There are no words. This trilogy will be the most impactful reading of the year for me. There were times when I wept. There were times when I gasped out loud at man's inhumanity to man (speaking of "mankind" here that includes women). Soldiers needing to be called into Old Miss for ONE black person who wanted to go there? People shot in the head for registering to vote? The perpetrator of heinous crimes going off scot-free! There were tears but also lots of anger.
After the events of the last year in America. It is helpful and insightful, and I would almost venture to say that every person should read this trilogy. It is almost 3000 pages total, but each book also comes in an abridged audiobook.
I came away with such admiration for Martin Luther King, Jr. who, I truly believe, was not in it for the money. (He had 6,000 dollars to his name at the time of his horrific death.) I admire his commitment to non-violence regardless of the mistreatment the people in the movement received, which was so horrible. (Tears as I write this.) I loved hearing about his roots in his loving family. Interesting to note that most black preachers of his father's age were Republican until there was a shift, and they were sorely mistreated at one of the conventions.
The second book also goes into detail about Malcolm X, and the Nation of Islam, which I had read about in his autobiography (another book I think everyone should read).
Branch is meticulously detailed in his account of the events. Some might find this tedious. I found it helpful.
I also appreciated the look into the Presidents in that time period: Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson. I did end up feeling very sorry for Johnson, I believe he was sincere in his desire for Civil Rights and relief of poverty, having grown up in poverty himself (as opposed to King who grew up in affluence and education), but he got swallowed up in Vietnam. It was so interesting to read about those events that occurred during my childhood. I knew there was a somber sadness in my house when Kennedy was assassinated (I was four years old). I definitely remember when his brother was assassinated in 1968 when I was almost 9 years old. It happened 22 minutes away from my house, and my aunt (big in the Democratic Party of California) was supposed to be at the event at the Ambassador Hotel but ended up not being able to go, but I cannot remember why. Along with the Vietnam War, there was great sadness going on during my younger years!
Just SO GOOD. I cannot tell you how good. So worth the time and effort. Now, I am still wondering how I might be part of the solution rather than the problem.
P.S. I had heard about MLK's philandering, and that is also documented in the book. I will never understand that for him or any man! Obviously, a lot of compartmentalization going on.
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