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Acclaimed by Ebony magazine as "one of those rare publishing events thatgenerate as much excitement in the cloistered confines of the academy as they do inthe general public," The Papers of Martin Luther King,Jr. chronicles one of the twentieth century's most dynamic personalities and one of the nation'sgreatest social struggles. King's call for racial justice and his faith in the power ofnonviolence to engender a major transformation of American society is movinglyconveyed in this authoritative multivolume series.

In Volume IV, with the Montgomery bus boycott at an end, King confrontsthe sudden demands of celebrity while trying to identify the next steps in theburgeoning struggle for equality. Anxious to duplicate the success of the boycott, hespends much of 1957 and 1958 establishing the Southern Christian LeadershipConference. But advancing the movement in the face of dogged resistance, he finds thatit is easier to inspire supporters with his potent oratory than to organize amass movement for social change. Yet King remains committed: "The vastpossibilities of a nonviolent, non-cooperative approach to the solution of the race problemare still challenging indeed. I would like to remain a part of the unfoldingdevelopment of this approach for a few more years."

King's budding international prestige is affirmed in March 1957, whenhe attends the independence ceremonies in Ghana, West Africa. Two months laterhis first national address, at the "Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom," is widelypraised, and in June 1958, King's increasing prominence is recognized with along-overdue White House meeting. During this period King also cultivates alliances withthe labor and pacifist movements, and international anticolonial organizations.As Volume IV closes, King is enjoying the acclaim that has greeted his firstbook, Stride Toward Freedom, only to suffer a near-fatal stabbing in New York City.Amazon.com Review
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s work as a champion of civil rights was largely realized through his marvelous abilities as a speaker and writer. This fourth volume of the Martin Luther King Jr. Papers Project chronicles his writings from the years 1957 and 1958 and highlights the end of the historic Montgomery bus boycott, King's trip to Ghana on the eve of its independence, his monumental "Pilgrimage for Freedom" address, and his "Advice for Living" column for Ebony magazine. It also details the creation of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, King's White House meeting with President Eisenhower, and the release of his first book, Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story. Edited by Clayborne Carson, director of the project at Stanford University, the writings were culled from 6,000 documents, including speeches, sermons, correspondence, published writings, and unpublished manuscripts.

Along with their historical significance, these writings reveal the human side of King as well. In a sermon delivered in Birmingham, Alabama, around the time of several bombings in black neighborhoods, a crestfallen King asked a haunting question: "Where is God while hundreds and thousands of his children suffer merely because they are desirous of having freedom and human dignity?" In his acceptance speech for the NAACP Spingarn Medal in Detroit, he proclaimed, "This is a great time to be alive in America. We stand today on the threshold of the most constructive period of our nation's history.... It is one of the ironies of present history that the Negro, in his struggle for freedom, is no longer struggling for himself alone, but he is really struggling to save America." In a letter, he cites Gandhi and Henry David Thoreau as intellectual influences. There are also interesting correspondences between King and Harry Belafonte, Elijah Muhammad, C.L.R. James, Eleanor Roosevelt, and many others, making this an excellent reference work to this complex warrior for peace. --Eugene Holley Jr. ... Read more

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Examines his contribution as a philosopher and theologian to issues of racial and social justice and his drive to eradicate oppression through the doctrine of nonviolence. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A tribute to peace
My favorite kind of book is one that makes you want to read twenty or thirty others because of the titles and writers referred to by the author.You think you're reading a single book, but by the time you close it, you've been introduced to a whole community.

John Ansbro's book on Dr. King's philosophy of nonviolence is like that.First published twenty years ago and thankfully re-released, the book helps us understand King's nonviolence through careful and interesting discussions of the influences on him.Ansbro traces King's personalism and focus on agape ethics through thinkers such as Howard Thurman, Kant, Nygren, Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Niebuhr, DuBois Gandhi, and Thoreau.Especially useful is his discussion of King's views on collective evil and what he sees as its alternative, the "beloved community."Equally useful and fascinating is Ansbro's comparison of Dr. King's nonviolence to Franz Fanon's and Malcolm X's (early) espousal of violence.

