Taylor Branch

This is the first of Taylor Branch’s magnificent three-volume chronicle of the civil rights movement and the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. Each volume takes its title from aspects of the Old Testament’s Book of Exodus.

This volume discusses the influences upon MLK, Jr., including Reinhold Niebuhr, Gandhi, and Billy Graham. Branch reveals details about the interactions of King with other civil rights leaders and with the political leaders of the time, in particular, the Kennedys.

In spite of the length and detail of these three books, Branch manages to imbue his narrative with interest and excitement. It is quite simply never boring, and is essential reading for students of American history.… (more)

The Civil Rights movement did not come overnight. It was decades in the making. Parting the Waters is probably the best written history of the early days of the civil rights movement. Taylor Branch goes back before
MLK came to Montgomery to set the scene. It's publication has changed the nature and tone of the books that have come after it. Taylor Branch tells the story of a movement that was based on black communities banding together to seek change. The first of three volumes, it is book that, as
we move further away from that era, deserves careful reading.… (more)