Reviews tagging 'Police brutality'
The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation, by Anna Malaika Tubbs
7 reviews
cafeduke's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
5.0
Wow.
This author's approach, thorough research, and ability to make these three mothers' lives all so gripping and readable is nothing short of inspirational. She makes me want to be a better mother and teacher to my kids in their honor and the honor of mothers everywhere who have invisibly done the same throughout history. I will thankfully never know what it's like to be knocked down time and time again by racism. I will hopefully never be thrown in a mental institution for having the gall to stand up to racist, sexist government officials. And geez, I am selfish and honest enough to say I hope to never have such successful children that they change the world enough for people to want to harm them. I'm just glad my kids weren't watching me while I read because the book brought me to tears many times. The suffering of black people in this country is appalling. I'd heard many of the stories before, but not all, and not in such a short frame of time. I sincerely hope the author has a good counselor and support group. With all the horrors listed to frame the lives and times of these three women old enough to be her grandmother (great-grandmother?), I can only imagine the anguish and sadness coursing through her while at the same time she had all those pregnancy and post-pregnancy hormones amplifying it all. It took a strong, amazing woman to write such a strong, amazing book. Kudos and thank you.
This author's approach, thorough research, and ability to make these three mothers' lives all so gripping and readable is nothing short of inspirational. She makes me want to be a better mother and teacher to my kids in their honor and the honor of mothers everywhere who have invisibly done the same throughout history. I will thankfully never know what it's like to be knocked down time and time again by racism. I will hopefully never be thrown in a mental institution for having the gall to stand up to racist, sexist government officials. And geez, I am selfish and honest enough to say I hope to never have such successful children that they change the world enough for people to want to harm them. I'm just glad my kids weren't watching me while I read because the book brought me to tears many times. The suffering of black people in this country is appalling. I'd heard many of the stories before, but not all, and not in such a short frame of time. I sincerely hope the author has a good counselor and support group. With all the horrors listed to frame the lives and times of these three women old enough to be her grandmother (great-grandmother?), I can only imagine the anguish and sadness coursing through her while at the same time she had all those pregnancy and post-pregnancy hormones amplifying it all. It took a strong, amazing woman to write such a strong, amazing book. Kudos and thank you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Hate crime, Classism, Death, Murder, Police brutality, Slavery, Sexism, Violence, Grief, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Confinement
micalyia's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
Brought tears to my eyes. It was truly beautiful to hear more about the amazing mothers of these men.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality, Mental illness, Death of parent, Sexual violence, Gun violence, Rape, Racism, Racial slurs, Pregnancy, Murder, Medical trauma, Medical content, Hate crime, Forced institutionalization, and Colonisation
amandasbookreview's review
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
5.0
“Their lives did not begin with motherhood; on the contrary, long before their sons were even thoughts in their minds, each woman had her own passions, dreams, and identity.”
THE THREE MOTHERS
For me, Valentine’s Day is not just about romantic love. It can be about any love. The love for a parent, for a sibling, for a friend, for a fur-baby, and especially love for one’s child. The Three Mothers by Anna Malaika Tubbs shines a light on three women whose sons are some of America’s most beloved activists. It was their love and encouragement that made those boys into the men they would become. But before they were mothers, they were women. They were women with their own passions, dreams, and hopes.
Alberta Williams King was the mother of Martin Luther King Jr. She was born in 1904 in Atlanta, Georgia. Before she married Martin Luther King Sr. She went to school to get her teaching certificate and taught for a short time. Education was very important to her and something that she instilled in her children. When I simplify it like this, it sounds so generic. But what is missing is the struggle. As a Black woman in the United States at this time, she had faced every obstacle to keep her from getting an education. She became a huge part of the Ebenezer Baptist Church and founded its choir. She knew the dangers that her family faced in the fight for Civil Rights. Six years after the assassination of her son, she was also assassinated.
Louise Little was the mother of Malcolm X born in the year 1984 in Grenada. She is the granddaughter of Jupiter and Mary Jane Langdon who was kidnapped in Nigeria and sold into slavery. Louise was raised by her grandparents and later married Earl Little. They moved around a bit. They were often attacked and harassed by white supremacists. Earl died in 1931. Later, Louise would be institutionalized in a mental hospital against her will. She taught her children to always question everything, to educate themselves, and to never stand down. Malcolm X would go on to be a minister of Islam, human rights activist, and spokesman for black empowerment. While Louise was eventually released from the hospital, after what seemed an endless fight, she would have to endure the grief and horror of the assassination of her son in 1965.
