Photographs of My Father: A Lost Narrative from the Civil Rights Era

by Paul Spike

Paul Spike grew up during the violent conflicts of the American sixties. In this book, he tries to come to terms with his own history and with the life and death of his remarkable father--the Reverend Robert W. Spike. This is the story of two men--one growing up, one murdered--and the bond of love and trust between them. Reverend Spike was a man of character and courage, a prophetic young minister who preached the social gospel. Perhaps the most important white man among the leadership of the black civil rights movement during the early sixties, he played a prominent role in the March on Washington and in the passage of the Civil Rights Bill of 1964. He organized hundreds of ministers for the Selma demonstrations, helped write President Johnson's voting rights speech, and fought to save the Child Development Group of Mississippi in 1966. In the midst of this last struggle he was found bludgeoned to death in Columbus, Ohio. A murder that remains unsolved today. In this honest and searching book, a son tries to understand his father's murder as part of the American chaos, and most deeply as it affected him and his family. The relationship between Paul Spike and his father was intricate, powerful and wholly generous. This book is these things also.

Genres: History

259 pages, Loose Leaf

First published January 1, 1973

Reviews

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

How lucky for the present generation of sometimes confused, often-searching adolescents--not to mention adults--that Cinco Puntos Press has resurrected this compelling story of courage, written when the author was 23! In this account, which provides snippets of the life of Robert Spike, a minister who was deeply involved in the civil rights movement, starting with the National Council of Churches, the author also traces his own coming of age and consciousness raising. As the author describes his father's connections with political movers and shakers and the protest movements in which he was often at the forefront, he also traces his own journey of exploration as he yearns for the typical experiences of adolescence: sex, drugs, alcohol, identity. His attempts to find the right high school in preparation for college are a rather sad commentary on some of the institutions often considered nurturing grounds for the best and the brightest, but not for Paul. Because the story is told so honestly, with no attempt to hide his own flaws or confusion, it is even more believable than it might be otherwise. Throughout his own journey, though, his father is ever-present, sharing anecdotes from the front lines of the civil rights movement, hopeful, determined, and sometimes, exhausted and uncertain about its future. When his father is murdered at 42, a crime that has never been solved, Paul and others are sure that it is an attempt to silence the man and an attempt to discredit him amid rumors about his bisexuality. It's hard to trust the political, legal, or justice system after reading what happened. Readers will be left bereft at the loss of yet-another leader and understand why so many chose to rebel against the status quo. An afterword makes it clear that while writing may be cathartic in many respects, only time can bind the wounds of loss. I wonder how many of us are able to recognize ourselves in his experiences and be inspired to make changes in the world around us and how many will shake their heads that anyone would have ever cared about an issue so much. Thank you, Cinco Puntos Press and Paul Spike, for this moving testimony of a life lived well, cut short far too soon.

[Marley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lost history of the Civil Rights Movement. An incredibly important book that was re-issued 2 years aqo. Who killed Paul Spike, an immensely important and now forgotten figure is an important question . But even more important questions: why was he murdered and why did the Columbus (Ohio) policed over up?

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The audiobook is exceptional - low key noir-ish read by MacLeod Andrews.