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Kennedy and King: The President, the Pastor, and the Battle over Civil Rights

Steven Levingston (Goodreads Author)

4.49 · Rating details · 439 ratings · 86 reviews

Kennedy and King traces the emergence of two of the twentieth century's greatest leaders, their powerful impact on each other and on the shape of the civil rights battle between 1960 and 1963. These two men from starkly different worlds profoundly influenced each other's personal development. Kennedy's hesitation on civil rights spurred King to greater acts of courage, and ...more

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ebook, 352 pages

Published May 16th 2017 by Hachette Books

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Aug 15, 2017 Erin rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: the-kennedy-s, august-2017

A man does what he must, in spite of personal consequences, in spite of obstacles and dangers and pressure and that is the basis of all human morality.

Over the last few days I've heard people repeatedly say "This country is better than this"

But Is it?

The events of this book took place over fifty years ago and yet they also took place over the weekend.

Maybe America isnt better than this. Maybe this is America.

America is judged on its actions. Around the world we are seen as a beacon of democra A man does what he must, in spite of personal consequences, in spite of obstacles and dangers and pressure and that is the basis of all human morality.

Over the last few days I've heard people repeatedly say "This country is better than this"

But Is it?

The events of this book took place over fifty years ago and yet they also took place over the weekend.

Maybe America isnt better than this. Maybe this is America.

America is judged on its actions. Around the world we are seen as a beacon of democracy. Our leaders are seen as a reflection of our values. I believe that to be true. In 1960 the country picked a President they saw as a reflection of the country's values. President Kennedy was that leader. The New Frontier as it was called was young(Kennedy is still our youngest President) vibrant, and seen as more inclusive. African Americans who at the time voted mostly Republican voted in large numbers for Kennedy. Part of what motivated African Americans to vote in mass for Kennedy was Kennedys attempt in the last weeks of the campaign to win the release of Dr. Martin Luther King from jail.

Dr. King was not a fan of Kennedy or any other politician but Jack Kennedy's call to Coretta Scott King started a conversation between the two men that would continue on/off from election day to Dallas.

President Kennedy was not a moral leader on the issue of Civil Rights until he was pushed by Dr. King, Jackie Robinson(who by the way didn't stand for the National Anthem), Harry Belafonte, and his brother Robert Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was man of his time. He wasnt racist but he didn't understand the African American cause either. Seeing pictures and video of The Klan and the police beating people in the street moved him to demand change.

A real President is a moral leader. A real President knows the difference between right and wrong.

Kennedy and King is a must read especially in the current climate we live in. This book is gripping and moving. Dr. King showed moral courage in his fight for Civil Rights.

The fact that the "man" who currently lives in the White House shares more in common with Bull Connor(Google him) and George Wallace is a sad indictment of this country and its people.

I recommend this book to everyone but especially those who see Neo Nazis as fine people. ...more

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Jan 10, 2018 Jason rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: best-reads-of-the-year, civil-rights-history, president-john-f-kennedy, presidential-campaigns, mississippi, alabama

This was the first book I read in 2018. This subject is not new or foreign to me in the least bit. It was released last year but all the same I knew I had to read it the first time I laid eyes on it. Suffice to say I was not in the least bit disappointed.

John Kennedy is my hero. There - I've said it, I've put it out there. There is nothing that anyone can say that would make me hate him or stop idolizing him...ever. (OK, the fact that he cheated on Jackie upsets me to no end but I've managed to This was the first book I read in 2018. This subject is not new or foreign to me in the least bit. It was released last year but all the same I knew I had to read it the first time I laid eyes on it. Suffice to say I was not in the least bit disappointed.

John Kennedy is my hero. There - I've said it, I've put it out there. There is nothing that anyone can say that would make me hate him or stop idolizing him...ever. (OK, the fact that he cheated on Jackie upsets me to no end but I've managed to still find a way to worship him, I just do it on my own terms is all) I think the one thing that angers me regarding JFK's stance on Civil Rights was just why in the world did he have to be so passive-aggressive towards it? Many historians that I've read say that he was only trying to work with the Legislative branch to get his programs passed and didn't want to upset the apple cart and fan the latent flames of racism that were so prevalent within the House and Senate at the time.

