Book Description

Hailed as the most masterful story ever told of the American civil rights movement, Parting the Waters is destined to endure for generations.

Moving from the fiery political baptism of Martin Luther King, Jr., to the corridors of Camelot where the Kennedy brothers weighed demands for justice against the deceptions of J. Edgar Hoover, here is a vivid tapestry of America, torn and finally transformed by a revolutionary struggle unequaled since the Civil War.

Taylor Branch provides an unsurpassed portrait of King's rise to greatness and illuminates the stunning courage and private conflict, the deals, maneuvers, betrayals, and rivalries that determined history behind closed doors, at boycotts and sit-ins, on bloody freedom rides, and through siege and murder.

Epic in scope and impact, Branch's chronicle definitively captures one of the nation's most crucial passages. ... Read more

Reviews (21)

An Essential Part of Any Library
This is a book that truly merits the label "must reading." It played a role in changing my own thinking on politics and history when I first read it in the early 1990's. During my "College Republican" days, my view of Martin Luther King, Jr. was not especially favorable, and I was almost totally ignorant of the history and background of the civil rights movement. But after reading Taylor Branch's book, I could no longer shut my eyes to the hard truths to which he bears brilliant witness.

Martin Luther King is the central figure in Branch's narrative, but the book is much more than a biography, as befits its subtitle, "America in the King Years, 1954-63." For example, Branch begins his account with the stormy tenure of Vernon Johns as minister at Montgomery, AL's Dexter Avenue Baptist Church--at which church Johns was replaced by a young man still often known as "Mike" King. By broadening his account beyond King's own experiences, Branch accurately conveys how the civil rights movement was far more than just the activities of a few well-known leaders.

Branch's research would do credit to any professional historian. He conducted hundreds of interviews and worked with a vast amount of primary source material. His writing is compelling, repeatedly capturing the intensity of both public and private events. Even though the hardcover edition is over 900 pages, when I first read it I found it incredibly hard to put aside.

Outstanding social history
Taylor Branch has written a magnificent history of the early civil rights movement, using the life and career of Martin Luther King, Jr. as a framework. Although there is a great deal of information about King's life both public and private, other key players in this great drama also receive extensive treatment. Some, such as John & Robert Kennedy and J. Edgar Hoover, are well-known. Others have received far less recognition: Vernon Johns, the powerful itinerant country preacher who was a kind of grandfather to the movement; Bayard Rustin, whose unconventional lifestyle clashed with political reality in a way that caused much pain to King; Stanley Levison, one of King's closest confidante's and advisors, from whom King was pressured to distance himself because of alleged communist ties; Bob Moses, a tireless, courageous worker who toiled for years in the Deep South to register Negroes for the vote.

Branch also narrates events such as the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the Freedom Rides with the you-are-there immediacy of an eyewitness reporter and the eye for detail of a novelist. This book is a very satisfying and informative read.

A Classic History of the Civil Rights Movement
This is an epic.

It discusses the early years of the Civil Rights Movement from the perspective of Martin Luther King Jr. and those around him. The cast of characters ranges from the cantankerous Vernon Johns - a hobo preacher with a doctorate - to the truly bizarre and paranoid J. Edgar Hoover, seeking to destroy king and those around him based on what can only be described as bogus and hyped intelligence of communist infiltration, to the young idealistic members of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Comittee, to a President and Attourney General (JFK and RFK) who don't know what to think and really just wish the whole problem would just go away.

It is a long haul (921 pages) and very emotionally draining so be prepared but it is worth every page and very much due the Pulitzer prize that it earned.

EVERYONE should read this book
The first few years of the civil rights movement and the years leading up to them are covered in this volume of Taylor Branch's trilogy. After reading this, one really gets a sense of why this movement was truely epic in scope and importance. The narrative does a great job of describing a mass movement with all of it's advances, setbacks, complexities, and contradictions. One gets a vivid impression of the pace of these events and the real change of consciousness that occured among an entire people. Don't be intimidated by the size of this book, it's exciting to read.

best book I've ever read
Parting the Waters is an eye-opening look at the incredible drama of the Civil Rights movement, told through the prism of the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Branch is a fantastic writer, weaving together stories from the King home to the Oval Office.

