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suebrownreads's review against another edition
5.0
I enjoyed this book very much. King was such an intellectual and so well-read! This book is a compilation of speeches, sermons and excerpts from his books. Many I had heard, but some I had not. I loved his sermon on Gandhi. He states that Gandhi was the greatest Christian who ever lived who was not a Christian. I love this because I don't think it matters what religion you are if you are following a righteous path, and promoting human dignity and lifting up those in need. Every time I hear King's words I am inspired to be better, to be more aware, to care for others and be open to our differences, and to lift up the poor and downtrodden. We can all be a catalyst for change.
dondashall's review against another edition
5.0
Finally got around to reading this. It was a very enlightening read. This is not a biography or commentary but simply a collection of MLK's writing curated and introduced by Cornel West. It really gave me a more profound insight into his politics (which was more complex than most discussions tend to show, even me who knew about that didn't know the full extent) but also pacifism in general. I'm not against violence to resist oppression, non-violence does not always work, but I will admit to having a more limited understanding of non-violence which has been expanded by this book.
courtneyhaass's review against another edition
5.0
“As a nation we are still unable to hear and bear all his (MLK’s) words…”
ryceejo's review against another edition
4.0
Can I mark it as read if I didn’t finish it? I only read the first 100 pages, because 2021 is chalking up to be a lot like 2020 and it’s much easier to burn through fiction than to sit and read something with substance. Almost every one of those 100 pages had something amazing on it. I really learned a lot more about MLK and what he REALLY was all about, even though I didn’t finish it. I’m going to see if I’m more successful with audiobooks this year.
susanbrooks's review against another edition
3.0
I mean, I’m not giving MLK the man and his ideas three starts. I was reading to have a better historical background and I have a better understanding now. This collection was read by folks who were not great orators. Some of the speeches were repetitive. But I’m glad I listened and heard more of the depth and breadth of his work, and how little progress we’ve made. He could be speaking today.
adamrshields's review
4.0
Summary: If all you remember from Martin Luther King Jr is his "I have a dream…” speech, The Radical King will round out his legacy.
Last week I finished up an audiobook collection of Howard Thurman’s sermons, prayers, and teachings. What I loved about it was that it was actually Thurman’s voice. The audio quality was not up to current standards, but there was value in hearing his actual voice. The problem with the collection was that it was mostly snippets of content, rarely more than 10 minutes of any particular talk.
The Radical King, edited by Cornel West has the opposite problem. This is full-length sermons or speeches, but they are read by modern celebrity narrators. All of the narrators do a fine job and the audio quality is excellent, but it is not King’s voice and King’s voice is one of the most recognizable of the last century. The reality is that for both of these collections, there are just limitations based on what is available. Cornel West is trying to give insight into the breadth of King’s thinking. Radical seems to promise a bit too much, King was radical for his time, but while there was an article celebrating, Norman Thomas, a prominent socialist, there was also more than one instance of King showing why he was not a communist or socialist.
The Radical King does a good job showing the changes toward the end of his life, paying more attention to economic issues, speaking to a trade union, or his anti-Vietnam bent. He also addresses the Black Power movement, colonialism, antisemitism, and throughout it all, his strong commitment to anti-violence. There are prominent talks or articles here, like The Drum Major Instinct, the Letter from a Birmingham Jail, I’ve Been to the Mountaintop and Where Do We Go From Here. But the emphasis is on is lesser know work.
Cornel West is not particularly trying to show his Christianity here, but as always with King, that faith shines through in almost everything that Martin Luther King Jr says and does.
Last week I finished up an audiobook collection of Howard Thurman’s sermons, prayers, and teachings. What I loved about it was that it was actually Thurman’s voice. The audio quality was not up to current standards, but there was value in hearing his actual voice. The problem with the collection was that it was mostly snippets of content, rarely more than 10 minutes of any particular talk.
The Radical King, edited by Cornel West has the opposite problem. This is full-length sermons or speeches, but they are read by modern celebrity narrators. All of the narrators do a fine job and the audio quality is excellent, but it is not King’s voice and King’s voice is one of the most recognizable of the last century. The reality is that for both of these collections, there are just limitations based on what is available. Cornel West is trying to give insight into the breadth of King’s thinking. Radical seems to promise a bit too much, King was radical for his time, but while there was an article celebrating, Norman Thomas, a prominent socialist, there was also more than one instance of King showing why he was not a communist or socialist.
The Radical King does a good job showing the changes toward the end of his life, paying more attention to economic issues, speaking to a trade union, or his anti-Vietnam bent. He also addresses the Black Power movement, colonialism, antisemitism, and throughout it all, his strong commitment to anti-violence. There are prominent talks or articles here, like The Drum Major Instinct, the Letter from a Birmingham Jail, I’ve Been to the Mountaintop and Where Do We Go From Here. But the emphasis is on is lesser know work.
Cornel West is not particularly trying to show his Christianity here, but as always with King, that faith shines through in almost everything that Martin Luther King Jr says and does.
jordana_dear's review against another edition
5.0
He is not the watered down activist we were taught about in schools. He was so much more. What an inspiration and absolute gift to have this group of writings from Martin Luther King, Jr. It was thought provoking and illuminating, especially since many of the issues he spoke of are issues we see today.
rachelwalexander's review against another edition
5.0
I mean, what is there to say? Everyone should read this - the moral clarity, the challenge this poses to everyone is so, so important and so relevant now.