Reading this book is an education not only in Dr. King's philosophy and stragegy of nonviolent resistance, but also on nonviolence as taught and practiced through the ages.In this day and age, when we seem even more ready than in days past to resort to violence as a way of settling differences, the re-issue of Ansbro's book is a Godsend. ... Read more

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"We've got some difficult days ahead," civil rights activist Martin Luther King, Jr., told a crowd gathered at Memphis's Clayborn Temple on April 3, 1968. "But it really doesn't matter to me now because I've been to the mountaintop. . . . And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the promised land."

These prohetic words, uttered the day before his assassination, challenged those he left behind to see that his "promised land" of racial equality became a reality; a reality to which King devoted the last twelve years of his life.

These words and other are commemorated here in the only major one-volume collection of this seminal twentieth-century American prophet's writings, speeches, interviews, and autobiographical reflections. A Testament of Hope contains Martin Luther King, Jr.'s essential thoughts on nonviolence, social policy, integration, black nationalism, the ethics of love and hope, and more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (17)

Good ideas, but overly redundant
Dr. King had some great ideas.Aggregating them into one text is a sizable task.But the writings included here are overly redundant.Literally, many of them have exact wording from others.I know that Dr. King had lots of speaking engagements and wrote for many different publications.So I understand why he would borrow from his own words in other works.But why include writings with the same message, sometimes in the exact same words, in a book of *essential* readings?

Also, the works are organized by general topic or philosophy, while a better way would be to group them chronologically to show how Dr. King's thinking changed, and how specific external events and responses influenced his thoughts and writings/speeches.

So even though I want to love anything about MLK Jr., this compendium could be greatlyimproved by reducing it to only include the *actual* essential writings and speeches, the expressions that truly synthesize and detail King's thoughts.

An extensive MLK Collection of Wrtings & Speeches
This is a great treasure for those wishing to develop an overview of the writings and speeches made over Dr. King's tumultuous and productive lifetime.

In many instances, a context is given to situate the original material. This brings Dr. King alive for the citizen of today, who may only come to know this exceptional American through books, or perhaps other media.

Becoming familiar with Dr. King and the movement he led is anintegral part of knowing American history. This book does justice to it's title: "A Testament of Hope."

A Fantastic
Collection of a man who stood up for his values and beliefs. Even more today we need to reflect on his words and return to the dream he called for.

Required Reading For All
I was totally humbled by this book. If it could be made manitory reading for all.....they should pass a law. You will not be the same after reading this book.

"There are just laws and there are unjust laws..." *
Yesterday, the 40th anniversary of MLK's assassination, I spent the better part of the day thumbing through A Testment of Hope.The book is an old friend of mine.I've read and reread it for nearly twenty years now, both privately and with students in at least a dozen classes.

What I like so much about editor James Washington's collection is its comprehensiveness.In a single volume, one finds MLK's thoughts on nonviolence, civil rights and integration, the Vietnam War and poverty, Christianity and social responsibility, and justice and morality.His ideas are conveyed here through essays, sermons, interviews, and lengthy, meaty excerpts from his five books.Everything that one could want is here, including what I personally take to be his very best work:"Letter from a Birmingham Jail" (1963), "Love, Law, and Civil Disobedience" (1961), "A Christmas Sermon on Peace" (1967), "A Time to Break Silence" (1967), the "I Have a Dream" speech (1961), and Stride Toward Freedom's masterful discussion of the tactics and principles of nonviolence (1958).