As someone to young to have lived through the Civil Rights era, I found the revelations of this book to be shocking and enlightening. I highly recommend this book for anyone with an interest in Civil Rights and American History. ... Read more

Book Description

With an introduction by Jerry W. Ward, Jr.

Black Boy is a classic of American autobiography, a subtly crafted narrative of Richard Wright's journey from innocence to experience in the Jim Crow South. An enduring story of one young man's coming off age during a particular time and place, Black Boy remains a seminal text in our history about what it means to be a man, black, and Southern in America.

"Superb...The Library of America has insured that most of Wright's major texts are now available as he wanted them to be tread...Most important of all is the opportunity we now have to hear a great American writer speak with his own voice about matters that still resonate at the center of our lives."
--Alfred Kazin, New York Time Book Review

"The publication of this new edition is not just an editorial innovation, it is a major event in American literary history."
--Andrew Delbanco, New Republic ... Read more

Reviews (117)

Excellent description of negro life in the 1920's
"Black Boy" is a great autobiographical book written by Richard Wright. Richard, the main character in the story, goes through many trials and tribulations in finding what he loves to do- write. The description of the hardships of negro life in the 1920's and how discrimination ran rampant was excellently described by Wright....the only flaw is maybe a little overexaggeration going on in the descriptions of racism and other hate from whites towards blacks. Richard Wright descibes well though the trials and tribulations of an average negro in American society in that time period. This book is great for teenagers; over the age of 16 though. I say this because vulgar language is constant throughout the story and a couple sex scenes are described explicitly in the book. This is a must-read for young adults.

A Book To Read
I recently read Black Boy by Richard Wright and I must say it is an amazing book. The book is about Richard growing up in the South in the early 1900's. It may sound a little boring but believe me it's not. Richard had a hard life growing up and that's what makes the book so interesting. Burning up houses, killing cats, and becoming a drunk were just some of the things he did before reaching the age of eight. The thing I like most about him is how he grew up very poor, moved from place to place, including an orphanage, never completed two consecutive school years, and still managed to become a well-educated young man and a world-famous writer. Although the book was very interesting there were some parts at the end that I felt were a little boring, but maybe that's just me. Either way, I think Richard Wright was a very talented writer, and if you get the chance, you should read his autobiography, Black Boy. I recommend this book to anyone over the age of thirteen that is interested in learning about history or just likes to read about some hardships other people had to face growing up.

Wright Auto Bio
The first Wrift book I read was the impressive 'Native Son'. I found Black Boy and read it. It's easy to read and gives you a good insight in how black life in the south was in the 1920. Wright's life as for so many has not been easy: no father, a crippled mother, racism abound. But still he finds time to read books and he reads the classics. Especially Babbit was one of his favorites (and one of mine too). Via Memphis he goes to Chicago were he becomes a more famous writer and starts working/writing for the communist party where he has a lot of trouble as an independant thinker.

This book gives a great insight into black life. REal events are interspersed with his thinking about race relations. It is also easy to read and won't take a long time to finish. Definitely worth reading!

A Book to Remember
Black Boy, an autobiography written by Richard Wright, describes what many average African American children faced growing up in the Jim Crow South. Wright described the poverty that he, his friends and family lived through and the agony and dangers they had to face day-to-day. Wright also described the unfair treatment from white people that African Americans had to endure and ignore. He also described how white people treated African Americans as slaves. Wright wrote in excruciating detail bringing to the reader what life was truly like in the South and in the U.S. in the early 1900s.
I enjoyed reading Black Boy since it gave me insight into how African Americans were really treated in the South. The book really showed me the crisis that America was in over racial segregation. Black Boy also described the despicable acts that white people committed on African Americans for pleasure and entertainment. Richard Wright's actions showed me how a person that is always put down can still strive to be the best. Wright never gave up and kept on dreaming about his goals in life. Wright's book really showed the determination that one can have. His actions in life influenced me to never give up and to keep on trying no matter what someone tells me to do. This was a great book and if one wants to understand what things were like for African Americans in the South in the 1900s, they should read it.