Martin Luther King on the other hand - whoa Baby! This was a man who lived each day as he preached, nonviolent to the core. If anything what I admire deeply in Dr. King is his dogged determination to keep on keeping on no matter what the cost or what the naysayers say. He wanted President Kennedy so badly to create and pass as he called it "the Second Emancipation Proclamation" no matter how or when he just wanted it done NOW. In a way, was Dr. King oblivious to the way the laws were made but nonetheless it was amazing to see just how he fit into this story.

The entire run of the JFK-MLK relationship is here. It starts with Kennedy trying to get an endorsement out of the Civil Rights leader during the campaign of 1960 and goes all the way through chronologically to the 1963 March on Washington where after his immortal speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial King meets with Kennedy in the Cabinet Room at the White House. For me, it was fascinating to read about the back stories to some of the now iconic moments of the Movement: the Freedom Rides, the Oxford riots, the Birmingham Campaign and to see just how exactly they were handled by each man.

Not the greatest book I've read on JFK or the Movement but it's up there. Now I want to read Branch's King trilogy and McWhorter's "Carry Me Home." ...more

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Sep 29, 2019 Porter Broyles rated it really liked it

Shelves: genre-presidents, genre-biographies, genre-civil-rights, america-1940-1968-no-wwii

I do not understand why JFK is held in such high regards when it comes to the Civil Rights battle. I know this is not going to be a popular stand, but Bobby Kennedy and LBJ fought harder for Civil Rights than JFK ever did!

Kennedy was not a man of action or lead by his convictions. In 1954, he was the only senator not to vote on the censure of his family friend Joseph McCarthy. While every other Democrat voted to censure McCarthy, Kennedy did not (he didn't vote due to back pain). Shortly thereaf I do not understand why JFK is held in such high regards when it comes to the Civil Rights battle. I know this is not going to be a popular stand, but Bobby Kennedy and LBJ fought harder for Civil Rights than JFK ever did!

Kennedy was not a man of action or lead by his convictions. In 1954, he was the only senator not to vote on the censure of his family friend Joseph McCarthy. While every other Democrat voted to censure McCarthy, Kennedy did not (he didn't vote due to back pain). Shortly thereafter, he wrote his Pulitzer prize winning book “Profiles in Courage.” (A book that probably only won the Pulitzer due to his father’s influence.) Levingston postulates that JFK was inspired to write the book because of his failure to condemn McCarthyism.

Prior to the 1960 election, Kennedy’s track record was so weak that most Civil Rights leaders thought that Nixon would be the better choice. This changed at the last moment when JFK called to MLK’s wife while King was in prison and Bobby Kennedy, acting on his own, worked to obtain MLK’s freedom.

After elected, JFK stood on the sideline on race issues. He did not act or do anything of substance to help the black community. He made some minor changes in his immediate surrounding (JFK clearly did not have negative views of black Americans, but he was unable to take a public stand on their behalf.)

In his first years as president, he had numerous opportunities to speak out on Civil Rights, but did not. As the 100th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation approached, Civil Rights leaders pushed the President to make a “second Emancipation Proclamation” concerning segregation. While Kennedy appeared to be open to the idea (probably wanted to personally) he lacked to courage to do so.

Having missed the opportunity, he sought to make amends by celebrating Lincoln’s birthday at the White House by inviting a number of Civil Rights leaders. When one, who was not invited, showed up with his white wife, Kennedy freaked out. JFK was worried how having a mixed-race couple at the White House would be viewed in South. He threatened the photographers and told them not to take any pictures of the mixed race couple---or to let them be photographed with the Kennedy's. Jackie made a token appearance and left the celebration.

Incident after incident left JFK speechless.

It wasn’t until June of 1963, 5 months before his death, that JFK finally took a stand on the issue of segregation---but that was only after public sentiment started to change due to acts of violence against Civil Rights protestors were caught on film. JFK was essentially forced to respond to violence in Birmingham Alabama and took a stand. While his change of heart appears to have been sincere, some Civil Rights leaders saw it as too little too late.

