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hopecaldwell's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars A thoroughly researched, very detailed account of the events in Birmingham, Alabama, leading up to and including the bombing of the 16th Street Church, in which four young black girls perished. This book drops names like Martin Luther King, Jr., John Lewis, Andrew Young, and many more. It is a Civil Rights history lesson, especially during 1963, when it is set.
I originally started this book years ago, then found it calling me back as our nation has grappled with our racial identity.
I originally started this book years ago, then found it calling me back as our nation has grappled with our racial identity.
twotoes's review against another edition
challenging
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
4.0
I listened to this & there is something lackadaisical about the speaker. I'm not sure if it adds to the experience or detracts from it. The book is dense with details & names. The author includes her family's story which I didn't care for.
teriboop's review against another edition
5.0
Carry Me Home is a thorough account of the history of the fight for civil rights in Birmingham, Alabama. McWhorter gives detailed background on the politics behind segregationist groups, Dixiecrats, and the Freedom Movement. Also covered are the Freedom Rides, local marches led by Martin Luther King and Fred Shuttlesworth, and the various bombings in the area, culminating with the bombing at the 16th Street Baptist Church that killed four young girls during Sunday School. McWhorter wraps up with a follow up on what happened to the major players, and the trials of the two remaining bombers that led to their convictions. Interspersed throughout the book are the author's own recollections of these years and the part her father may or may not have played in any nefarious acts.
This was a very good book and worthy of its Pulitzer Prize. It was exhaustive and is very dense but very much worth the read. It definitely takes you to that time and helps the reader to understand the climate and tense atmosphere of Birmingham, Alabama from the early 40s through the 60s and beyond.
This was a very good book and worthy of its Pulitzer Prize. It was exhaustive and is very dense but very much worth the read. It definitely takes you to that time and helps the reader to understand the climate and tense atmosphere of Birmingham, Alabama from the early 40s through the 60s and beyond.
franschulman9's review against another edition
5.0
The book is the story of Birmingham,Alabama from 1938 through 1963, focusing on how events in the hotbed of segregation ultimately led to civil rights. The author covers all aspects - African American civil rights leaders like King and Shuttlesworth, organizations fighting for civil rights, Klu Klax Klan members, the business establishment, the local police, political figures like Wallace and O’Connor, the FBI, the Kennedy Administration, and the upper middle class of the city who hid in their heads in the sand. She also explores the involvement of her family members in the events. The book is very detailed and I found it very slow, but fascinating, reading. Highly recommend for those wanting to learn more about the civil rights movement.
arista_k's review against another edition
4.0
Rounding up to 3.5 stars. It gives a very granular view of 1960s Birmingham and I appreciated the glimpse of the debates within the Movement about tactics and goals, but it was probably TOO granular for most readers (and certainly me). She seems to devote ink to nearly every meeting, every phone call, and every press conference. It sucked some of the emotion out of the story. Maybe that was the point? These were historical events experienced by real people and it was messy, motives were mixed, and progress was incremental (and sometimes elusive)? Anyway, I can appreciate what she did here, hence the 3.5, it was just made for dense reading.
dansbooks's review
5.0
With so much new history of the civil rights movement, it's hard to pick out favorites - but this one's right up there at the top of my list. One of its many strengths is how, alongside her accounts of the various strands of the movement itself, McWhorter presents a very sharp analysis of the ways in which different segments of the white community responded to the Movement.
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