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alostarre's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
5.0
jexjthomas's review against another edition
3.0
Good but incomplete history of the civil rights movement, centering MLK and obscuring many of the other important players as extras in the MLK story. I often found myself wanting to know more about those men and women and frustrated to see them continually cast as bit players only. Relatedly, the book severely understates the importance of women as being central to the success of the CRM. Worth a read, but only as a jumping off point.
annebennett1957's review against another edition
2.0
I wanted to like this book. I never studied Civil Rights Movement in school so I have had to get my information from books I read and documentaries I've watched. I listened to Taylor Branch speak at a seminar last spring and bought the book to learn more. Unfortunately, The King Years is too truncated. Branch has picked excerpts from his three volume set on Civil Rights which weighs in at over 2000 pages. This book at 200 pages was just too short, yet the excerpts were too dense. The worst of both worlds.
misspalah's review against another edition
4.0
Before you read this book, please pick up any complete history of Martin Luther King Jr. and read it. Some of the reviews here did state that this book is too short. I somehow enjoyed this book because it's compiled of major events that eventually turned him into one of the greatest orators and incredible figures at some point. The author did construct some of the events in his writing and portrayed how MLK handled it. What a great way to invite reader to dig deep in MLK's life.
jwier85's review against another edition
5.0
Just an incredible book. It brings the civil rights movement to life in an almost uncomfortable way. The direct action sequences (notably the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the Freedom Ride, James Meredith enrolling in Ole Miss and Project C in Birmingham) provide so much drama as the action reverberates in state capitols and DC that it’s easy to get swept up in the intrigue and forget that these were people beaten, terrorized and even killed just for demanding the most basic of rights — the right to vote, sit at a lunch counter or choose your seat on a bus.
But it really brings home just how violently people opposed the civil rights movement. It’s also eerie how much echoes through today’s protests, whether through conspiracies that the demand for rights provides cover for socialist plot to undermine America, protestors derided as violent rabble-rousers who should just obey the law (yes, even MLK), or law enforcement inciting violence rather than working to keep the peace.
I’m going to need something lighter before I dive into the second book in Branch’s trilogy, but I’m also eager to continue on. It’s such a monumental achievement.
But it really brings home just how violently people opposed the civil rights movement. It’s also eerie how much echoes through today’s protests, whether through conspiracies that the demand for rights provides cover for socialist plot to undermine America, protestors derided as violent rabble-rousers who should just obey the law (yes, even MLK), or law enforcement inciting violence rather than working to keep the peace.
I’m going to need something lighter before I dive into the second book in Branch’s trilogy, but I’m also eager to continue on. It’s such a monumental achievement.
davehershey's review against another edition
5.0
This book is a beast.
Back in 1998 when I was a freshman, somehow I tested out of the basic composition class required for freshman and into the advanced composition class. This book was one of our assigned texts. I don’t remember how much we were assigned to read but I know for certain I did not read it all.
Its sat on my shelf for the ensuing 22 years. That’s more than half my life.
Wow.
Last summer I picked up volumes 2 and 3 at a used book store. That’s nearly 3,000 pages of history on the era of the Civil Rights movement.
Double Wow.
As the new year dawned, I decided this was the year I dove in. I’ve been reading this monster in bits and pieces, taking breaks to dine on lighter fare such as Stephen King’s Desperation. Also, just to be honest with the four or five people who will read this...I did not read every single word. I mean, come on! Its 920 pages! Branch earns five stars just for the mere accomplishment of this book (in addition to my five stars, he got a Pulitzer). But unless you’re a professional historian or seeking to be, I cannot imagine reading every single word. And definitely not if you’re in your first year of undergrad!
That said, this book is absolutely delightful. I was enthralled reading of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the summer of Freedom Rides and the marches in Birmingham. I was inspired meeting not just Martin Luther King Jr, who looms large to the point this is almost a biography of him, but also of Bayard Rustin, Ralph Abernathy, Stanley Levison, John Lewis and others. Branch most excels when he is drawing the reader into these big events with these amazing people.
You just gotta slog through the names and details in between.
Branch also keeps an eye to the world events, setting the context. The battles between Hoover and RFK in the JFK administration were memorable. So too were the the battles/debates/dialogues between the civil rights leaders and government leaders, first Eisenhower and then JFK.
Sure, Branch could have omitted some details and made it a bit more concise. But I’m not gonna fault him for that. I’d just say if you tackle this one, don’t feel guilty to skim now and then.
I got Pillar of Fire on my shelf which covers 1963-1965 at a paltry 600 pages. That should only take 6 weeks rather than 8!
Back in 1998 when I was a freshman, somehow I tested out of the basic composition class required for freshman and into the advanced composition class. This book was one of our assigned texts. I don’t remember how much we were assigned to read but I know for certain I did not read it all.
Its sat on my shelf for the ensuing 22 years. That’s more than half my life.
Wow.
Last summer I picked up volumes 2 and 3 at a used book store. That’s nearly 3,000 pages of history on the era of the Civil Rights movement.
Double Wow.
As the new year dawned, I decided this was the year I dove in. I’ve been reading this monster in bits and pieces, taking breaks to dine on lighter fare such as Stephen King’s Desperation. Also, just to be honest with the four or five people who will read this...I did not read every single word. I mean, come on! Its 920 pages! Branch earns five stars just for the mere accomplishment of this book (in addition to my five stars, he got a Pulitzer). But unless you’re a professional historian or seeking to be, I cannot imagine reading every single word. And definitely not if you’re in your first year of undergrad!