Today, four decades after his death, the country is still struggling to grow into MLK's vision of reconciliation and nonviolence.One can only imagine how sad he would be at the post-9/11 turn toward militarism the nation has taken, the current wave of sentiment against Latino immigrants, the constant economic disparity between white households and African American ones, or the upswing in hate crimes against Muslims.In re-reading A Testament of Hope, I was reminded yet again of how very much we need a present-day prophet of King's caliber, vision, and courage, and of how very grateful I am that we once had King himself.
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* "And I submit that the individual who disobeys the law, whose conscience tells him it is unjust and who is willing to accept the penalty by staying in jail until that law is altered, is expressing at the moment the very highest respect for law."From "Love, Law, and Civil Disobedience," p. 49. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

Many Facets of Martin Luther King
This is an exhibition catalog which shares the art inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King's Life. Each of the visual artists reflects their personal conception and interpretation of King as a man, civil rights leaders, martyr, father, husband, etc. All styles and genres are represented. This book shows the broad appeal of Dr. King and his ability to inspire on a number of different levels. The artworks are reproduced beautifully. ... Read more

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A collection of words and inspiration by four of the 20th Century's most preeminent humanitarians. Each book in this series features an introduction by Archbishop Desmond Tutu. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Beautiful and meaningful
This beautifully produced small book rewards both the eye and the heart.I purchased this for a young friend who is reading it successfully with his mother.

This book and its companions in this series are well worth the modest cost.

Powerful Quotes
This man was amazing. He was intelligent, deep, and thought provoking. The biography at the beginning and the quotes in the rest of the book are touching. What a difficult life yet he made it so purposeful and helped change so many lives.

This book makes a wonderful gift. It is also worth to own for yourself.

incredible role model
The first 20 pages is a brief summary of his life and underlying personal philosophy; it was heart wrenching and yet inspiring to learn about how he willingly gave up the comforts of his own life to labor and suffer for the cause of the masses.

Then the rest of the pages are quotes by him.I like the one-quote-per-page format because it is very thought provoking and allows the reader to reflect upon and digest what you just read.
I also like the Mother Theresa "Love" book in this series

obvious must read
like Ganghi, one of MLK's greatest inspirations, MLK was an amazing leader, teacher, political activist and peace maker.A must read for anyone who wishes to be inspired and change themselves and the world into a more peaceful place. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (8)

MLK had three dreams
We all know about Dr Kings civil rights work, and his I HAVE A DREAM speach.Did you know that he had two other dreams? This book that explains Dr Kings vision for the end of poverty has been out of print 40 years. We could have ended povery a decade ago, except we choose to attach Iraq and blow up a trillion dollars doing it instead of ending poverty.Get the book, read Dr Kings formula for ending poverty, and try to help his dream come true.

amazing book
Very inspiring book and written in such a way that it drags you in and you want to go on and on reading. Very good example of nonviolent resistance movement.

A Wake-Up Call to Heal
This is an amazing and important book, out of print for much too long.It is an impassioned and urgent call to heal.Because it was written in the 1960's it is really two books.Part of the book is of important and historical interest.This involves Dr. King's take on what was going on in the country.

But the other part of the book is Dr. King's rallying cry of "Where do we go from here?"There are so many thoughts I could lift from the book to share.But given the space, here are just a few:

"Together we must learn to live as brothers or together we will be forced to perish as fools."Dr. King goes on to add, "The question now is, do we have the morality and courage required to live together as brothers and not be afraid?"

Dr. King was clearly seeing our drift towards chaos, and just as clearly was warning us that we must move towards community or perish.This is an even more urgent book today as it was in the 1960's.It is a book not only to read but refer back to, over an over.My sermon yesterday was on our propensity to divide ourselves into "us" and "them."Dr. King was a great believer in "us" - and far more eloquent than I can ever hope to be on the subject.Dr. King's point was that if we cannot find our common humanity, we must and will perish.In the end, there is no "them."There is only "us."

Civil Rights 1967
Dr. King's penultimate book provides a snapshot of where we were in 1967.Two turning points had been reached.

First, his program of nonviolent direct action was clearly winning the struggle against old fashioned southern segregation, and Dr. King was looking toward the next step.He believed that the next logical step toward setting people free was a massive government program addressing the problem of poverty.

