April 4, 1968: Martin Luther King, Jr.s Death and How It Changed America

April 4, 1968: Martin Luther King, Jr.s Death and How It Changed America | Michael Eric Dyson | Interesting Focus on King's Death

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April 4, 1968: Mar...

	April 4, 1968: Martin Luther King, Jr.s Death and How It Changed America Michael Eric Dyson Blackstone Audiobooks, Inc., 2008 - 5 pages average customer review:based on 5 reviews view larger image
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To commemorate the fortieth anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.s assassination, Americas most versatile and vital cultural critic

Excellent Book on the Legacy of 4/4/68

I remember, as a child, visiting my great-aunt and uncle in their mansion (they were millionaires) and seeing a magaizine whose cover depicted a watercolor of a burning city. Asking what was the reason for this, I was told that people had rioted after the murder of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Fifteen years after this, I remember asking my great-aunt why there were no blacks who were members of her country club. "They can't afford it, honey," was her well-meaning but incredibly myopic response.

It is hard enough as a white person to really, genuinely, empathize with the experience of African Americans. We can imagine, yes; but the act of imagining is itself a kind of comfortable exercise that can lead us to conclude that we "understand."

In truth, we don't. And maybe we never will. Maybe all we can do is just shut up once in a while and listen. This book can help.

In the room that looks out onto the balcony where Dr. King was murdered, my favorite gospel hymn plays softly; it was Dr. King's last request that the musician for the April 4th's evening service play "Precious Lord, Take My Hand." The haunting pathos and sense of security that this hymn gives is enough to make this atheist hope that, somehow, Dr. King died knowing that his death would be the final, crowning act of this great American story.

If we look at life and history through the prism of King's life, and the pasing of years to the present day, we gain a greater appreciation of just what is at stake in American life today. Moreover, we sense the tremendous barriers that still remain, despite all the platitudinous protestations of the neo-conservatives and right wingers to the contrary.

The value of a book like this is it makes us stop and listen. Another reviewer has gently attacked the artifice of an interview with Dr. King from today's perspective; frankly I think that, after studying King as much as he has, Mr. Dyson has every right to channel a conversation with the man himself. but I do not think that anyone can argue with Dr. King's last, albeit imaginary, statement.

I love Oprah too.

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Interesting Focus on King's Death

Michael Eric Dyson is best-known for his words. An incredibly well-spoken man, this book presents a delicious word smorgasbord that - and even though I say this as an English major, unfortunately, even had me running for a dictionary several times. And head's up for any of you who also cringe at grammatical error - there are a few typo's in the book.

In any case, Dyson offers an interesting take on Martin Luther King's death and the impact that it had on America, both its positive and negative elements. Dyson comments on King's character, powerful oratory, a brief family history as well as the numerous causes he stood behind. He event hints at a possible government conspiracy as the cause of King's death stating several incidents where the president of the time refused to protect him or even warn King of impending danger at death threats being called in for him. In addition, Dyson concentrates on statistics - both from the late 60's when King was assassinated as well as today - to represent the changes that America has produced since King's death.

I was blown away at the chapter on Jesse Jackson, however, though confused on Dyson's standpoint in regards to it. Dyson informs the reader that directly following King's murder, he instructed others not to speak to the media. After telling all of them that he wasn't feeling well, Abernathy (one of King's right-hand men) spotted Jackson speaking with the media himself, in his desperate attempt to fill King's shoes, claiming that he was the very last person that King ever spoke to - a blatant lie, as Abernathy knew that King had spoken to another associate before taking his last breath. Dyson also draws attention to the blood on Jackson's shirt and that he was never on the balcony during the actual shooting, but rather directly after. Dyson suggests Jackson having dipped his hands in King's blood and wiping them on his shirt in a sort of biblical fashion as Christian's are to drink Christ's blood during communion in honor and remembrance. I was intrigued with all of this new information - and curious as to the authors thoughts, but he remains fluctuant on the subject and I felt ultimately unsatisfied with the chapter.

In keeping with the times, not only does Dyson reference Jackson, King's initial predecessor, he also has a chapter dedicated to Barack Obama, of whom he calls the "Black Kennedy." Not only does he mention the great feat the country has reached in having a black man for nominee, but he also focuses on the changes that Obama is promoting for his current political campaign and how he shares many of King's visions.

Finally, Dyson finishes up with an incredibly odd mock-interview with himself posing as Martin Luther King and answering questions regarding America today. While we, as a people, can certainly wonder what King would think of both our progress and backsliding over the years since he was alive, I have a hard time with thinking this "interview" to be anything but strange.

With all of the additional information and people who appear in this book, there were several times I had to remind myself that the focus of this book was on the death of Martin Luther King and the changes that it brought about. The reader can become easily lost in the extra's as Dyson ignites several tangents, straying from the main point of the book.

In retrospect, kind of scattered layout, but a pretty interesting read.

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Who is Dr. Martin Luther King?

