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18th out of 275 books
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282 voters
The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Using Stanford University's voluminous collection of archival material, including previously unpublished writings, interviews, recordings, and correspondence, King scholar Clayborne Carson has constructed a remarkable first-person account of Dr. King's extraordinary life. Beginning with his boyhood, the book portrays King's education as a minister, his ascendancy as a lead...more
Paperback, 366 pages
Published
January 1st 2001
by Grand Central Publishing
(first published 1998)
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This is not quite a true autobiography, but rather a collection of King's writings and speeches throughout his life, edited and assembled by a third party. I found this disappointing because it lacked the benefit of hindsight perspective that a biographer could have brought, but also doesn't necessarily have the personal tone and thesis of an autobiography.
I listened to this in audio form, which included many recordings of King's sermons and speeches. This gives a firsthand glimpse at his fantas...more
I listened to this in audio form, which included many recordings of King's sermons and speeches. This gives a firsthand glimpse at his fantas...more
The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. is an incredible work; however one needs to remember that it is not a real autobiography. Like The Autobiography of Malcolm X, it was written after he died. It was assembled by the editor, Clayborne Carson, who went over King's papers both public and personnel and edited his work into a biographical format. The book received the endorsement of Coretta Scott King in 1998. The book is a brilliant piece of literature. Carson is careful to let the reader...more
Best.Book.Ever. The chapter ' Letters from Birmingham Jail' is the most compelling thing I've ever read. Dr King was the real deal. I realize this is not a 'comprehensive' autobiography, meaning it was not intentionally written as one, the King family but Dr. Clayborne Carson in charge of the King Papers and he did a great job. On finishing this book, I e mailed Dr. Carson at Stanford University - it was a Saturday - and I had a response in 5 minutes. A very humble response to my overly gushing...more
The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. gives an overview of the major movements in King's life, from his childhood, up until his death. Although the book is written in King's own words, the book is actually a compilation of his various writings: essays, sermons, speeches, letters, etc. Because of his untimely death, King was not able to write his own autobiography. King's wife enlisted the historian of Stanford University (Clayborne Carson) to go through King's extensive writings to put so...more
Carson takes some liberties adopting an "autobiography" construct. By using the first person singular, the author makes the subject of his book seem, for example, more defensive when Dr. King decided not to remain in jail awaiting trial instead of remaining true to the nonviolent direct action tenet of demonstrating civil disobedience by remaining incarcerated. The story does benefit from this personal perspective as King explores his religion, his career choices, his opposition to Viet Nam and...more
Now I’ve been to the mountaintop, and shared a glimpse of the grand dream about humankind dwelling peacefully in racial harmony, watching out and caring for the poor and disadvantaged alike. The editor does a competent and credible job piecing together what Dr. King might have said in an autobiography by referencing voluminous original source material. The result reads like a historical personal account of the 1950s and 60s with an obvious focus on civil rights efforts in the American Deep South...more
This was an amazing book, very well put-together. Even though it was compiled post-humously, the editor did an excellent job of staying true to Dr. King and I think he would have approved this book. My only complaint about this book was that it simply ended. I shouldn't have been surprised (afterall it's an autobiography by a man who was assasinated), however, I guess I was expecting a bit of an afterword or editorial about his death and the effects it had on the movement. I'm sure I'll be able...more
While I was hoping this would be an actual auotbiography it was far from it yet I still found it amazing. What this book is is a collection of MLK papers, documents, speeches, etc. placed in a narrative about his life, sort of. The main focus of the book is on his Civil Rights. It's an absolutely fascinating look at MLK's life via civil rights but leaves out almost all details regarding his personal life and relationships unless they are directly associated with the cause. This is the first MLK...more
Unreal. I had read 12 Chapters before I realized that King didn't actually write an Autobiography on purpose. He was simply so prolific that Clayborne Carson could piece together an Entire book, that feels like a great Auto Biography. In some ways it may be the best Auto Biography, because it doesn't have an after the fact retrospection, and all of the tension and thought take you into the moment, and you feel like you were there with King, struggling with the same questions. One of my favorite...more
The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr.
By: Martin Luther King, Jr.
Genre: Historical Non-Fiction
This was an amazing book and very well put-together. The editor did an excellent job of staying true to Dr. King and I think he would have approved this book. This book tells the story of his life and all his struggles to get black rights. I also like how the editor ended this book. The abrupt ending of this book after the assassination really highlighted the tragedy of his short life.
I think th...more
By: Martin Luther King, Jr.
Genre: Historical Non-Fiction
This was an amazing book and very well put-together. The editor did an excellent job of staying true to Dr. King and I think he would have approved this book. This book tells the story of his life and all his struggles to get black rights. I also like how the editor ended this book. The abrupt ending of this book after the assassination really highlighted the tragedy of his short life.
I think th...more
"We have allowed the poor to become invisible, and we have become angry when they make their presence felt. But just as nonviolence has exposed the ugliness of racial injustice, we must now find ways to expose and heal the sickness of poverty - not just its symptoms, but its basic causes." (p. 262)
If we can equitably educate our children, we can begin to heal the pervasive sickness of poverty.