A remarkable autobiography
Black Boy is a outstanding autobiography about Richard Wright. Richard writes about his whole life. The book shows the great discrimination Richard faced, as well as he a lot of the times stood up for what he believed in. He fights the world back and in the end his dream of becoming a writer comes true, but not only does he become a writer he also becomes one of the best writers of the 20th century. ... Read more

Book Description

In the summer of 1876, Robert Louis Stevenson made a trip by canoe from Antwerp through northern France. Accompanying him was his friend Walter Simpson.

Written when he was twenty five and published in May of 1878 "An Inland Voyage" was R.L.S.'s first published work.

His descriptive abilites, that the reader finds in such works as "Kidnapped" and "Treasure Island" are first showcased here.

Definitely a book to be read at an unhurried and leisurely pace. ... Read more

Book Description

This extraordinary classic has been variously acclaimed as one of the great books of adventure, travel, anthropology, and spiritual awakening. In 1938-39, a French nobleman spent fifteen months living among the Inuit. He is at first appalled by their way of life: eating rotten raw fish, sleeping with each others wives, ignoring schedules, and helping themselves to his possessions. But as de Poncins odyssey continues, he is transformed from Kabloona, The White Man, an uncomprehending outsider, to someone who finds himself living, for a few short months, as Inuk: a man, preeminently. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Magnificent
I recently bought it and read Kabloona in a weekend. The result was an incredibly valuable experience that has increased my awareness not only of Inuit life in the Netsilik area but of human behavior in general.Dde Poncins' prose is magnificent, even poetic. Numerous passages simply sing. Whether he is describing the describing bouts of cabin fever at the post in Gjoa Haven or celebrating the renewed vigor of villiage life that Springtime brings, De Poncins's eye for detail is refreshingly balanced and clear. What's more, Kabloona does not pretend to be an unbiased narrative. Instead, the author leads us through his physical and spiritual journey to show us how living with the Inuit has allowed him to become "a man preeminently." Certain passages seem somewhat romanticized, while others reveal the author's deeply-entrenched provincial values. The latter is evident when he describes an Inuit "pedarast" with a mixed sense of fascination and revulsion. But rather than hindering the narrative, such honesty and straightforwardness only enhances the humanity of this book. Kabloona is a thoroughly engrossing read that feeds into many areas of Inuit life, including myths, legends, and belief systems, as well as daily life and habitat.

Some books stay with you for a lifetime
It's been years since I read "Kabloona" by gontran de poncins. I don't remember the specifics of the book (I'm going to read it again, soon). What I do remember is the lingering humanity of the people. The hard life they lived. The culture shock between my life and theirs. I remember the mirror they held before me, forcing me to question our idea of "progress," "civility," and "modern man". Books such as "Kabloona" and "Black Elk Speaks" by John G. Neihardt and "Mutant Message" by Marlo Morgan tells us more about our roots as a species than many of the great thinkers and philosphers who speak in the abstract and grandeur of modern man. You read a book like this and you must pause and reflect, look deeper into yourself and the rushing stream you were born into. Step back and look at life from a different perspective. It can be life-altering or at the very least a stunning revelation.

Left on the ice
I read this book many, many years ago and have forgotten many of the details. I remember one, however. When the old one couldn't travel, they put her out on the ice and drove off. That is so relevant to our contemporary society and the discussions of social security and the elderly, caring for the disabled, etc. We can't leave the disadvantaged on the ice and drive off but must find some way to care for them.

A privileged glimpse of Eskimo life
Gontran de Poncins's "Kabloona" is a classic of Arctic adventure, to be ranked alongside Farley Mowat's "People of the Deer," Harold Horwood's "White Eskimo" and parts of Peter Freuchen's "Vagrant Viking." A French aristocrat with a genuine yearning for adventure, de Poncins made his way to North America just prior to the last war. By stages, he managed to go right up into latter day Nunavut, some of the highest inhabited Arctic territory in Canada's north. Yet he didn't stop there. Putting himself into the hands of an Eskimo hunter who happened to be heading off onto the sea ice, he underwent an extraordinary odyssey lasting the winter through, in which he camped with the Eskimos in their winter igloos.

de Poncins takes us into the very private, very communal world of these northern people. Private because, for Europeans, entering this strangely illuminated landscape was even then almost an impossibility. de Poncins admits that his initial impression was overshadowed by the nausea which sprang immediately into being as he tried to deal with the strange mixture of smells in the igloos. Most Europeans would not pass that first test and many an estimate of Eskimo culture has been biased by just such an affront to a sensitive olfactory centre. Yet once he had passed this initial barrier, a process which he says took some time, he found himself in a world unlike any other he had experienced or imagined. It is into this ageless community that he takes us for a very privileged glimpse of the last of the true ice-dwellers.

