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To the Promised Land: Martin Luther King and the Fight for Economic Justice by Michael K. Honey
krisandburn's review against another edition
4.5
Once upon a time in High School I had to do an essay on a person that inspired me. Whilst many of my peers chose some popstar or football (soccer) player or other, I chose Martin Luther King. Unfortunately, I did not remember anything I found out about him whilst researhing for that all those years ago, but when I saw this book I knew I would love to revisit this extraordinary and inspiring individual.
This is not just a book on Martin Luther King. It looks at a very turbulent time in not only black history, but in the history of the United States in general. Poverty was a nationwide issue, and not only for the black community, but across the board. The black population were still not seen as equal to the whites and mechanisation caused a slew of job losses. However, Martin Luther King fought for civil rights for all the poor, not just the African American community.
This book highlights the economic struggles of the times against the backdrop of the Vietnam War. The inequality makes you angry and breaks your heart. Martin Luther King remained an example of non-violence throughout, eventhough he was portrayed differently in the press. How can you stay calm amongst such hate and misunderstanding?
I learned so much about black and American history from this book. It has a clear timeline without being too structured. The various union and party abbreviations all blended into each other after a while, but I do not think that mattered too much.
This is one of those books that leaves you feeling a little bit wiser than when you started it and in my book that is always a good thing.
This is not just a book on Martin Luther King. It looks at a very turbulent time in not only black history, but in the history of the United States in general. Poverty was a nationwide issue, and not only for the black community, but across the board. The black population were still not seen as equal to the whites and mechanisation caused a slew of job losses. However, Martin Luther King fought for civil rights for all the poor, not just the African American community.
This book highlights the economic struggles of the times against the backdrop of the Vietnam War. The inequality makes you angry and breaks your heart. Martin Luther King remained an example of non-violence throughout, eventhough he was portrayed differently in the press. How can you stay calm amongst such hate and misunderstanding?
I learned so much about black and American history from this book. It has a clear timeline without being too structured. The various union and party abbreviations all blended into each other after a while, but I do not think that mattered too much.
This is one of those books that leaves you feeling a little bit wiser than when you started it and in my book that is always a good thing.
radballen's review against another edition
4.0
Recommended reading. Learned a lot about Martin Luther King, Jr.'s move deeper into his mission to improve the lives of poor people everywhere. It's stunning to see that King's vision in its way harkens to the current calls for intersectional liberation. It's disappointing to see how few gains we've made when it comes to reducing income inequality that plagues so many in the United States and elsewhere. We're still asking for the same simple things in 2018 that people have been fighting for for decades if not centuries.
annieca's review against another edition
3.0
This was a book suggested in an article by the Washington Post asking race and civil rights scholars what books should Virginia Governor Ralph Northam read to better understand why blackface was/is hurtful. So naturally, I had high expectations. Unfortunately, it didn't live up to those. I'm not very familiar with the work of MLK (other than what we get in your average elementary school), so I expected to learn lots. I didn't. The narrative felt tired - like Honey was rehashing the same tired details without a new argument to be made.
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