A review by arisbookcorner
The Children by David Halberstam
5.0
IQ "The Movement had been predominately black, although its aims were integrationist. Led as it was by black Southern ministers, it was religious, nonviolent, and marvelously and often clumsily democratic. It was ecumenical and above all, for people had often lost sight of this, it was optimistic. It was broad based, and it had constantly had one aim, to appeal to the conscience of America. It was, he decided, probably over; at least the part of it driven primarily by a religious force." Bernard Lafayette, 560
After you see SELMA read this book to learn more about the activists briefly mentioned in the movie (such as James Bevel played by Common and Diane Nash played by Tessa Thompson. Side note: Nash is one of my new heroes). Halberstam left no stone unturned. This book focuses on the intersecting lives of the student leaders of the civil rights movement but he also discusses the adults in their lives (both the well known and lesser known) and the approach of various figures of the Kennedy administration. Their stories are inspiring, particularly to me as a college student at the moment but also remind anyone of their own time as a young adult. His writing is excellent, that has an even greater impact because he was there for most of the story. His interviews are vivid and he does a great job extracting information from those he profiles. His book seems particularly timely at the moment because of the movie SELMA and his portrayal of Marion Barry who had only died about a month ago while I was reading this book. I have nothing else to say except READ IT. Please. I really feel that I understand the sacrifices and personalities of those who contributed to the civil rights movement on a deeper level. An exhilarating and galvanizing true story of courageous individuals who seem to be quite rare at this day and age. Some of my favorite quotes are below;
"This was is [Jim Lawson's] most crucial lesson: Ordinary people who acted on conscience and took terrible risks were no longer ordinary people. They were by their very actions transformed. They would be heroes, men and women who had been abused and arrested for seeking the most elemental of human rights" 62
"Indeed, he decided years later, everyone ought to have one pure moment in history, one glorious instant which set you apart from everyone else and made you feel that you were not ordinary, that your life was worth something" 130 Paul LaPrad
"It was at that moment that John Lewis had an epiphany: Not only did their own parents not want them to make the trip, but now the Nashville ministers felt the same way because over the past year they had become the proxy parents of the students. They had all gotten too close to each other. Because they had been through so much together and come to admire one another so much, human emotions and personal attachments were outweighing what was good for the cause. That was wrong, Lewis believed" (275).
After you see SELMA read this book to learn more about the activists briefly mentioned in the movie (such as James Bevel played by Common and Diane Nash played by Tessa Thompson. Side note: Nash is one of my new heroes). Halberstam left no stone unturned. This book focuses on the intersecting lives of the student leaders of the civil rights movement but he also discusses the adults in their lives (both the well known and lesser known) and the approach of various figures of the Kennedy administration. Their stories are inspiring, particularly to me as a college student at the moment but also remind anyone of their own time as a young adult. His writing is excellent, that has an even greater impact because he was there for most of the story. His interviews are vivid and he does a great job extracting information from those he profiles. His book seems particularly timely at the moment because of the movie SELMA and his portrayal of Marion Barry who had only died about a month ago while I was reading this book. I have nothing else to say except READ IT. Please. I really feel that I understand the sacrifices and personalities of those who contributed to the civil rights movement on a deeper level. An exhilarating and galvanizing true story of courageous individuals who seem to be quite rare at this day and age. Some of my favorite quotes are below;
"This was is [Jim Lawson's] most crucial lesson: Ordinary people who acted on conscience and took terrible risks were no longer ordinary people. They were by their very actions transformed. They would be heroes, men and women who had been abused and arrested for seeking the most elemental of human rights" 62
"Indeed, he decided years later, everyone ought to have one pure moment in history, one glorious instant which set you apart from everyone else and made you feel that you were not ordinary, that your life was worth something" 130 Paul LaPrad
"It was at that moment that John Lewis had an epiphany: Not only did their own parents not want them to make the trip, but now the Nashville ministers felt the same way because over the past year they had become the proxy parents of the students. They had all gotten too close to each other. Because they had been through so much together and come to admire one another so much, human emotions and personal attachments were outweighing what was good for the cause. That was wrong, Lewis believed" (275).