: I received a free copy of this book as a giveaway from Goodreads First Reads.
It's difficult to rate this book as separate from the speeches of Dr. King. The speeches are, naturally, quite eloquent and conjure a spirit of activism that has yet to be equalled, in my opinion. However, the book, as it is laid out, seems very juvenile. I suppose the students (as mentioned in the title) are from a broad range of grades and the questions at the end of each speech are somewhat vague and ordinary. I'll admit to having stopped reading them about halfway through the book. Still, this collection is one worth having of the more important works of Dr. King, but the book is not really for advanced students.
It's difficult to rate this book as separate from the speeches of Dr. King. The speeches are, naturally, quite eloquent and conjure a spirit of activism that has yet to be equalled, in my opinion. However, the book, as it is laid out, seems very juvenile. I suppose the students (as mentioned in the title) are from a broad range of grades and the questions at the end of each speech are somewhat vague and ordinary. I'll admit to having stopped reading them about halfway through the book. Still, this collection is one worth having of the more important works of Dr. King, but the book is not really for advanced students.
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