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At Canaan’s Edge (Abridged): America in the King Years, 1965–68 Audiobook
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(4.03) - 462 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
At Canaan's Edge concludes America in the King Years, a three-volume history that will endure as a masterpiece of storytelling on American race, violence, and democracy. Pulitzer Prize-winner and bestselling author Taylor Branch makes clear in this magisterial account of the civil rights movement that Martin Luther King, Jr., earned a place next to James Madison and Abraham Lincoln in the pantheon of American history.
King and his movement stand at the zenith of America's defining story, one decade into an epic struggle for the promises of democracy. Branch opens with the authorities' violent suppression of a voting-rights march in Alabama on March 7, 1965. From there we follow King as he takes nonviolence into Northern urban ghettoes exposing hatreds and fears no less virulent than the Mississippi Klan's. We watch King bring all his eloquence into dissent from the Vietnam War, and decide to concentrate his next campaign on a positive compact to address poverty. We reach Memphis, the garbage workers' strike, and ultimately King's assassination.
At Canaan's Edge shows King at the height of his moral power even as his worldly power is waning. It shows why his fidelity to freedom and nonviolence makes him a defining figure long beyond his brilliant life and violent end.
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"This is the third book of the trilogy written by Taylor Branch on the life of Martin Luther King. I enjoyed the book and learned many things about the life and career of MLK. Mr. Branch goes into great depth about MLK in the era of the heavy Civil Rights fight, his relationship with LBJ and all the major Civil Rights figures in the 1960s. I need to read the first two books to get a complete picture of MLK one of the major figures of the 20th Century."
— Roger (4 out of 5 stars)
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“A thrilling book, marvelous in both its breadth and detail. There is drama in every paragraph.”
— New York Times Book Review -
“At Canaan’s Edge is a deeply researched book that completes a superior narrative trilogy of America’s civil rights struggles between 1954 and 1968.”
— Washington Post Book World -
“Luminous…magisterial…At Canaan’s Edge is a sweeping history of protest and politics, bursting with outsize figures.”
— Chicago Tribune -
“Stunning…It is the most difficult and downbeat of the three volumes…it also might be the best.”
— Washington Monthly -
“A worthy capstone to a remarkable series of historical works.”
— Christian Science Monitor -
“A magnificent account of witness and sacrifice.”
— Harper’s -
“A passionate, detailed, and important examination of a larger-than-life figure.”
— Bookmarks magazine -
“With this final volume, ‘America in the King Years’ becomes unsurpassed in the last fifty years of American biography…A book that gradually reveals a large-scale vision of democracy as an act of hope thrown down like a gauntlet.”
— Salon.com -
“The engrossing final installment of Branch’s three-volume biography of Martin Luther King Jr. maintains the high standards set in the previous volumes…This magisterial book is a fitting tribute to a magisterial man.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Awards
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A New York Times bestseller
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Winner of the 2007 Anisfield-Wolf Book Prize for Lifetime Achievement
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New York Times Book Review 100 Notable Books for Nonfiction, 2006
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A 2006 Los Angeles Times Book Prize Nominee for History
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A 2006 National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist for Biography
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A 2006 National Book Award Finalist for Nonfiction
At Canaan’s Edge Listener Reviews
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" What it took to create and maintain the non-violent movement towards civil rights is unbelievable seeing the challenges MLK was facing. It was also interesting watching LBJ caught between the beginning of the Vietnam War and the civil rights movement. "
— Mike, 2/8/2014 -
" I give the whole series a hundred stars. "
— Nadine, 2/3/2014 -
" This comment pertains to all three America in the King Years books by Taylor Branch...all are excellent(though we sometimes lose sight of Dr. King in the third volume due to the scrupulously researched wealth of details about the War)...the books make a compelling case for MLK as THE Great Public Man without Portfolio in the history of our country... "