Second, within the civil rights movement, a "black power" mentality was gaining prominence.Some argued that whites should be excluded from the civil rights movement, and that nonviolence should be abandoned.Dr. King insisted that this approach would only balkanize our country, having disastrous effect, especially on blacks.

As with his other books, the author's brilliance, his scholarship, and his Christian love all come through.

It would be best to read "Stride Toward Freedom" and "Why We Can't Wait" before reading this one.

The Truth Straight From The Source
The beauty and depth of this book is that it tells us about human political relations today even though it was written over 30 years ago!

I also like that it is Martin Luther King in his own words (not some opportunistic interpretation of his ideas) on subjects like:
Black Power
Affirmative Action
Poverty
Love

It also makes it painfully clear the Martin Luther King Jr. was far more extraordinary in his leadership than we give him credit for being today.He thought deeply, connected the dots, and put his life behind his ideals.This is a must read for anyone who hasn't already connected the dots between justice, religion and love. ... Read more

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Martin Luther King, Jr. was more than the civil rights movement's most visible figure, he was its voice. This book describes what went into the creation of that voice. It explores how King used words to define a movement. From a place situated between two cultures of American society, King shaped the language that gave the movement its identity and meaning. Fredrik Sunnemark shows how materialistic, idealistic, and religious ways of explaining the world coexisted in King's speeches and writings. He points out the roles of God, Jesus, the church, and "the Beloved Community" in King's rhetoric. Sunnemark examines King's use of allusions, his strategy of employing different meanings of key ideas to speak to different members of his audience, and the way he put into play international ideas and events to achieve certain rhetorical goals. The book concludes with an analysis of King's development after 1965, examining the roots, content, and consequences of his so-called radicalization.

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Federal voting rights legislation and the civil rights protests in Selma and Birmingham, Alabama, in 1965. Emphasis on Martin Luther King, Jr., as leader of SCLC. ... Read more

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Martin Luther King, Jr., has been widely studied as a preacher, an activist, andan orator, but rarely as an intellectual. This groundbreaking book situates King as one of the mostimportant social and political philosophers of our time, arguing that King's systematic logic ofnonviolence is at the same time radically new and deeply rooted in African American intellectualhistory. Presenting a comprehensive genealogy of King's thought, Moses traces the influence ofkey African American thinkers and shows how King's concepts of equality, structure, directaction, love, and justice can be seen as strands of a coherent philosophical whole. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

Decent
Great price, kind of fast shipping but they didn't disclose that the person who had it before underlined in PEN!! pencil i can just erase, but no no it was pen! That i didn't not like but otherwisegood book. ... Read more

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Many years ago, the few readers of radical Abolitionist papers must often have seen the singular name of Sojourner Truth, announced as a frequent speaker at Anti-Slavery meetings, and as travelling on a sort of self-appointed agency through the country. I had my-self often remarked the name, but never met the individual. On one occasion, when our house was filled with company, several eminent clergymen being our guests, notice was brought up to me that Sojourner Truth was below, and requested an interview. Knowing nothing of her but her singular name, I went down, prepared to make the interview short, as the pressure of many other engagements demanded. When I went into the room, a tall, spare form arose to meet me. She was evidently a full-blooded African, and though now aged and worn with many hardships, still gave the impression of a physical development which in early youth must have been as fine a specimen of the torrid zone as Cumberworth's celebrated statuette of the Negro Woman at the Fountain. Indeed, she so strongly reminded me of that figure, that, when I recall the events of her life, as she narrated them to me, I imagine her as a living, breathing impersonation of that work of art. ... Read more

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Bringing together speeches given at the Institute's annual King day honouring the memory and furthering the work of Martin Luther King, Jr. In reading these speeches, one catches in reflection 20 years of turmoil and change, some positive (incuding an increasing number of speakers drawn from the ranks of MIT's African American alumni/ae) but much negative, in which Dr King's dream has been a continuing beacon for action. ... Read more

