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A review by kellian901
Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr by Clayborne Carson, Martin Luther King Jr.
5.0
Wow. Where to even begin with this book. I knew embarrassingly little about Martin Luther King’s life except that he was a key figure in the Civil Rights Movement, and that he was killed here, in the city I have called home for 40 years. I never knew what a supremely intelligent, eloquent, and wise man he was. A peacemaker to his very core, selfless, and a man after God’s own heart.
My elementary school age son bought this book for me for Christmas. He had been learning about King in school and wanted to me to share in his knowledge. But I found myself struggling to get started. Then I found the audiobook. After just a few minutes of Lavar Burton’s narration, clips of spiritual songs, and rare audio recordings of King’s speeches…. I was insatiable. I followed along with my paperback and my highlighter. There are clips the audiobook has that the paperback does not… and letters, photos, articles, and a timeline that the paperback has and the audiobook does not. I highly recommend BOTH versions for an immersive and impactful experience.
Most people have heard his more famous speeches: “ I have a dream” and “I’ve been to the mountaintop”, but I had not heard or read them in their entirety. With this book I had the chance to do that, but also to read many other speeches as well as the personal development and soul searching that led him to those very public moments. There is recounting of facts and history, but there is also revealing vulnerability of his thoughts. Seeing the behind-the-scenes struggle to balance roles of a husband, father, pastor, and movement leader.
If it is even possible to choose a single quote for my review, it is this:
“Like life, racial understanding is not something that we find but something that we must create. What we find when we enter these mortal plains is existence; but existence is the raw material out of which all life must be created. A productive and happy life is not something you find; it is something you make. And so the ability of Negroes and whites to work together, to understand each other, will not be found ready-made; it must be created by the fact of contact.”
I want to do better.
My elementary school age son bought this book for me for Christmas. He had been learning about King in school and wanted to me to share in his knowledge. But I found myself struggling to get started. Then I found the audiobook. After just a few minutes of Lavar Burton’s narration, clips of spiritual songs, and rare audio recordings of King’s speeches…. I was insatiable. I followed along with my paperback and my highlighter. There are clips the audiobook has that the paperback does not… and letters, photos, articles, and a timeline that the paperback has and the audiobook does not. I highly recommend BOTH versions for an immersive and impactful experience.
Most people have heard his more famous speeches: “ I have a dream” and “I’ve been to the mountaintop”, but I had not heard or read them in their entirety. With this book I had the chance to do that, but also to read many other speeches as well as the personal development and soul searching that led him to those very public moments. There is recounting of facts and history, but there is also revealing vulnerability of his thoughts. Seeing the behind-the-scenes struggle to balance roles of a husband, father, pastor, and movement leader.
If it is even possible to choose a single quote for my review, it is this:
“Like life, racial understanding is not something that we find but something that we must create. What we find when we enter these mortal plains is existence; but existence is the raw material out of which all life must be created. A productive and happy life is not something you find; it is something you make. And so the ability of Negroes and whites to work together, to understand each other, will not be found ready-made; it must be created by the fact of contact.”
I want to do better.