— Frederic, 2/1/2014 -
" See previous comments for books in this series. "
— Josh, 1/20/2014 -
" Wonderful account of the struggle in Selma Alabama and the march to Montgomery. "
— Peter, 1/16/2014 -
" I'm not sure there's anything comparable to Branch's work on King and the Civil Rights Movement, maybe David Garrow's "Bearing the Cross." Highly recommended. "
— Chris, 11/3/2013 -
" Extremely well written account of the fight for civil rights and the role Martin Luther King played. "
— Carol, 10/23/2013 -
" Epic, soaring, and lyrically written. This is history so thoroughly researched and beautifully written as to set a modern standard. The final book of Branch's trilogy on the King years is a master work and I give it my highest recommendation. "
— Lee, 8/19/2013 -
" Branch proves he is the definitive historian of Martin Luther King, Jr. "
— JRB, 7/22/2013 -
" Final installment of the MLK trilogy by Taylor Branch. If you read only one series on the Civil Rights movement in your lifetime, read his books. "
— Caitlin, 2/9/2013 -
" This is the last of Branch's trilogy on Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights movement of the '60's. Another beautiful, well-researched history, and since I remember this time, I'm reluctant for the book to end, but so interested in reading about it so I can understand it better. "
— Rena, 7/29/2012 -
" MOVING AND POWERFUL END STORY OF A TRUE AMERICAN PROPHET. "
— Stephen, 4/22/2012 -
" The final three or four years of King's life and about much else in those years from '65-'68. If you have the interest and the time, no one gives you more detail and insight than Taylor Branch. "Parting of the Waters" and "Pillars of Fire" are also terrific if the subject interests you. "
— Richard, 7/10/2011 -
" Great Book if you are looking for facts and dates. There is little narrative to this discussion so if you are not familiar with all the players you will get confused and bored quickly. I couldn't finish it. "
— Kim, 6/30/2011 -
" Such a bleak and bitter read when the Movement falls apart after 1965. "
— Brad, 5/27/2011 -
" Such a bleak and bitter read when the Movement falls apart after 1965. "
— Brad, 8/12/2010 -
" Extremely well written account of the fight for civil rights and the role Martin Luther King played. "
— Carol, 7/25/2010 -
" Wonderful account of the struggle in Selma Alabama and the march to Montgomery. "
— Peter, 5/9/2010 -
" Read this book, and the two earlier books, Parting the Waters and Pillar of Fire. The most moving powerful insightful rich detailed moral books I have read. "
— Luca, 2/21/2010 -
" I give the whole series a hundred stars. "
— Nadine, 12/4/2009 -
" Listened to this book which is the third of a trilogy. Now will go back and get the first two. Fantastic history!! "
— Helen, 5/30/2009 -
" This is the last of Branch's trilogy on Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights movement of the '60's. Another beautiful, well-researched history, and since I remember this time, I'm reluctant for the book to end, but so interested in reading about it so I can understand it better. "
— Rena, 2/5/2009 -
" Branch proves he is the definitive historian of Martin Luther King, Jr. "
— JRB, 1/12/2009
About Taylor Branch
Taylor Branch is an acclaimed author and public speaker best known for his landmark narrative history of the civil rights era, America in the King Years. The trilogy’s first book, Parting the Waters: America in the King Years, 1954-63, won the Pulitzer Prize and numerous other awards in 1989. Two successive volumes also gained critical and popular success: Pillar of Fire: America in the King Years, 1963-65 and At Canaan’s Edge: America in the King Years, 1965-1968. Decades later, all three books remain in demand. Branch began his career in 1970 as a staff journalist for the Washington Monthly, Harper’s, and, Esquire. He holds honorary doctoral degrees from ten colleges and universities. Other citations include the Dayton Literary Peace Prize Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008 and the National Humanities Medal in 1999.
About Joe Morton
Joe Morton is a winner of multiple AudioFile Earphones Awards for audiobook narration. A graduate of Hofstra University’s drama program, he has an extensive list of film and television credits, including Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Speed, Smallville, and Eureka. He made his Broadway debut in Hair and was nominated for a Tony Award for the musical Raisin. In 2014 he received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his work on Scandal.