Kennedy empathized with the black community and made proposals for several pieces of legislation. Left to their own devices, those pieces of legislation would have (like virtually every other Civil Rights bill in the previous century) died on the vine. Kennedy lacked the political savy or connections to push the bills through the Semate.

After his death, his successor, LBJ, would masterfully use JFK’s legacy to push the bills through Congress.

I’ve been wanting to read this book to discover what I had missed in the story. Why JFK is seen as the champion of the Civil Rights movement---a title that Bobby Kennedy or LBJ seem more worthy of.

Having finished this book, I have to conclude that the only thing Kennedy really did was empathize with the plight of Black America and to make a few speeches shortly before his death. I do not want to undermine or underappreciate the importance of the President empathizing with the black plight, but JFK was not a profile in courage.

I enjoyed the book. While I was familiar with most of the issues discussed, it was good to see how King/Kennedy interacted. The book is a solid introduction to the Civil Rights movement and it is well written. ...more

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Jul 28, 2017 Nancy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2017

Finished: 01 November 2017
Genre: non-ficiton, history
Score: A
Review: I read and listened to this book. The audio brought the story to life with the whisperered voices of Jackie Kennedy and Coretta King, JFK’s Boston Kennedy accent, MLK’s booming preaching voice and Governor John Patterson of Alabama as the snarling white segregationist. This book shone light on the shadows in my own memories of the 1960's. Steven Levingston’s Kennedy and King is masterpiece of historical narrative. Every page sp ...more

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Sep 09, 2017 Mehrsa rated it really liked it

If you've read the Taylor Branch histories and other Civil Rights histories, there's not much new here, but this is still a great read about the evolution of these two men. Well, it's more about the evolution of Kennedy than King, but the latter was instrumental in it I suppose. I also don't like histories of Civil Rights written as though the 64 and 65 Acts were a fait complit. Not by a longshot. Still, read this one. And may more come out. Maybe a Johnson and Abernathy or a Johnson and King. M ...more

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Jun 08, 2017 Hill Krishnan rated it it was amazing

It's a masterpiece indeed! ...more

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Apr 06, 2018 Jerry Murch rated it it was amazing

A must read....especially in this political climate. Very good. Gave me a whole new perspective on Kennedy, and even more respect for Dr. King.

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Mar 08, 2019 Noah Goats rated it it was amazing

JFK was a pragmatic politician who was sympathetic, in an aloof sort of way, to the cause of civil rights, but who had other concerns that seemed more important to him. He always placed the economy, the cold war, and political considerations far above civil rights on his list of priorities. MLK was an idealistic visionary who led people who were fed up with 100 years of continued subjugation following the emancipation proclamation.

In this book Steven Levingston does a great job of bringing this ...more

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Sep 02, 2017 Angela rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: kennedys, favorites

"I don't care if the United States gets the first man on the moon, if while this is happening on a crash basis, we dawdle along here on our corner of the earth, nursing our prejudices, flouting our magnificent Constitution, ignoring the central moral problem of our times, and appearing hypocrites to all the world."

**Not exactly apart of the review but if you're interested there is a song that perfectly exemplifies the quote above. Gil Scott-Heron sang a poem "Whitey on the Moon" in 1970 in respo "I don't care if the United States gets the first man on the moon, if while this is happening on a crash basis, we dawdle along here on our corner of the earth, nursing our prejudices, flouting our magnificent Constitution, ignoring the central moral problem of our times, and appearing hypocrites to all the world."

**Not exactly apart of the review but if you're interested there is a song that perfectly exemplifies the quote above. Gil Scott-Heron sang a poem "Whitey on the Moon" in 1970 in response to the moon landing in 1969.

Now onto the review:
I would be remiss not to make the obvious connections of the past to what is currently and, if I'm being honest, has always been going on. Whether it be systemic or individual, the legacy of white supremacy is the legacy of America, and while some are shocked by what happened in Charleston, the pardoning of Joe Arpaio, all the hate crimes committed before and after January, I'm not. You might say I'm more aligned with James Baldwin's way of thinking which is, "What else is new?"

Throughout our history up into the present day there have been politicians who were racist and their policies reflected that, and there have been ones who don't hold those angry biases and in fact want to change things but hold back for fear of upsetting those in power and in the voting polls that are loud and proud when white supremacy is challenged. It's only until they stand firmly by their convictions that change can truly happen. Kennedy was one of those presidents.