There is a great depth of hatred in our world. Michael Eric Dyson brings this out in his approach to the life of Dr. King. There is bitterness and hatred toward groups of people: blacks toward whites and whites toward blacks. In my algebra classes in high school I learned that X = 0 a principle we see at work in this author's thinking. If X = 0, then nothing is accomplished here except those hating each other go away continuing to hate each other. We are equally guilty. Am I mistaken to remember that Dr Martin Luther King received his motivation and passion, as a Christian and a minister, from the teachings of Jesus? I can't remember that his message came out of some kind of progressive/social agenda. Is it not an injustice to Dr King to slide over the fact that love for one another came from Jesus and on this theme he built his effective view? In the radio interview you could hardly recognize Dr. King as a Christian preaching love and nonviolence. Could I have missed that all of this time he carried deep hatred in his heart and from this he is remembered for his great accomplishments? Is Michael Eric Dyson saying that the memory we have of Martin Luther King has now been corrupted from incredible achievements through nonviolent love for others down to motivations arising from hatred?

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King's Death as a Theology

Dyson gives us a good work here, although not his best. He should have subtitled the work, "King's Death as a Theology." For he attempts to use King's allusions to death, predictions of his own death, rhetoric of death, and the death of King itself as paradigms for understanding the post-Civil Rights era race pathos in America: Through racial injustice we are killing American society in general, and African Americans in particular, both literally and metaphorically (i.e., killing opportunities for social equality). Throughout the book, Dyson compares King's death to the death of Biblical characters. He overstretches his paradigms in order to act as a social conscience for America's failure at the problem of race. The paradigms become excuses for Dyson to make personal social commentary. There is too much Dyson commentary and not enough analysis and synthesis of King's death and its significance. Most interesting to the book, however, is Dyson's 21st Century dialog with King, a "what would King say if alive today." This section may be the strength of the book as Dyson draws from King's non-violent, prophetic-justice philosophy to make criticism of contemporary social ills. I am not sure everyone will agree with Dyson's conclusions about King's views about civil rights with respect to homosexuals. (A better theology on this subject can be found in Where Are All the Brothers [Redmond.]) However, I would recommend the book as part of a dialog about how far we have come on race in the last 40 years. Dyson shows that we have not come very far. I would read this book in hand with DuBois's The Souls of Black Folk, West's Race Matters and Democracy Matters.

Where Are All the Brothers?: Straight Answers to Men's Questions about the Church

The Souls of Black Folk (Norton Critical Editions)

Race Matters

Democracy Matters: Winning the Fight Against Imperialism

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Informative yet unfocused

This book is informative yet unfocused. As a reader I was looking forward to learning about the social, political, and economic changes engendered by the Civil Rights Movement -during the 60s' and after Dr. King's death-, instead I was bombarded with interesting yet distracting information about the struggle. To exacerbate the situation, the author appears to use interpretive fill-ins when he runs out of facts, events, and incidents to mention. An example of this is Dyson's discussion of morality and social injustice: rather than basing his arguments on empirical evidence he provides the reader with his opinion and/or interpretation of such topics, along with a discursive overstatement of his ideas. This circumlocution makes it difficult for the reader to stay focused on the main points touched upon in a chapter/section. While Dyson brings-to-light many intriguing events about Dr. King, the Movement, his death, and those who aided him in civil Rights Struggle, I believe Dyson's inability to clearly and effectively convey his ideas overshadow his knowledge of the various topics.

Yet, it would be unfair for me to not mention the minute attention-grabbing highlights of the book. For starters, the author speaks of a latent rivalry between Dr. King and Jessie Jackson. The friendship/rivalry between the two men reappears when Dyson speaks of Dr. King's death, and how such event creates a sense of competition between those whom were closest to him. Likewise, the brief examination of Dr. Kin's death as a collusion of the US Government is a definite attention-grabber. The mentioning of Dr. King's physical and psychological fragility due to the stress of the Civil Rights Movement as well as that of plagiarism of Dr. Kin gin his speeches are topics that are unthinkable, shocking, and controversial. Despite of their nature, though, they provide the reader with an impetus to continue reading.

The most controversial and/or innovative aspect of this book is the interview the author has with Dr. King. While Dyson's ingenuity should be commended, attempting to impersonate Dr. King and speak in his behalf may be interpreted as not well-suited. Nevertheless, I interpret such act as a personal signature of the author to the novel, a form of personalizing the protagonist, Dr. King, with the reader, and the perpetuating of the idea that fighting for social justice is a personal matter that will never die.

In my opinion this book provides a superficial examination of the transformation of America after Dr. King's death. IT could have been improve if the author would have focused on a number of topics, explored them thoroughly, and connected them into a greater picture that conveyed the overall message of the book: the transformation of America. Doing so would have allowed the reader to intake new information about such era, critically analyze the events that took place during the sixties, and make a connection between this struggle with the present one(s) of the Bush Administration.

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