Although a French national, de Poncins chose to remain in North America and he wrote his text about the Inuit in English, in collaboration with a friend. Not much is known about the author's life thereafter, as he did not publish much other work, but like G. B. Edwards's solitary yet wonderful book about life on Guernsey, "The Book of Ebenezer Le Page," this one book by de Poncins is a major accomplishment.

One of the best books I've ever read!
I came upon this book PURELY by accident, and I now consider it one of the most fortuitous moments of my life! This is a fascinating and INCREDIBLY well-written account of a Frenchman's experiences living amidst the Inuit at the turn of the century--he is honest, hilarious, philosophical, and makes you feel like you're bumping along behind him on the sled across the tundra. I think it should be required reading of every single high school anthropology and sociology class. It is EXCELLENT! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Elders help
This helps when a person wants to remember the basic way to love and share with one another. It is about respect and sharing and accepting one another on motherearth. It would be a good book for our children, to remember the way it was. It would help for us to remember the old ways and yet be able to walk in the world as it is today, using the words of the elders from this great land. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (12)

Immensely satisfying
These are the life stories of four remarkable women,the Lennox sisters,daughters of the 2nd Duke of Richmond and great grandaughters of Charles the second of England and his mistress,Louise de Keroualle,and was taken from the thousands of letters which circulated amongst them over their lifetimes. The author,Stella Tilyard has meticulously recounted not only the letters,but also the social customs,fashions in clothing and house decorating and the whole way of life amongst the aristocrats of London and Dublin of that era which spans the years of the reigns of George 2nd,George 3rd and the Prince Regent. Each of these sisters lived an extraordinary life,having been educated far above the usual standard required of upper class young women of their day.There is quite a bit of English political history included in the book(which is why I deducted one star),but although this can get a bit ponderous at times,doesn't distract from the overall story.I thoroughly enjoyed it and am looking forward to seeing the t.v.series.

Wonderfully written history for the general reader
Stella Tillyard does an amazing job bringing the Lennox sisters to life. I felt as though I knew each sister quite well once I had finished the book---and I only wished I could have spent even more time with them.
Sarah Lennox's story was undoubtedly the most interesting (early on she was tapped as a possible wife for George III, she then fell into an unhappy marriage, embarked on a scandalous affair, was divorced, and then ultimately found happiness with a man who came from a social background beneath hers). Lennox's comment that "she only knew true happiness after the age of 36" was especially poignant after reading abt her privileged upbringing. Despite her unhappiness, Lennox managed to live life to the fullest.
In fact, all of the sisters managed to live life to the fullest---from Caroline who eloped with the radical Henry Fox to Emily who passed through all of the stages of marriage (from happiness to dissatisfaction which ultimately caused her to have an affair).
I can't recommend this book too highly---my only regret after reading it was that I would never be able to meet and hang out with any of the Lennox sisters!

AN EXCELLENT READ IF YOU UNDERSTAND A FOREIGN LANGUAGE
This is an excellent book and a fast read. Stella Tillyard captures an age and the people who lived it as though she were there herself. I would give this book a 5 but for one serious flaw I find in many a book. Is the author trying to impress her audience with her vast knowledge of French? Or simply trying to
punish those of us with less then her education (in languages).
There are examples on page after page, paragraph after paragraph
where the author quotes one of many letters in French, with NO translation. I often think authors do this to impress.
Sorry, I don't speak French. Her audience it seems is mostly English speaking, so why leave the reader hanging wondering just what was said. That doesn't help make the story more understandable. It detracts. If it were only once or 2wice I could look up a translation somewhere. But in this book it happens so often it would take far too long. The wonder is why she bothered with English at all.