“He did, in fact, represent about the best that white America had to offer, but this was tragic b/c he did not have empathy.”

In a time when to be racist was the norm. The Kennedy brothers and other white moderates were as close to a sympathetic ear you could hope for. Despite that the young; charismatic Kennedy, in large part, won the presidency by garnering the (Northern) African-American vote. He made promises to pass legislation and be a champion of Civil Rights far exceeding his predecessors. However, when he got into office he felt an obligation to maintain order rather than justice, for fear of upsetting the racists who supported him so long as he kept his mouth shut. This snail-like pace caused many black activists, most notably Martin Luther King Jr. to have a hot and cold relationship with the new administration.

In this book you get the detailed accounts of how each painful step to move forward by MLK and others was pushed back not only by the obvious segregationists, but an administration that was hoping the battle over Civil Rights wouldn’t turn into an actual battle. Kennedy was disheartened by the treatment of blacks in a country he felt was better than this, but at the same time was unwilling to fully commit to an issue he didn’t entirely seem to realize was as American as apple pie. On top of that he had to deal with foreign affairs. Situations such as the Cuban Missile Crisis, Bay of Pigs, and on a lighter note, the dream of sending a man into space (although this also was steeped in tensions b/w the US and U.S.S.R).

In the end it took immense pressure from activists such as MLK, John Lewis, Harry Belafonte, Jackie Robinson, James Baldwin, etc. to spur the president and his brother into action. You can relate a lot of the reaction towards what happened then to people’s reactions toward what’s happening now. Like BLM of today, the Civil Rights Movement saw different organizations such as SNCC, NAACP, and SCLC coordinating together. These groups were all well-versed in nonviolent forms of protest yet were called “radicals” and “agitators,” and were sometimes just as hated by white moderates as racist mobs and cops were. They were seen as having caused the problem simply by standing up in the first place. And if a few outliers responded more aggressively, the whole movement was demonized. Unfortunately, while Jack and Bobby didn’t agree with segregationists, when nonviolent protestors were mistreated, they begrudgingly helped secure their safety and rights. These protests got Kennedy to act but at the same time made him resent the activists. He felt it better to work it out slowly and in a room rather than out on the streets. But those protests are what made the entire country and the president stop and pay attention.

To keep white criticism largely off the president, Bobby did a lot of the legwork with the president’s approval, of course. When black students were barred from registering at school and Freedom Riders were attacked he made calls, negotiated, and hesitantly would bring out federal troops if need be. When MLK repeatedly found himself in jail Kennedy himself called to extend his sympathies to Coretta or would try to secretly bail him out. Despite these moves, MLK knew it wasn't enough and that he had to keep pushing and encouraging Kennedy to do what he knew was truly in the president's heart. Inspired by younger activists around this time, MLK became more "radical," which really just means he refused to stop protesting. The escalation of racial tension caused the president and his brother to dig deeper in the end. One of my favorite parts in this book is when Bobby decided to meet with James Baldwin, Harry Belafonte, Lorraine Hansberry and other activists to try and understand the rage that was beginning to fester and make people less and less willing to listen to MLK's talk of nonviolence. Those there that night knew the president and Attorney General Robert Kennedy weren’t racist but also knew them to be lacking the moral courage to push forward despite the book, Profiles in Courage, JFK published years before when he was just a senator.

“Bobby’s attempt fell flat when he tried to equate his family’s discrimination as immigrant Irish Catholics with the bigotry blacks endured…'that in the next fifty yrs or so, a Negro can be president.' Baldwin was unimpressed with that reasoning, ‘Your family has been here for three generations… My family has been here far longer than that. Why is your brother at the top while we are still so far away?'”

You might say it didn’t go well because they really ripped into him but I’d say it was the best thing that could’ve happened because after that Bobby seemed to be far more sympathetic and devoted to the cause.

