Book Summary (from Goodreads.com)
“I have a dream.” When those words were spoken on the steps of the
Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963, the crowd stood, electrified, as Martin
Luther King, Jr. brought the plight of African Americans to the public
consciousness and firmly established himself as one of the greatest orators of
all time. Behind the Dream is a thrilling,
behind-the-scenes account of the weeks leading up to the great event, as told
by Clarence Jones, co-writer of the speech and close confidant to King. Jones
was there, on the road, collaborating with the great minds of the time, and
hammering out the ideas and the speech that would shape the civil rights
movement and inspire Americans for years to come
My Review
Reading this
book I came to realize how little I knew about Martin Luther King and the
March. I learn about the movement in my History of the World class, back in
school, and then read a little bit more up to the level of general culture, but
that was about it. Then, after I read The Help by Kathryn Stockett, I wanted to know more, and luckily for me,
this book became available in the LTER giveaway and I got it!
Even though is
a non-fiction book, the events are so beautifully told that I felt I was going
deep in another world, and then the author just caught me:
“Oh, but you have to read the book”
When comparing
how you had to be there to understand the extent of the event. Anyone using
such a phrase will have my attention.
I learn that
the speech was actually copyrighted, I had no idea about this, but reading
about it, it just made sense. I learn about how this speech was partially made
in the moment, out of the inspiration of a great man, and how he let everyone
around him to be part of this moment. Also that Bob Dylan was there along with Joan Baez
There were a
couple of sentences that stayed with me:
“Ideas are the change agents of our world, and words are the building
blocks of those ideas”
And Jones
certainly has his way with words. He built a really nice book, well researched
(with all the references that make the scientist in me giggle knowing that a
sentence is well supported) and he also has a way with ideas. The way he
described the whole three days right before and the day of The March, really
covers you, transporting you to the moment where MLK addresses the public and
changes, with nothing else but words and himself, the course of the movement. The descriptions, the familiar tone, it gave
me the same feeling I had when sitting next to my grandfather while he told me
stories of his own struggle.
“My wish for every reader of this book […] is for you to remember and
believe that nothing is set in stone. Change can happen, and knowing that is
empowering”
It certainly
is, it gives you power to believe that this too shall pass, that this can AND
will be better, that it might take a while, but, to quote Dylan, times are
changing.
It is sad to
read and acknowledge the fact that they hadn’t changed as fast as they could,
for every step forward it seems that hidden groups take 2 steps back, and when
they stop hiding make so much noise that it feels like the steps we made before
where in circles.
Only one thing
I didn’t like about the book, but this is a personal thing. The fact that he
compares the “Occupy Wall Street” movement to the “Arab Spring”. I understand
why someone would see a resemblance, but for me, the reasons underlying both
movements are utterly different, even though they are both pushing for a change
in society. This in no way damages the quality of the book to my eyes, it is a
very good book, is just a point where Mr. Jones and I do not agree.
I believe, if
you are interested in the Movement, or just if you want to learn a little bit
more about that day this is the book for you.
I'm adding the link of the speech, just in case you want to listen to it, which I'm doing as I write: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3P6N9g-dQg
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