Product Description

Compiled from his own words, this history-making autobiography IS Martin Luther King: the mild-mannered, inquisitive child and student who rebelled against segregation; the dedicated young minister who constantly questioned the depths of his faith and the limits of his wisdom; the loving husband and father who sought to balance his family's needs with those of a growing nationwide movement; and the reflective, world-famous leader who was fired by a vision of equality for people everywhere. Relevant and insightful, this Autobiography offers King's seldom discussed views on some of the world's greatest and most controversial figures including John F. Kennedy, Malcolm X, Mahatma Gandhi and Richard Nixon. This book brings to life a remarkable man whose thoughts and actions speak to our most burning contemporary issues and still inspire our desires, hopes and dreams.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5165 in Books
• Published on: 2000-04-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 411 pages

Review
'We owe a debt to Carson for delivering King to us whole... we are sumptuously prepared for the carrying the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr into the 21st Century.' THE TIMES 'worthy... King's life was rich in emotions and intellect.' FINANCIAL TIMES 'This book is amazingly thorough and offers many insights into one of America's most turbulent times.' SOUTH TYNESIDE HERALD, GATESHEAD HERALD, NEWCASTLE HERALD

About the Author
The editor, Clayborne Carson, Ph.D, is the author and editor of several books on the civil rights struggle in the United States. In 1985, Dr Carson was invited by the King family to direct the long-term project of editing and publishing the papers of Dr Martin Luther King Jr.

Customer Reviews

Required reading...
Martin Luther King, Jr., is without a doubt one of the most influential and pivotal figures in twentieth-century history. In addition to his work as a Civil Rights leader, his role as a father and pastor, he also was an extensively published writer. However, he never had the chance to write an autobiography in the traditional sense. We as readers in the present day and the future have lost the private details that might have been fleshed out in a proper autobiography, but this skillfully crafted work by Clayborne Carson has given us a religious and political autobiography, revealed in King's almost countless papers (published and unpublished), interviews, letters, sermons and public statements.

Carson, author and editor of many books relating to the Civil Rights struggle, edited a collection of King's speeches entitled 'A Knock at Midnight', and was selected by the King estate to put together this in conjunction with (according to Carson) dozens of staff and student workers forming part of the King Papers Project. Carson used particular methodology consistently in his reconstruction - that of relying primarily on the words of King himself (utilising early drafts of later writings to discern the difference between authorial and editorial intentions) and developing them as if this overall narrative account was constructed near the end of King's life.

King's autobiography begins at the beginning, with is childhood as a preacher's kid (who was himself a preacher's kid, who was himself a preacher's kid, etc.). King said, 'of course I was religious.... I didn't have much choice.' King explains the different strands in his life, that of being both militant and moderate, idealistic and realistic, as beginning here. Here he developed questions ('how could I love a race of people who hated me?') and some answers (he learned that racial injustice was paralleled by economic injustice, and realised that poor white people were exploited also).

King's call to ministry and call to ethical and prophetic witness in the world developed through his schooling at Morehouse College, Crozer Seminary, and Boston University, where he developed interest in theology and social philosophy that would lead him to eventually to his ideas of civil rights activitsm. This would not take practical shape, however, until he was back in the South and working at churches and participating in actual events. He describes his involvement with Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Movement as a mountaintop experience, which also led to an awakening, both in King and in the community, of the power of nonviolent action a la Mahatma Gandhi.

It is almost incomprehensible to read this autobiography and realise that in a span of barely more than a dozen years (Rosa Parks was arrested for her action in December of 1955; King was assassinated in 1968) so much of what we consider to be the central history of the Civil Rights struggle occurred. Within the pages of text, King talks about the struggles of the common people and the dealings with the powerful, from the police in Alabama jurisdictions to dealing with federal government officials and organisations.

In the midst of all of this work, King managed to remain a family man, devoted to his wife and children, and a tireless worker in the church. Carson admits to not being able to develop too much of an interior autobiography in these kinds of sections (as even in King's private papers and writings, too much remains unrecorded), but his life in this regard still comes through many aspects of his writings, sermons and speeches.

This is an incredible book, and should be read as a required part of the education of an American, as it recounts a remarkable and astonishing part of history that continues to shape the direction of the nation to this day.

An insight into the man
I bought this book after a trip to Atlanta, GA. I was only a child when Dr King was murdered, so missed him and his message. In my childish innocence, I did not realise what was happening to people because of the colour of their skin. Now, as a man, I appreciate Dr King's wisdom, intelligence and inner strength. This book is thoughtfully written and, if it truly reflects the man that Dr King was, then it cannot but help to increase the level of respect for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr as a man and the message that he brought to the world. The book was revealing and uplifting. It demonstrated what can be acheived by peaceful protest in the face of outright violence. I would recommend the book to anyone who wants to know what Dr King did, his struggle and the humanity behind the man and his cause.

an outstanding look into the life of a fine man
This book is the story of a mild mannered, and inquisitive student that rebelled against segregation. compiled from his own words, and edited by Claybourne Carson it tells you of kings personal struggle, his philosophy, and also gives you kings personal veiw on some of the other most controversial figures including malcolm x, jfk etc. a wonderful book about a wonderful man.