In the end, before the president's life was sadly taken away, Kennedy found his voice and spoke definitively on Civil Rights. He proposed legislation that, due his assassination, would later be pushed forward by Johnson instead. His willingness to no longer be a spectator silently moving behind the scenes, but instead voicing out loud on national television that these injustices will no longer be tolerated, further cemented his legacy in history and in people's hearts. As a result, his picture would be put up on the walls of many black homes after his death. Both Jack and Bobby went through a evolution in those three years (for Bobby, even more so as the yrs went on) with the huge influence of King and others who fought so hard for equal rights. During this time MLK showed incredible strength while having to deal not only with staunch racists, indifferent moderates, but also the FBI's harassment and slander. While we may never know what could’ve been if these three giants hadn’t been taken away from us so soon, we do know that they accomplished and stood for things so far-reaching that we still look back on them today in order to fight the battles of tomorrow. With what’s going on in America now, I feel it’s all the more necessary to pick up books like this. To take pride in what they achieved together and to learn to apply it today. ...more

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Mar 12, 2018 Gavin rated it really liked it

Thoroughly enjoyed this book delving into the growth and interaction of Dr. King and President Kennedy. Both had their flaws, but both made decisions that changed America. I am still amazed by the hatred and rationalization that stood in their way and has caused so much pain and tragedy over our history.

Well worth your read, one can't always say it, but I learned some things with this book that I have not found in others on the same subject and era. ...more

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Nov 02, 2019 Bill rated it really liked it

This turned about to be an interesting book, due in part to the fact that it was not so much abut MLK and JFK, but about the three year period of JFK's presidency, as it relates to civil rights. The book has more about RFK than JFK, which is due to the need for responses to events such as the Freedom Rides. I learned a good deal about those rides, and some of the lesser-known folks in the fight for civil rights. ...more

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Feb 18, 2018 J rated it it was amazing

Informative, readable and convicting. Finished the book with even more respect for Dr. King and all of the other civil rights activists like Harry Belafonte, James Baldwin, John Lewis, Fred Shuttlesworth, Jackie Robinson, and so many more.

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Sep 25, 2017 Gerard rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Great book on understanding the differences between these two pivotal leaders in history.

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Oct 07, 2020 Robbie rated it it was amazing

Amazing ride through the 50s and 60s through the eyes of its two most polarizing leaders. As the book (and time) progresses, Kennedy and King’s lives and ultimately legacies become more and more intertwined. Highly recommend, and a must read for any King/JFK enthusiast!

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Jan 13, 2018 Lee rated it it was amazing

I could not put this book down. I knew many of the bits and pieces of history related to these two prominent American figures but this book really brought it all together for me. I learned so much and feel the Civil Rights struggle so much more deeply as a result. This all happened not so long ago and I am clearer now on why our country still has so much work to do.

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Dec 31, 2018 Stan Prager rated it it was amazing

Review of: Kennedy and King: The President, the Pastor, and the Battle Over Civil Rights,
by Steven Levingston
by Stan Prager (12-31-18)

The fifty-five years since John F. Kennedy was assassinated has seen his standing rise considerably among both historians and the general public, even putting him into the top ten on some lists, which is remarkable for a man who served such as brief tenure—only 1,036 days—as President, yet is less surprising perhaps when juxtaposed with his successors, whom he ce ...more

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Mar 07, 2018 Susan O rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle, pres-kennedy, civil-rights, audible

Excellent! Levingston's writing is engaging and nicely paced. He gives enough background to provide context and basic biographical details of Kennedy and King, but not so much to become boring if you are already familiar with these men and events. Having read Parting the Waters: Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement 1954-63 by Taylor Branch and Bearing the Cross: Martin Luther King, JR., and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference by David Garrow, the events were not new to me. W ...more

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Aug 16, 2017 Lynn rated it it was amazing

Excellent book about the civil rights era.