That said, this book is absolutely delightful. I was enthralled reading of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the summer of Freedom Rides and the marches in Birmingham. I was inspired meeting not just Martin Luther King Jr, who looms large to the point this is almost a biography of him, but also of Bayard Rustin, Ralph Abernathy, Stanley Levison, John Lewis and others. Branch most excels when he is drawing the reader into these big events with these amazing people.
You just gotta slog through the names and details in between.
Branch also keeps an eye to the world events, setting the context. The battles between Hoover and RFK in the JFK administration were memorable. So too were the the battles/debates/dialogues between the civil rights leaders and government leaders, first Eisenhower and then JFK.
Sure, Branch could have omitted some details and made it a bit more concise. But I’m not gonna fault him for that. I’d just say if you tackle this one, don’t feel guilty to skim now and then.
I got Pillar of Fire on my shelf which covers 1963-1965 at a paltry 600 pages. That should only take 6 weeks rather than 8!
braudilio's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
5.0
jeremyanderberg's review against another edition
4.0
In this slim distillation of Branch’s massive trilogy on the Civil Rights Movement, the renowned author aims to share “the gist of the patriotic struggle in which the civil rights pioneers, like modern Founders, moved an inherited world of hierarchy and subjugation toward common citizenship.” As is expected in an abridgment, there’s some context missing and the short chapters feel somewhat clipped, but The King Years is hard to beat as a primer on how the triumphs of that movement came to be.
For my own understanding of that time period, this book was an important read in a couple ways.
First, it helped me realize just how unpopular the Civil Rights Movement was at the time. Upwards of 60% of Americans disapproved of the numerous, near-constant protests, speeches, and “dramatics.” Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr., though revered in our modern age, were two of most hated public figures of the era. Today, for comparison, the Black Lives Matter movement has public support that’s the inverse of 50 years ago, with over 60% of people in favor of the principles behind it.
Second, given the short chapters that focus on pivotal moments, years go by with the turn of a page. The reader realizes just how long and drawn out the fight for civil rights really was. The Montgomery bus boycott was in 1956 and the Civil Rights Act wasn’t passed until 1964, with the Voting Rights Act following on its heels in 1965. It was nearly a decade of struggle and social change for our nation — in the midst of the Cold War and a presidential assassination. The ‘60s were intense, man.
In light of the passing of John Lewis, who makes numerous appearances in the book, this volume is especially worth reading. (As is the entire trilogy, though at over 2,300 pages, it does require some endurance.) More than the other books featured in this article, it provides hope for what could be. As Branch concludes:
Above all, the King years should serve as a bracing reminder that citizens and leaders can work miracles together despite every hardship, against great odds.
For my own understanding of that time period, this book was an important read in a couple ways.
First, it helped me realize just how unpopular the Civil Rights Movement was at the time. Upwards of 60% of Americans disapproved of the numerous, near-constant protests, speeches, and “dramatics.” Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr., though revered in our modern age, were two of most hated public figures of the era. Today, for comparison, the Black Lives Matter movement has public support that’s the inverse of 50 years ago, with over 60% of people in favor of the principles behind it.
Second, given the short chapters that focus on pivotal moments, years go by with the turn of a page. The reader realizes just how long and drawn out the fight for civil rights really was. The Montgomery bus boycott was in 1956 and the Civil Rights Act wasn’t passed until 1964, with the Voting Rights Act following on its heels in 1965. It was nearly a decade of struggle and social change for our nation — in the midst of the Cold War and a presidential assassination. The ‘60s were intense, man.
In light of the passing of John Lewis, who makes numerous appearances in the book, this volume is especially worth reading. (As is the entire trilogy, though at over 2,300 pages, it does require some endurance.) More than the other books featured in this article, it provides hope for what could be. As Branch concludes:
Above all, the King years should serve as a bracing reminder that citizens and leaders can work miracles together despite every hardship, against great odds.
muhly22's review against another edition
5.0
This is the first of three books on the Civil Rights movement by Taylor Branch, and it is a magisterial opening. I've never really understood the motivations and the difficulties of those who courageously fought for their freedom...without fighting. Nor have I ever felt any kind of sympathy for the movement. Not because I was racist, but because it was never alive for me.
In school, whenever we talked about the movement, it was always a dry collection of people and events - MLK, Rosa Parks, the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Birmingham, Medgar Evers, James Meredith, Ole Miss, etc.
All of those are in this book, but Branch doesn't just go through the same old refrain of "segregation is bad, it made blacks second-class citizens, and then they decided to fight back, and a bunch of racist hillbillies acted like monumental jerks, and eventual the good guys won." Instead, Branch brings the movement alive.
For the first time in my life, I found myself wondering whether any of the white men (and women) who engaged in the incredibly racist behavior ever repented, ever felt guilt, for the way they treated fellow human beings.
In school, whenever we talked about the movement, it was always a dry collection of people and events - MLK, Rosa Parks, the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Birmingham, Medgar Evers, James Meredith, Ole Miss, etc.
All of those are in this book, but Branch doesn't just go through the same old refrain of "segregation is bad, it made blacks second-class citizens, and then they decided to fight back, and a bunch of racist hillbillies acted like monumental jerks, and eventual the good guys won." Instead, Branch brings the movement alive.
For the first time in my life, I found myself wondering whether any of the white men (and women) who engaged in the incredibly racist behavior ever repented, ever felt guilt, for the way they treated fellow human beings.
judyward's review against another edition
4.0
This is a fascinating look at the civil rights movement in the United States from 1954 to 1963 and introduces readers to a variety of events and personalities. I was completely mesmerized by this book and wish that the rating system was more flexible. I would definitely give this book a 4.5 and I will be reading the next book in the trilogy very soon.