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Costumes for the American civil rights leader and his wife include formal wedding attire, casual wear and dress suits worn during the Selma-to-Montgomery march (1965) and the "I have a dream" speech in Washington (1963), Mrs. King’s black suit and veil worn at her husband’s funeral (1968) and more. Also included: outfits for the couple’s four children. 6 dolls and 19 costumes.
... Read more

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The importance of Toward a Theology of Radical Involvement lies in its focus on the theological and ethical perspective of Martin Luther King, Jr. By examining the multiple, competing images of King in both academia and the public square, Ivory argues that mass public confusion and ambiguity exist today about King's identity. Consequently, the more radical and prophetic thrust of his legacy of thought and action has been blunted. Seeking to resolve the public identity crisis about King, Ivory offers the provocative thesis that King is best understood as a creative theological thinker whose activist rhetoric and emancipatory praxis were thoroughly informed and undergirded by an understanding of God and God's will for history and humanity. Hence the prophetic focus and radical character of King's thought and action culminate in a "theology of radical involvement," which gives rise to an "ethic of community." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A dry read but Radical Ideas
Ivory is not the most exciting writer.The book can be very dry. But what is worth the read is learning about King's theological framework. King's belief in a personal God that wants to transform society is like an early liberation theology. This book challenged me to be much more will to pay a cost to help change the world.King is a real inspiration.

Good, but "Dissertationy"
Luther D. Ivory's thesis is that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. radical theological thought has an enduring, yet under-appreciated legacy. Further, King's radical challenge to the "triple evils" of racism, poverty, led him to espouse a "democratic socialism" that was a profound challenge to our system which neglects the egalitarian ethos.Though Ivory's thesis is well-stated, and his evaluation of King's thought a sound one, the book reads like a dissertation.As an evaluation of King's thought, it is weak on the compelling biographical events of King's life, which are equally gravitating.Recommended to those with a prior appreciation of the drama of King's life and activism, and in interest in an academic review of his thought. ... Read more

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Children of all ages have fun preparing for holidays with creative activities and projects. For use at school, in clubs, and at home. ... Read more

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Updated from the original version published in 1974, Search for the Beloved Community examines the thinking of Martin Luther King Jr. and the influences that shaped it. Late co&#45author Kenneth L. Smith was one of King&#146s seminary professors. His firsthand knowledge of King&#146s seminary studies provides the background for an incisive analysis of the influences of the Christian tradition and of Mahatma Gandhi upon this outstanding leader. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

THE ONE BOOK TO BUY ABOUT THE REVEREND DR. KING AND HIS THEOLOGY OF PEACE WITH REAL JUSTICE
The greatest loss for our nation lies in the fact we are permitted to remember no more than four small words from all of Dr. King's years of public eloquence and powerful writings for peace with justice.

King had more than a dream. He bore the eschatalogical vision of every true Christian, of agape and of the march towards the beloved community of all humanity in peace. He called himself the drum major of that march.

This book most deeply and comprehensively explores the thinking and preaching of Dr. King, and its Biblical and spiritual roots and authority. We have lost so much to forgetfulness and to fear and to false condemnations of the dead who cannot here defend themselves but by these their true thoughts and theology. Dr. King would not in any case waste time in defending himself from all the many false charges brought urgently against him. He would only march forward to peace and liberation in Our Lord. Let these words and thoughts which remain inform and inspire us now in these darkening days of injustice and death. We have not lost his leadership entirely. Smith and Zepp do us an immeasurable service in so deeply discovering the true thought of the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr.

How much we lost. How far have we strayed from the path to God's Compassionate and Merciful Peace. Yet how rich is this book and how generously Dr. King still leads us on our march to one family in peace.

Please study also Strength to Love and Dr. King's several other writings. But especially and above all study closely this one book, if only one it can be. Dr. King preached far more than only four little words. ... Read more