Although I was a kid then and thought I remembered a lot, reading this book I realized I really didn't take in that much at the time.
For example, I didn't know that King had used child protestors in Birmingham.
Or the extent and ferocity of the violence. And how the protestors, while non-violent, basically put themselves in positions where there would be violence against them in order to get attention from the white establishment, especially the Kennedys, ...more

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Jul 22, 2020 Wally Wood rated it it was amazing

I picked up Kennedy and King: The President, the Pastor, and the Battle Over Civil Rights by Steven Levingston because I'm revising my novel which is set in the period right after the time this history covers. My book begins with JFK's assassination; Levingston's book ends just before it with the August 1963 March on Washington and King's: "I have a dream that little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the color of their characte I picked up Kennedy and King: The President, the Pastor, and the Battle Over Civil Rights by Steven Levingston because I'm revising my novel which is set in the period right after the time this history covers. My book begins with JFK's assassination; Levingston's book ends just before it with the August 1963 March on Washington and King's: "I have a dream that little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the color of their character."

Levingston spends the first chapters covering Kennedy's and King's biographies to put the rest of the book into a context. The bulk of the text, however, is a history of their activities and their evolving relationship between the 1960 presidential campaign and the March. This is history, but at times it reads like a novel as, just one example, a white crowd follows a Greyhound Bus with Freedom Riders out of Anniston, Alabama. The Freedom Riders planned to eat at interstate terminals that were, in theory, protected by Federal law under the Interstate Commerce Commission Act. The bus is forced off the road, windows are smashed, a Molotov cocktail is thrown inside, and the mob blocks the exit. Fortunately, the bus passengers included two armed undercover Alabama state police who, however they felt about outside agitators, were not willing to die and helped the riders leave the bus where the Freedom Riders were beaten by the mob.

Because so much time has passed but not so much time that everyone involved is beyond being interviewed (pace John Lewis), Levingston is able to read the slanders about King that Herbert Hoover was able to put in front of Kennedy. As Senator and later as President, John F. Kennedy did not regard the Civil Rights as a major interest. He cared, but he also cared about Southern votes in congress and did not want to offend them. He seems to have felt that while Jim Crow was a bad thing, it would eventually go away and that sit-ins, Freedom Rides, marches and demonstrations were just making a bad situation worse.

JFK was more interested in international affairs, was scalded by the Bay of Pigs debacle, and during this period had to confront Russian missiles in Cuba. He did want Black votes and he courted King before the 1960 presidential election. King did not endorse Kennedy or Nixon, however, feeling that the Southern Christian Leadership Conference should keep out of presidential politics. JFK's brother Robert, the Attorney General, was delegated to deal with the situation in the South. Robert seems to have become more sympathetic over time to black aspirations and impatient with implacable southern official like Sheriff "Bull" Connor and Governor George Wallace.

The book covers—sometimes almost hour-by-hour—the Montgomery bus boycott, the Albany Movement, the "Letter from Birmingham jail," the police dogs' attack on peaceful protestors about which Robert Kennedy said, "The dogs and the [fire] hoses and the pictures with the Negroes [being attacked in Birmingham, AL] is what created a feeling in the United States that more needed to be done."

We read about the involvement of Harry Belafonte, Jackie Robinson, James Baldwin, Wyatt Walker, Nicholas Katzenbach, Harris Wofford, and more, and more. Fortunately the book comes with an index, notes, and an extensive bibliography.

It's an interesting history to read at this moment. The country continues to struggle with its racial history. On the one hand, Kennedy and King indicates how far we've come: no more segregated lunch counters, white-only drinking fountains, poll taxes and preposterous literary tests to register to vote. On the other hand, how far we have yet to go when we can watch a white police officer murder a black man on the street. We're not where King (or Kennedy for that matter) would want us to be, but Levingston's history can help us see where we've come from. ...more

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Aug 14, 2019 Miguel Arvelo rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, 2019, audiobooks, non-fiction, history, biographies-memoirs, politics

A thought provoking, captivating, and entertaining look at two of U.S. History's icons.

This is the kind of book our children should be reading in school. Steven Levingston manages to make history entertaining and appealing without losing the serious tone of the topic at hand. The book is written in such a way that the reader is truly transported to the events that transpired in Washington DC , Alabama, and other southern states in the late 50s and early 60s. A true masterpiece of historical stor A thought provoking, captivating, and entertaining look at two of U.S. History's icons.

This is the kind of book our children should be reading in school. Steven Levingston manages to make history entertaining and appealing without losing the serious tone of the topic at hand. The book is written in such a way that the reader is truly transported to the events that transpired in Washington DC , Alabama, and other southern states in the late 50s and early 60s. A true masterpiece of historical storytelling.