Emma Berdis Baldwin was born in 1903 in Maryland. She would give birth to James Baldwin out of wedlock but they would move to Harlem in 1922. She not only had to endure racism as a Black woman but also as a single mother. She would marry David Baldwin in 1927. He was a Baptist preacher and he and James had a very difficult relationship. Go Tell It On The Mountain is a semi-autobiography written by James Baldwin about his childhood. Despite tensions at home, James Baldwin would always care for his mother and support her in any way he could. He would also go on to become a writer and activist. He died from stomach cancer in 1987. Berdis would live for another 12 years and after her death, she was buried next to her son.
These women lived through some of the most prominent events of the 20th century. Their experiences shaped them and their parenting. While a lot of information about them is not well-documented, it is important to not forget about them. They would all bury their sons, the sons that helped changed the world. The author did a fantastic job of researching these women. This book was inspired by the author becoming a mother herself and what it means to be a mother today. This book is absolutely phenomenal from beginning to end. I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars.
Alberta Williams King was the mother of Martin Luther King Jr. She was born in 1904 in Atlanta, Georgia. Before she married Martin Luther King Sr. She went to school to get her teaching certificate and taught for a short time. Education was very important to her and something that she instilled in her children. When I simplify it like this, it sounds so generic. But what is missing is the struggle. As a Black woman in the United States at this time, she had faced every obstacle to keep her from getting an education. She became a huge part of the Ebenezer Baptist Church and founded its choir. She knew the dangers that her family faced in the fight for Civil Rights. Six years after the assassination of her son, she was also assassinated.
Louise Little was the mother of Malcolm X born in the year 1984 in Grenada. She is the granddaughter of Jupiter and Mary Jane Langdon who was kidnapped in Nigeria and sold into slavery. Louise was raised by her grandparents and later married Earl Little. They moved around a bit. They were often attacked and harassed by white supremacists. Earl died in 1931. Later, Louise would be institutionalized in a mental hospital against her will. She taught her children to always question everything, to educate themselves, and to never stand down. Malcolm X would go on to be a minister of Islam, human rights activist, and spokesman for black empowerment. While Louise was eventually released from the hospital, after what seemed an endless fight, she would have to endure the grief and horror of the assassination of her son in 1965.
Emma Berdis Baldwin was born in 1903 in Maryland. She would give birth to James Baldwin out of wedlock but they would move to Harlem in 1922. She not only had to endure racism as a Black woman but also as a single mother. She would marry David Baldwin in 1927. He was a Baptist preacher and he and James had a very difficult relationship. Go Tell It On The Mountain is a semi-autobiography written by James Baldwin about his childhood. Despite tensions at home, James Baldwin would always care for his mother and support her in any way he could. He would also go on to become a writer and activist. He died from stomach cancer in 1987. Berdis would live for another 12 years and after her death, she was buried next to her son.
These women lived through some of the most prominent events of the 20th century. Their experiences shaped them and their parenting. While a lot of information about them is not well-documented, it is important to not forget about them. They would all bury their sons, the sons that helped changed the world. The author did a fantastic job of researching these women. This book was inspired by the author becoming a mother herself and what it means to be a mother today. This book is absolutely phenomenal from beginning to end. I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Child death, Forced institutionalization, Hate crime, and Police brutality
aargot1's review against another edition
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Grief, Gun violence, Death, Death of parent, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Hate crime, Medical content, Mental illness, Police brutality, Racism, Sexual violence, Murder, and Cancer
Moderate: Pregnancy and Slavery
ekmook's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Murder, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, and Violence
ehmannky's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
4.0
Even if this book had done nothing else, it has taught me the names of Alberta King, Louise Little, and Birdis Baldwin. I can honestly say that even though I knew that Alberta was killed and that Louise had been forcible institutionalized, I hadn't really registered these events on their own terms. Tubbs brings them front and center, as they were in their own families and lives, and gives their accomplishments and feelings time to breathe and be praised the way that their sons' were. It's a lovely and heartbreaking and inspiring read.
The biography of three women in a relatively short book seems like it would be too much, but I think Tubbs does an excellent job with making do with what little historical sources that she had. It's as comprehensive as it could have been, and she ties the lives of these three incredibly different women rather well by dividing the book into broad themes of motherhood.
The biography of three women in a relatively short book seems like it would be too much, but I think Tubbs does an excellent job with making do with what little historical sources that she had. It's as comprehensive as it could have been, and she ties the lives of these three incredibly different women rather well by dividing the book into broad themes of motherhood.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Racial slurs, Child abuse, Sexism, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Murder, Grief, Forced institutionalization, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, and Death
Minor: Homophobia, Slavery, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault
whatskatiereading's review against another edition
emotional
informative
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Gun violence
Moderate: Mental illness, Murder, and Slavery
Minor: Police brutality and Cancer
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