The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. is an incredible work; however one needs to remember that it is not a real autobiography. Like The Autobiography of Malcolm X, it was written after he died. It was assembled by the editor, Clayborne Carson, who went over King's papers both public and personnel and edited his work into a biographical format. The book received the endorsement of Coretta Scott King in 1998. The book is a brilliant piece of literature. Carson is careful to let the reader

If there is anything like a promised land, Martin Luther King, Jr must be there watching us. We are presented with the principles of non-violent resistance which however brutal it could be for the marchers who resisted, turned out to be the most clever option at that time. There is not one single way to fight inequalities but King's philosophy reminds us of how important it is to set an example for ourselves and for others.I'm really amazed by the way King has made connections between the strugg...

Martin makes Christianity attractive. He's somebody to model a life after.

“To deprive man of freedom is to relegate him to the status of a thing, rather than elevate him to the status of a person.”- Dr. King.Lincoln emancipated the slaves but more than 100 years later, the descendants of the slaves were still living under segregation and fear. They weren’t free in the true sense of the word. There were separate facilities for Blacks and Whites; separate drinking fountains, restaurants, schools, churches etc, there was also widespread poverty. There were men and women

I had to keep reminding myself that it's not the civil rights movement I am rating and reviewing, because the spectrum of legitimate excuses, let alone justifications, which could explain the withholding of a star or two is rather limited. It comes as a kick to the gut every time a young, unarmed Clifford Glover or a Travyon Martin or a Michael Brown is shot for no valid reason and the realization sinks in that the process of integration which was initiated by Lincoln some 150+ years ago and fur...

I very much enjoyed reading Dr. King's autobiography, and getting to learn of his point of view on many of the great events during the Civil Rights Era, many of which he spearheaded. I was not sure what to expect --- perhaps something rhetorical or ideological, but Dr. King's narrative is factual and, at times, self-deprecating, emphasizing many of the sacrifices made by others in the effort to defeat segregation. Despite bridling under the humiliation of daily life in the Jim Crow South, Dr. Ki...

I am not certain, fifty years later, that White America can really appreciate what Martin Luther King, Jr. did for this country. Beyond the necessary needed to be done for the African-American population, it is difficult - impossible, really - to imagine how much our nation would have further suffered had MLK not been the one to lead the charge for change. As a middle-class white man in 2014 would I have been able to relate to a militant, angry, disenfranchised black man/woman willing to kill or...

Excellent read! great insight into his life and story (paperback!)

Disclosure: I own the physical book of this, but I consumed it via its Grammy-winning audiobook instead. Why? 1. It's narrated by LeVar Burton, the former host of Reading Rainbow--there's a reason kids listened to him and wished they knew how to read, and it's because he makes whatever he's saying jump to life.2. It's peppered with clips (or full recordings) of numerous speeches by Dr. King himself. Some you've doubtless heard before, like his "I have a dream" speech or even his "I've been to th...

I follow Bernice King on Twitter and she always says that a lot of people who quote her father now would have hated him back then. I believe she’s right. There’s still a lot of hate today, but it was different many many years ago. Doctor King’s letter from the Birmingham jail is also in this book. I learned so much from this book, but I want to learn a lot more especially since my grandparents and parents grew up in the Jim Crow era. This book will open your eyes to so much.

5 (MILLION) STARS. Wow. It's so hard for me to review books that actually literally floored me because I'm at a total loss for words and just awestruck. That's what this book did to me.Martin Luther King, Jr. has been my hero and role model since before I can remember. He inspires me every day to love fearlessly, passionately, relentlessly. And this autobiography just gave me a whole new and expansive look at his life and faith in a profoundly beautiful way.Basically all I have to say is…This bo...

Carson takes some liberties adopting an "autobiography" construct. By using the first person singular, the author makes the subject of his book seem, for example, more defensive when Dr. King decided not to remain in jail awaiting trial instead of remaining true to the nonviolent direct action tenet of demonstrating civil disobedience by remaining incarcerated. The story does benefit from this personal perspective as King explores his religion, his career choices, his opposition to Viet Nam and

An Autobiography Of Martin Luther King, Jr.At the time of his assassination on April 4, 1968 Martin Luther King, Jr. had written and accomplished a great deal, but he had not written an autobiography. About 20 years after King's death, his widow, Coretta Scott King, invited historian Clayborne Carson to become the director of the King Papers Project. In the course of this work Carson, already a noted historian of King and of the Civil Rights Movement, had access to a voluminous body of King's wr...

I was drawn to this book at this particular time because I needed to hear the words of someone who believed with his life that hatred and anger were not the answer. The concept of non-violence and the discipline that it requires of the individual seems outdated. As out of touch with our current culture as repression of our instinctual drives is out of touch with current psychology. The thing now is the expression of anger. Anger is the new virtue. But here is the life of a man who at times felt

This is not quite a true autobiography, but rather a collection of King's writings and speeches throughout his life, edited and assembled by a third party. I found this disappointing because it lacked the benefit of hindsight perspective that a biographer could have brought, but also doesn't necessarily have the personal tone and thesis of an autobiography.I listened to this in audio form, which included many recordings of King's sermons and speeches. This gives a firsthand glimpse at his fantas...

In 1957, Time magazine named Martin Luther King, Jr. its "Man of the Year". It characterized him as an "expert organizer" but "no radical" – a Christian civil rights organizer, presumed to be quite different from 1940s black socialists with labor politics. In reality, as is shown in his autobiography, King never narrowed his politics only to civil rights. He had clear links to working-class and poor people through his family, church, and community. While to white journalists the well-dressed, hi...

A fascinating book and great audio with snip-its from Martin Luther King Jr.'s actual speeches. I liked what it had to say about organizing, definitely some good tips (especially about picking a target and not just protesting generally.) Like most people, I assume, I am most familiar with MLK's work in the south and was fascinated to learn about his efforts in Chicago. His methods and goals seem to have shifted at that point and I would like to learn more. From my extreme ignorance, it seems to

I have never listened to an audiobook until now but I was urged to listen to this book by a friend. It brought back so many memories of an extraordinary man who's message needs to be repeated continually to a country that has misplaced its conscience. I was blessed to hear Dr. King live. Although I was a young child I have never forgotten that experience and only wish he wasn't taken from us. Thank you Clayborne Carson for refreshing his message. Read this and live Dr. King's message.

Editor and MLK scholar, Clayborne Carson, cobbled together writings and speeches to create this powerful rendering of Dr. King’s work. The audiobook production is chill-inducing. LeVar Burton narrates the stories which are punctuated by actual speech and sermon recordings. Such an incredible human being.

"We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed."I started the audiobook of The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. a day after MLK Jr. Day, figuring, what better time than now to absorb such a heavy subject? And heavy it was. Though misleading in its title, this book is a collection of King's various writings, and the audiobook in particular includes numerous recordings of King's speeches, sermons, etc. I c...