I decided that in order to be a better informed person and to be able to comprehend the struggles and positions of today's black activists and civil right advocates I needed, I strongly needed, to learn more about Martin Luther King Jr. Little did I know that in Kennedy and King: The President, the Pastor, and the Battle over Civil Rights I would not only find information, but true understanding of the battle some people went through roughly 60 years ago for their constitutional and human rights. To see how racists and bigots reacted to non-violent manifestations is simply mind boggling. What this book allows the reader is to grasp that in the "land of the free" there were those who were willing to kill another human being simply for sitting on a bus, going to school, or having lunch next to them.

In one end, this book allowed me to understand better how far we've gotten with regards to racial integration as a society. It is a sad reality that as long as there is people there will always be racists and bigots, but the fact that we've gotten so far in mere decades gives me hope. Today I can understand better why the confederate flag can be seen as a symbol for racism, and it is not only for what it meant during the days of the American Civil War in the 1860s, but more importantly for what it represented to individuals like "Dynamite Bob" , George Wallace, and "Bull" Connor in the 1960s.

I feel I can be a more empathetic individual after reading this book and learning about the heroes of the Albany Movement and the Birmingham campaign. I can also understand what the Jefferson assassination really meant to the American "negro", and my appreciation for the black icon Martin Luther King Jr soared up to new heights. ...more

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Jan 18, 2021 Mannie Liscum rated it it was amazing

“Kennedy and King” by Steven Levingston is a deep, rich and well-old story of the late 50’s/early 60’s Civil Rights movement and the intersection of two leaders of the time: Martin Luther King Jr and John F. Kennedy. Though King’s foray into the Civil Rights movement started largely by accident in Montgomery, AL during the bus boycott while he was a lead pastor at Dexter Ave Baptist Church; once captured by the movement he never lost his passion or focus. Kennedy, on the other hand, only slowly “Kennedy and King” by Steven Levingston is a deep, rich and well-old story of the late 50’s/early 60’s Civil Rights movement and the intersection of two leaders of the time: Martin Luther King Jr and John F. Kennedy. Though King’s foray into the Civil Rights movement started largely by accident in Montgomery, AL during the bus boycott while he was a lead pastor at Dexter Ave Baptist Church; once captured by the movement he never lost his passion or focus. Kennedy, on the other hand, only slowly and ever so cautiously (from a political and personal standpoint) came to embrace the fight for equal rights. Though his ideals were always fairly enlightened, Kennedy was sheltered by his privilege and tempered by his political ambitions. King impressed upon the young new President from his first days in office (and even before to candidate Kennedy) the need for a Second Emancipation Proclamation to sweep clean the injustices of systemic racism, something Kennedy never acceded too. The Presidents brother and Attorney General, Bobby Kennedy, took most of the lead on Civil Rights for the Kennedy Administration. Bobby consistently showed more passion for the cause than his brother Jack, but certainly Bobby did few things without his brothers full consent. Finally in the wake of the 1963 ‘children’s marches’ and the violent reprisals by Bull Conner’s men in Birmingham, AL, the President finally found his moral center and voice on the issue of equality. The nation too was ‘awoken’ by the scenes from Birmingham, ‘the most segregated city in the US.’ Sadly Kennedy’s evolution came too late to know exactly what ‘might have been,’ as he was dead from an assassins bullet just a few months later. Fortunately for America another evolution had taken place (at least a political one of loyalty to his former boss) in Southerner LBJ, the new President who then took up the mantle of Civil Rights legislation. Bobby Kennedy and MKL survived JFK, but only by less than 5 years each; both, like JFK, also being cut down by assassin bullets. “Kennedy and King” is a wonderful read about a turbulent and important time in our nations story, one that is still struggling to find and achieve its better angels. 5 stars. ...more

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Jan 21, 2019 Joseph J. rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: 20th century political, Kennedy, civil rights buffs

Here is the magnificent story of two men with little (privileged sons?) or nothing in common, whose times demand their leadership and common purpose in the goal of securing basic American rights for African American citizens. This is a story of growth. Young JFK campaigns where no former Boston politician went- into black businesses. Yet his basic experience with blacks seems to be with his valet-a surprisingly friendly and equal relationship as it were. Martin Luther King Jr. is the son of a le ...more

