
"A superb oral history." —The Washington Post Book World"So touching, so exhilarating...no book for a long time has left me so moved or so happy." —The New York Times Book ReviewThe almost unfathomable courage and the undying faith that propelled the Civil Rights Movement are brilliantly captured in these moving personal recollections. Here are the voices of leaders and followers, of ordinary people who became extraordinary in the face of turmoil and violence. From the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1956 to the death of Martin Luther King, Jr., in 1968, these are the people who fought the epic battle: Rosa Parks, Andrew Young, Ralph Abernathy, Hosea Williams, Fannie Lou Hamer, and others, both black and white, who participated in sit-ins, Freedom Rides, voter drives, and campaigns for school and university integration.Here, too, are voices from the “Down-Home Resistance” that supported George Wallace, Bull Connor, and the “traditions” of the Old South—voices that conjure up the frightening terrain on which the battle was fought. My Soul Is Rested is a powerful document of social and political history, as well as a magnificent tribute to those who made history happen.
How did the individuals involved in the Civil Rights Movement perceive their experiences during the volatile period between 1956 and 1968? Howell Raines, a journalist and former executive editor of The New York Times, compiles a comprehensive oral history that documents the perspectives of both activists and segregationists. By prioritizing primary source accounts, the book constructs a multifaceted narrative of the social and political transformation of the American South.
What You Will Find
Scope Limits
Critics and historians frequently cite this work as a foundational oral history for understanding the human dimension of the Civil Rights Movement. Readers often note the raw, unfiltered nature of the interviews, which provide a stark contrast between the opposing ideologies of the era.
Page Count:
496
Publication Date:
1983-09-29
Publisher:
Penguin Books
ISBN-10:
0140067531
ISBN-13:
9780140067538
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