What do you think?
Rate this book
Parting the Waters Part 1 of 3
Parting the Waters was hailed as the most masterful story ever told of the American civil rights movement. 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 a 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 captures one of the nation's most crucial passages.
- GenresHistory
Audiobook
Published January 1, 1999
1 person is currently reading
43 people want to read
About the author
Taylor Branch
35 books229 followersTaylor Branch is an American author and historian best known for his award-winning trilogy of books chronicling the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. and some of the history of the American civil rights movement. The third and final volume of the 2,912-page trilogy — collectively called America in the King Years — was released in January 2006. Branch lives in Baltimore, Maryland, with his wife, Christina Macy, and their two children, Macy (born 1980) and Franklin (b. 1983).
-Wikipedia
-Wikipedia
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 26, 2024
I recently listened to Hellhound on his Trail by Hampton Sides about the Martin Luther King, Jr assassination and quite extraordinary hunt for his killer, James Earl Jay. I enjoyed the book and learned a lot, but in reading reviews on 카지노싸이트, I saw someone I trust (Tony) recommend the Taylor Branch books (or one book but available now in three parts or one abridged book) for a more comprehensive analysis of the times.
This book was quick and easy to listen to, being just 7 hours. It gave a sense of the importance of black churches to the civil rights movement, and how King had to convince whites (especially Northern moderate whites but also southern whites to some degree) but also many black people, who were understandably scared to move too fast or hard, knowing well the violent backlash produced by every small step forward for blacks. It also showed the tension within I the movement, and presents King as fully human in some ways: unsure at times, concerned about his public image. But also showed his less human side, by which I mean the genius and seemingly inspired from beyond rhetoric and sense of the movement - easier to see in hindsight than it was to see at the time, but he was correct; it was not too early but much too late.
I also found echoes from our own times, when “moderate” or sympathetic whites said “not now,” “slow down,” “don’t do anything to alienate anyone” despite the lack of the same restraint on the part of the violent or at least virulent segregationists.
The book does a good job (as Hellhound does too) at showing that Johnson and the Kennedys were not white knights in the struggle but were dragged kicking and screaming as King turned the tide of at least some northern public opinion. An amazing man and lesson for our nation and our own times. Looking forward to part 2 and 3.
This book was quick and easy to listen to, being just 7 hours. It gave a sense of the importance of black churches to the civil rights movement, and how King had to convince whites (especially Northern moderate whites but also southern whites to some degree) but also many black people, who were understandably scared to move too fast or hard, knowing well the violent backlash produced by every small step forward for blacks. It also showed the tension within I the movement, and presents King as fully human in some ways: unsure at times, concerned about his public image. But also showed his less human side, by which I mean the genius and seemingly inspired from beyond rhetoric and sense of the movement - easier to see in hindsight than it was to see at the time, but he was correct; it was not too early but much too late.
I also found echoes from our own times, when “moderate” or sympathetic whites said “not now,” “slow down,” “don’t do anything to alienate anyone” despite the lack of the same restraint on the part of the violent or at least virulent segregationists.
The book does a good job (as Hellhound does too) at showing that Johnson and the Kennedys were not white knights in the struggle but were dragged kicking and screaming as King turned the tide of at least some northern public opinion. An amazing man and lesson for our nation and our own times. Looking forward to part 2 and 3.
January 29, 2023
I read this 40 years ago and it changed me. It's an almost unbelievable part of America's history. Just now reading part 3, At Canaans Edge.
June 5, 2024
I listened to the abridged audiobook and enjoyed it immensely.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get help and learn more about the design.