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A review by overthinkereading
The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation by Anna Malaika Tubbs
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
“It is clear that Malcolm, Martin, and James were all part of a legacy much larger than themselves, and they had their mothers to thank, not only for their lives but for the direct instruction on how to survive in the world while actively changing it.”
It’s not often that nonfiction brings me to tears, but this work by Anna Tubbs is such a poignant, necessary, and long overdue perspective on the role of the mothers of three of the most recognized men of the modern civil rights movement.
I appreciated how the book was organized, and in listening to the author-narrated audiobook, it really felt more like a series of essays on each woman, versus a thick volume of information.
And ultimately, the unfortunate reality is that thick volumes of information are not available on these women. It is clear that the author worked tirelessly to source every detail shared in these pages, and presented their lives as compassionately and thoughtfully as possible.
The author’s note at the end of the book is a must-read, and a powerful reminder of the legacy these women left their sons, and all of us, in the pursuit of racial and social justice.
It’s not often that nonfiction brings me to tears, but this work by Anna Tubbs is such a poignant, necessary, and long overdue perspective on the role of the mothers of three of the most recognized men of the modern civil rights movement.
I appreciated how the book was organized, and in listening to the author-narrated audiobook, it really felt more like a series of essays on each woman, versus a thick volume of information.
And ultimately, the unfortunate reality is that thick volumes of information are not available on these women. It is clear that the author worked tirelessly to source every detail shared in these pages, and presented their lives as compassionately and thoughtfully as possible.
The author’s note at the end of the book is a must-read, and a powerful reminder of the legacy these women left their sons, and all of us, in the pursuit of racial and social justice.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Hate crime, Violence, Death, Forced institutionalization, Rape, Sexism, Murder, Racial slurs, Gun violence, Police brutality, and Racism
Moderate: Cancer, Domestic abuse, Grief, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, and Terminal illness