"Let us march on segregated schools until every vestige of segregated and inferior education becomes a...more
If we can equitably educate our children, we can begin to heal the pervasive sickness of poverty.
"Let us march on segregated schools until every vestige of segregated and inferior education becomes a...more
Apr 21, 2011
Matthew Bushnell
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
biographies-memoirs
This is a great compilation of Luther's writing sermons etc. What an inspiring person Martin Luther King Jr was. We live in an age today when too few people are prepared to stand up and fight for what really matters - no matter what the cost. (Though I guess it has been the same through every generation!)
King was not a "black activist" he was a "freedom activist"and it came through loud and clear in his writings and sermons. I love the passion of this man. It was a passion that was strong, loud...more
King was not a "black activist" he was a "freedom activist"and it came through loud and clear in his writings and sermons. I love the passion of this man. It was a passion that was strong, loud...more
This was such an excellent book !!!
I didn't know that much about the racial battle in the late 50's and 60's, and I couldn't think of a better place to start then by reading Martin Luther King Jr's. autobiography. It was eye-opening and amazing to see the faith of these people who trusted MLKJ but also God. They didn't ride any of the transports (trolly's,taxis etc.) for over a year in Birmingham AL, until they would be treated fair and equal on them. Of course there was still violence and othe...more
I didn't know that much about the racial battle in the late 50's and 60's, and I couldn't think of a better place to start then by reading Martin Luther King Jr's. autobiography. It was eye-opening and amazing to see the faith of these people who trusted MLKJ but also God. They didn't ride any of the transports (trolly's,taxis etc.) for over a year in Birmingham AL, until they would be treated fair and equal on them. Of course there was still violence and othe...more
I found this book very thought provoking and, in many ways, inspiring. It was interesting to get to know his background and his development on a personal level. I was impressed especially by the early days of his movement, and now appreciate more fully the sacrifices he and his contemporaries had to make to earn their freedoms. I confess to losing interest later in the book and skimmed much of the last of the audiobook. The speeches and lectures seemed much similar to the early content. Still, t...more
Great book! I love anything about the Civil Right Movement and this was great! Technically, he didn't write this with the intention of writing an autobiography. He wrote down thoughts and bits, and the editor combines those thoughts with speeches and journal entries and other papers from MLK. It is an interesting way to go about an autobiography and the downside is there is some missing elements. For example, there isn't a lot about his personal life, like his relationship with his wife and chil...more
In school we listened to and read some of Martin Luther King's speeches and in recent years I had read a sermon or two of his, but that was the breadth of my experience with his work. Having now read the autobiography, I think it should be required reading in high schools.
As many reviewers have mentioned, it is a little strange to call it an autobiography. However, there is so much first hand accounts that I don't really have a problem with it. I don't think that the editor, Clayborne Carson ste...more
As many reviewers have mentioned, it is a little strange to call it an autobiography. However, there is so much first hand accounts that I don't really have a problem with it. I don't think that the editor, Clayborne Carson ste...more
The first several chapters were very interesting and showed potential for the remainder of the book. However, I did notice quite a bit of redundancy throughout the book, which was slightly annoying and led to a feeling of disinterest. For a life filled with so many challenges, discoveries, setbacks, and triumphs...you'd think the book would be much more exciting/interesting. I just did not think the "real" MLK came out, but more of a stereotypical "good" and somewhat shallow MLK instead. I was d...more
I respected Dr. King before reading this semi-autobiography, and, after finishing it, I respect him all the more. He was deeply committed to pursuing justice through nonviolence, esteeming all people as God's beloved creation, and caring for the poor. This book is an excellent window into his life.
It's 'semi-autobiographical' because the book is a edited collection of Dr. King's writings; at times I wondered if Dr. King actually felt the first person words written, or if that was an intuited gue...more
It's 'semi-autobiographical' because the book is a edited collection of Dr. King's writings; at times I wondered if Dr. King actually felt the first person words written, or if that was an intuited gue...more
This book can be described in many words, but the one word i think all the people that have read this book would agree upon is Amazing. I don't even have to say much as in describing what this book is about, because what more can i say about MLK Jr? After reading this book i felt a personal connection to MLK. Martin Luther King really had an amazing and interesting life that everybody should read about. He is not just the person that helped abolish segregation he was an amazing person that would...more
Taken from his materials, the author pulls together a nice perspective on the events and thinking that shaped Martin Luther King.
It is refreshing to read of how individuals with a view of a better world were able to galvanize the nation and world, and bring about change in their own lifetime.
Some people are placed at the right place at the right time.
This is not an expose' of King, but a book that gives insight into his public statements and logical approach to the issues and challenges they wer...more
It is refreshing to read of how individuals with a view of a better world were able to galvanize the nation and world, and bring about change in their own lifetime.
Some people are placed at the right place at the right time.
