The King Years

Historic Moments in the Civil Rights Movement

By: Taylor Branch

Narrated by: Leslie Jr Odom

The essential moments of the Civil Rights Movement are set in historical context by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of the magisterial America in the King Years trilogy—Parting the Waters; Pillar of Fire; and At Canaan’s Edge.

Taylor Branch, author of the Pulitzer Prize–winning America in the King Years trilogy, presents selections from his monumental work that recount the essential moments of the Civil Rights Movement. A masterpiece of storytelling on race and democracy, violence and nonviolence, The King Years delivers riveting tales of everyday heroes whose stories inspire us still. Here is the full sweep of an era that transformed America and continues to offer crucial lessons for today’s world. This vital primer amply fulfills Branch’s dedication: “For students of freedom and teachers of history.”

Excellent

What other book might you compare The King Years to and why?

This is the author's best hits from his trilogy.

What does Leslie Odom, Jr. bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He did a perfect job.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Too many to mention.

beautiful and very informative

I learned so much of what I realized my education of this time lacked and it inspired me to further pursue more information.

Just made me want to watch Eyes on the Prize

Like many other reviewers, I had hoped to skip the hard slog through the highly acclaimed, three-volume original books by this author on the civil rights movement in America by getting this abridged version. And like many others, I came away underwhelmed. Some of the moments and people the author chose to include here seemed odd choices to me. I am by no means an expert on the civil rights movement, but I really didn't learn anything new, so I would definitely not recommend it for anyone with more than a passing knowledge of the events of the 1960s. Neither can I recommend it for someone just beginning to research this era; the narrative is too disjointed and there is not enough context to understand the implications of the events described here unless you already have some background. Ultimately, the only thing this book inspired in me was a strong desire to re-watch all of "Eyes on the Prize."

[I listened to this as an audiobook read by Leslie Odom, Jr. who did the best he could with the unenviable task of performing some of the most well-known speeches in American history by some of our most famous orators. Wisely realizing King and Kennedy are inimitable, Odom reads their famous lines in more or less his own voice, but this just made it all the more obvious that this content is better consumed either in written form, or by listening to the original speakers. As an audio book, I would not recommend this.]