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A review by cmbohn
Let the Trumpet Sound: A Life of Martin Luther King Jr. by Stephen B. Oates
3.0
Themes: civil rights, racism, war, civil disobedience, religion, education
Setting: Southern US, mostly about 1960s
This is my second attempt to read a biography of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and this one was much more accessible, although it's still a substantial book. Even though I didn't finish the first one, Parting the Waters, it's clear that the two writers had a different focus. Oates skimmed over King's family history to focus on his intellectual and spiritual development. He spent a lot of time tracing King's reading during college and how his philosophy of non-violent resistance emerged. It went on a little too long, I thought, but once he became Reverend King, things sure picked up speed and stayed pretty busy to the end.
I really felt that Oates had done some great research into his subject. I found myself moved to tears more than once as I read some of King's own moving words. It seemed to me though, that Rev. King got a little distracted towards the end of his life and spread himself too thin. He certainly felt tired much of the time. He began to have premonitions of his own death and I think part of the reason he worked so hard is that he knew he didn't have much time to accomplish everything he wanted to.
I would recommend this book, but I admit that I got bogged down with some of the politics and the competing organizations. I also would have liked a bit of perspective at the end, maybe a chapter about King's impact on later activists, on his legacy, and then something about the other figures in the book, including his family. Sometimes too much info, sometimes not enough, but plenty to think about. 3.5 stars.
Setting: Southern US, mostly about 1960s
This is my second attempt to read a biography of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and this one was much more accessible, although it's still a substantial book. Even though I didn't finish the first one, Parting the Waters, it's clear that the two writers had a different focus. Oates skimmed over King's family history to focus on his intellectual and spiritual development. He spent a lot of time tracing King's reading during college and how his philosophy of non-violent resistance emerged. It went on a little too long, I thought, but once he became Reverend King, things sure picked up speed and stayed pretty busy to the end.
I really felt that Oates had done some great research into his subject. I found myself moved to tears more than once as I read some of King's own moving words. It seemed to me though, that Rev. King got a little distracted towards the end of his life and spread himself too thin. He certainly felt tired much of the time. He began to have premonitions of his own death and I think part of the reason he worked so hard is that he knew he didn't have much time to accomplish everything he wanted to.
I would recommend this book, but I admit that I got bogged down with some of the politics and the competing organizations. I also would have liked a bit of perspective at the end, maybe a chapter about King's impact on later activists, on his legacy, and then something about the other figures in the book, including his family. Sometimes too much info, sometimes not enough, but plenty to think about. 3.5 stars.