This is not an expose' of King, but a book that gives insight into his public statements and logical approach to the issues and challenges they wer...more
“To deprive man of freedom is to relegate him to the status of a thing, rather than elevate him to the status of a person.”- Dr. King.
Lincoln emancipated the slaves but more than 100 years later, the descendants of the slaves were still living under segregation and fear. They weren’t free in the true sense of the word. There were separate facilities for Blacks and Whites; separate drinking fountains, restaurants, schools, churches etc, there was also widespread poverty. There were men and women...more
Lincoln emancipated the slaves but more than 100 years later, the descendants of the slaves were still living under segregation and fear. They weren’t free in the true sense of the word. There were separate facilities for Blacks and Whites; separate drinking fountains, restaurants, schools, churches etc, there was also widespread poverty. There were men and women...more
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The focus of this book is definitely more on King's personal and political accomplishments rather than his personal life. It is clear he was tactically brilliant in choosing how to execute civil rights demonstrations, and the necessity of nonviolence. He had a keen grasp of the big picture, how the movement was perceived by the rest of the country, the deepest roots of the problems they faced, and the ultimate mechanisms required for real lasting transformation of race relations. I enjoyed readi...more
This man centered his life on the simple yet powerful idea that united, people could effect change through non-violent protest. He used religion as a platform, metaphors and allegories as a tool, and poetry as a weapon to inspire a nation and the world. What a gift to be able to weave the power of centuries of suppressed emotions and trials into words. The following are some of my favorite quotes:
"As a young man with most of my life ahead of me, I decided early to give my life to something etern...more
"As a young man with most of my life ahead of me, I decided early to give my life to something etern...more
It took me months to make my way through this book, but it was absorbing, inspiring, moving, and impressive. Some people may take issue with the fact that this is not a true autobiography - King did not write this as a continuous narrative, rather, an editor with access to a wealth of primary source materials culled the most interesting letters, speeches, journals, etc., organized them chronologically and linked everything with a narrative approximating King's voice. I was skeptical of this meth...more
Sep 17, 2009
Thomas DeWolf
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
non-fiction,
social-justice
I've had this set of audio cassettes for several years. For the same reasons I read Parting the Waters by Taylor Branch I recently listened to these 6 cassettes on a long drive from our home in Oregon to my sister-in-law's wedding in San Diego and back.
LeVar Burton does a wonderful job of narration. Listening to the history of the Civil Rights movement through the experiences, writings, and speeches of Dr. King is well worth the time. The best aspect of listening to this book as opposed to read...more
LeVar Burton does a wonderful job of narration. Listening to the history of the Civil Rights movement through the experiences, writings, and speeches of Dr. King is well worth the time. The best aspect of listening to this book as opposed to read...more
Very powerful. I highly recommend listening to the Audiobook-- narrated by Lavar Burton (Reading Rainbow!!!) and often interspersed with MLK speeches, a lot of which I had never heard. It was refreshing hearing about his growth and progression from civil rights to his fight against militarism and the war in Vietnam to the Poor People's Campaign on the brink of his assassination. The book convinced me once again that Martin Luther King, Jr is the greatest American that has ever lived and I will d...more
Fantastic book on MLK. Carson has synthesize parts of Kings written texts (speeches, books, letters, sermons) and compiled them in a sort of autobiography. This book really captures the humanity of MLK. His voice resonates on every page. The aspect I really enjoyed is since this is from MLK's own writings and the texts used were written at different points in King's life you can see the evolution of his thoughts take place through the book. It is something that I have rarely encountered.
This autobiography is pieced together from a variety of available records. I started to read it years ago, but put it aside because the beginning reads like a factual diary, sort of a captain's log. This time I kept reading, and was rewarded to see the course of the civil rights movement through the events as they unfolded in King's own life. The writing gets better as the book progresses, and that 'voice' that King is known for becomes more prominent. His written and recorded speeches, demonstr...more
I've read just about every book by MLK, and this one stands out especially for me. The book is an autobiography that has been pieced together from his previous works that allows the man to tell us the story of his life. The editors must have put a great deal of effort in their work and it shows.
This is a good book for anyone that has an interest in MLK. Regardless of how much you've read of his work or even know of the man, it's a great read.
This is a good book for anyone that has an interest in MLK. Regardless of how much you've read of his work or even know of the man, it's a great read.
Not really a true autobiography...his personal writings were compiled, then edited to read well. This book was enjoyable and did give more of a first hand look at his life, and his intentions. I recommend this to all American's looking to be inspired by faith, opportunity and boldness. Dr. King was a deep thinker and his ideas and thoughts were not original. I appreciated how much he knew and conveyed his thought process in this book.
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Martin Luther King, Jr. was one of the pivotal leaders of the American civil rights movement. King was a Baptist minister, one of the few leadership roles available to black men at the time. He became a civil rights activist early in his career. He led the Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955–1956) and helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (1957), serving as its first president. His ef...more
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“A man who won't die for something is not fit to live.”
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“There is nothing more majestic than the determined courage of individuals willing to suffer and sacrifice for their freedom and dignity.”
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