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Apr 22, 2018 Linda rated it liked it

Shelves: history

This book presents a detailed examination of JFK’s education on the desperate need for action to advance civil rights, and the need for the federal government with Kennedy at its helm to drive that action. MLK was the most visible leader of the civil rights movement, but he certainly did not work alone; there were many other leaders and groups, and many individuals who put their lives on the line (many permanently injured or killed in the process) to expose the appalling inequalities in the Sout ...more

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Nov 20, 2019 Frank rated it it was amazing

Shelves: biography, politics, non-fiction

Rarely have I come across a book is masterfully part-history, part-storytelling, and part-biography. The civil rights movement of the 1960s has many key figures, but at the center are definitely JFK and MLK. Levingston puts it best when he said the two needed each other: King needed Kennedy to take on an active role as an advocate on civil rights, and Kennedy needed King to subdue the protests that are leading to more violence. In the epilogue, Levingston also connected the relevance of the civi ...more

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Nov 14, 2017 Margaret rated it it was amazing

I love this book. It's very well-written, and fills in some gaps in my knowledge of the civil rights struggle during the early 1960's. I was a supporter of JFK when he was running in the Democratic primary in Wisconsin, as a member of the Marquette Young Democrats. The author follows his progression as a person mainly interested in international relations but a strong supporter of human rights in his heart, to one who learns of the abominations committed against his fellow human beings in a more ...more

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Jul 25, 2020 Socraticgadfly rated it really liked it

Shelves: biography, history

Solid four-star, but can't go higher than that.

Levingston gave me some new food for thought on Jack and Bobby on civil rights, but I'm ultimately not fully buying it. Perhaps Jack had some degree more of real interest than I've thought before, and perhaps some of his real interest was beyond a law and order angle even before summer 1963. But, I don't think it was as much as Levingston states. He also doesn't address whether or not Jack's increased interest in civil rights in 1963 was due to det ...more

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Jul 17, 2017 Robert S rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: history, nonfiction, biography, politics

Kennedy and King offers the reader a new take on both men, a rare dual biography that sets the stage with the main issue that brings both men to the center being civil rights.

However, this new take largely treads over a lot of older ground. Kennedy and King is certainly a well-researched, well-written, and well put-together read about the two men coupled with their roles in shaping the Civil Rights Movement of the early 1960s.

Most of the details included here have been discussed elsewhere in fa ...more

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Oct 11, 2018 Craig rated it it was amazing

This is an excellent study on the interpersonal relationship between JFK and MLK. The author presented a thorough investigation that was well documented and written. Although the relationship and interactions of these two public icons was fragmented in nature, the author presented their story in a consistent and well connected timeline of events and interactions. In equal fashion, the author was able to narrate a very complex relationship (interpersonal) between two very complicated men (intrape ...more

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May 05, 2020 Lorcan Neill rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: history, politics, favorites, people

One can only wonder what the world would be like today had we not lost John F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, and Martin Luther King well before their time. The impact that those three men had on the civil rights movement is immeasurable. All three had incredibly different personalities, styles, and agendas - but all three are responsible for uplifting the moral compass of America. They are true American heroes.

“Kennedy and King” is one of the best books I have ever read. Tremendously written, Living ...more

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Sep 13, 2017 Shelly Saczynski rated it it was amazing

Amazing! Read this book! This book has touched me as no other book covering this material has. Extraordinary. I didn't think this at first, the start seems pretty low key and not inspirational. The accounting of the transformation in Kennedy is fascinating. I have read other books about civil rights in the 60's including Taylor Branch's excellent work, but this book moved me and stays with me in ways that others haven't. It may be particularly meaningful to me in light of events in this country ...more

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About Steven Levingston

Steven Levingston

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Steven Levingston is the non-fiction book editor of the Washington Post and author of "Kennedy and King", "Little Demon in the City of Light", and "The Kennedy Baby." He has lived and worked in Beijing, Hong Kong, New York, Paris, and Washington and reported and edited for the Wall Street Journal and International Herald Tribune. ...more