Fascinating story of aristocratic 18th century family.
Living in Ireland as I do one is surrounded by historical buildings.I was familiar with Leinster House,Carton House and Castletown House already and found this book has made those old houses far more interesting.Having finished the book I decided to visit Celbridge,Co. Kildare,which is where one finds Castletown House and also the house where Sarah lived.
Driving along the main street of the village I turned off towards Tea Lane and halfway up I saw Sarah`s house,now part of a school.Just up the road was the graveyeard where Louisa is buried but the gates were locked.I went back down the main street to the end of the village and drove along an avenue of trees to Castletown House.It is almost 300 years old and the Irish government has spent seven million euros or dollars to conserve it.Much work remains to be done but I really felt close to Louisa,Emily and Sarah after my visit there.If you plan to visit an ancient Irish house I suggest you read Aristocrats and then go to Castletown.Carton House in nearby and is now becoming part of a golf course.Leinster House is the seat of the Irish parliament and The White House is reputed to be modelled on it.
Of the women themselves I found Caroline the most sophisticated and interesting.I was really struck by how much pain each suffered during their lives.Emily buried 12 of her 22 children and they were not all babies either,so one appreciates modern medicine more after reading about such mortality.

Fantastic Family
The Lennox sisters were the great-granddaughters of King Charles II. As the daughters of one of the most powerful Dukes in eighteenth century England, they occupied the heights of London society. Stella Tillyard has dug into their old papers and letters and reconstructed their lives. Although they were women of privilege, they were in close, sometimes truly intimate, contact with the social and political forces sweeping through Britain and Ireland. Their personal lives were deep and passionate, and they displayed an independence of thought and action which must have been truly revolutionary in their own time. They had long, and for the most part happy lives which are fascinating to follow, especially when we remember that they were the distant great-aunts of another passionate and independent woman, Diana, Princess of Wales. ... Read more

Book Description

This historical compilation of Martin Luther King, Jr.features live recordings of "The Great March To Freedom," "The GreatMarch To Washington" and the immortal "Free At Last" speech. Plus, apoignant eulogy by Robert F. Kennedy. Run time: 70:02 ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Being one with history...
MLK: The Martin Luther King tapes is the first Audio CD I've ever purchased. I am a new student of our great orators, and Martin, from what I've read, is the best. One of my only regrets concerning Dr. King's speeches is that I haven't been able to hear them all as spoken by his eloquent, yet powerful oratory style. This Audio CD has eliminated my concern. I can now hear Dr. King anytime I want to at work. I feel like I'm right there, listening with his audience. If this product is any indication of what to expect from future Audio CD's by other great orators such as JFK, FDR, and even Winston Churchill, then count me in! The only reason for the four stars as opposed to five stars is due to the rudely shortened eulogy of Robert Kennedy during Dr. King's funeral. There should have been more of it. ... Read more

Book Description

This warm, affectionate and funny memoir reveals how former Labour Cabinet Minister Tony Benn's ideas and ideals grew out of the extraordinary late-Victorian/Edwardian world of his parents, and how he developed his convictions and world-view.

Book Description

In the tradition of Tuesdays with Morrie comes the heartwarming story of a man who gave up a multi-million dollar contract as a television news anchor to care for, and make peace with, his dying father. John Johnson grew up in Bed-ford-Stuyvesant and Harlem, the only son of a man who worked hard to support his family, but also tyrannized them with violent outbursts and regular beatings. His childhood made Johnson tough and angry--and fueled his determination to be a successful black man in a white world. Eventually, he became one of the biggest names in New York television news. Then something happened. His mother, whom he loved dearly, died in his arms, and his father was diagnosed with lung cancer soon after. Stunned, Johnson stepped back and realized that he had been so driven to succeed that he had forgotten the values--and the people--that truly mattered. So he quit his lucrative job and hard-won career to take care of the father who had tormented him so many years ago. ONLY SON is the story of a father and son who must untangle the bitter memories of their past in order to say goodbye...with love. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

I implore any reader to read Woodruff - unbelievable
You don't have to have been born in Blackburn (as I was) to appreciate this wonderful true story of a childhood in poverty with all the wit and humour and honesty of the working class. Their hopes for a better and fairer future are vivid and the story ends with an emotional desire from the reader to know how and if this young man succeeds as he takes his steps away from Lancashire. Inevitably the reader will read the sequel Beyond Nab End which is even better but read this first. ... Read more