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Parting the Waters (Abridged): America in the King Years, 1954–63 Audiobook
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(4.01) - 2,157 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Hailed as the most masterful story ever told of the American civil rights movement, Parting the Waters is destined to endure for generations.
This audio adaptation focuses primarily on Martin Luther King, Jr. and the key moments that defined his rise to the forefront of the civil rights movement. From Rosa Parks' monumental arrest in Montgomery to King's imprisonment in Birmingham and his triumphant march on Washington, Taylor Branch provides an unsurpassed portrait of King's rise to greatness. He illuminates the stunning courage and private conflict, the deals, maneuvers, betrayals, and rivalries that determined history behind closed doors, at boycotts and sit-ins, on bloody freedom rides, and through siege and murder.
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"so i somehow escaped high school without ever having taken a class on US history (long story). years later, i was working with an organization trying to organize a national campaign, and i felt the need to educate myself on the civil rights movement. i couldn't have found a better source than parting the waters. what i enjoyed most was branch's analysis of the power struggles within the civil rights movement, and his willingness to shatter the facade of infalliability americans have created around MLK Jr. (also, having read it in my spare time freed up more time for beer drinking during graduate school)."
— Melanie (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“A compelling story, masterfully told.”
— Wall Street Journal -
“Already, in this chronicle, there is the material of Iliad after Iliad…There is no time in our history of which we can be more proud.”
— New York Review of Books -
“In remarkable, meticulous detail, Branch provides us with the most complex and unsentimental version of King and his times yet produced.”
— Washington Post Book World -
“Endlessly instructive and fascinating, thorough, stupendous. Now the source and standard in its field.”
— Philadelphia Inquirer -
“ A masterpiece… remarkably revealing… The past, miraculously, seems to spring back to life. ”
— Newsweek -
“Simply superior in every aspect.”
— Baltimore Sun -
“Important…a marvelous book about a man and a movement.”
— Atlanta Journal-Constitution -
“Superb.”
— USA Today
Awards
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Winner of the 1989 Pulitzer Prize for History
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Winner of the 1989 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Current Interest
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A 1988 New York Times Best Book for Nonfiction
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A New York Times bestseller
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Winner of the 1988 National Book Critics Circle Award for General Nonfiction
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Winner of the 1989 Anisfield-Wolf Book Prize for Nonfiction
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Winner of the 1989 Ambassador Book Award for Biography/Autobiography
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A 1989 National Book Award Finalist
Parting the Waters Listener Reviews
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" This whole series if unbelievably good. "
— Amy, 2/18/2014 -
" This series is a must read for every American who wants to consider herself educated. A truly great book on a great chapter of American history. "
— John, 2/3/2014 -
" Although I got carpel tunnel holding it, absolutely amazing.....Book that all Americans should read. On to Vol 2, hopefully in paperback. Although I was alive during the times covered in this book, and have some memory of some events ...wow learned a whole history of my times, and a very important one, that my education failed me on....never too late though. "
— Gayle, 2/2/2014 -
" Part two of the best researched and written history of the Civil Rights years. "
— Mac, 2/2/2014 -
" A must-read for anyone who thinks he/she knows anything about the civil rights era. "
— Jennysdavis, 1/28/2014 -
" This book is long and detailed, but well worth the effort. "
— Rachelle, 1/25/2014 -
" I have never torn through a history book like I have this trilogy. Dense with the fundamentals as well as the details, Branch gives an unflinching portrait of an America coming to terms with one aspect of its dark history. Heroes and villains have never seemed and perhaps never will seem so clearly on the right or wrong side. "
— Puddinheadjoe, 1/22/2014 -
" This is a long, but important book. If you think you knew what the Civil Rights Era was, you will be completely amazed at the life of MLK as he becomes a powerful symbol of freedom. Overall, the book is a must read. "
— Edgar, 1/17/2014 -
" I so love that the bookstore in my town puts certain authors on sale for $1.00... "
— Jennifer, 1/14/2014 -
" Excellent must read on Civil Rights. "
— Selika, 1/14/2014 -
" The most well-written and thorough version of the most important story in American history "
— Steve, 12/2/2013 -
" Incredible. Both in terms of content, and length. Nearly 3 years of on-and-off reading. "
— Chris, 10/20/2013 -
" Thorough reflection of civil rights during these years. "
— Jean, 8/25/2013 -
" I LOVED this book. I mean this thing is ~1000pp long and it kept me up at night in eager anticipation of what was going to happen next. But this is a three volume set and the second one, for some reason, is just gathering dust. I can't get into it. "
— Valentina, 7/25/2013 -
" Taylor Branch has written a marvelous book. The first hundred pages, the history of the African-American Church is perhaps the best history of the church's development. The chapter on the Montgomery boycott is a primer on movement organizing. This first volume is the strongest of the the trilogy. "
— Timothy, 4/7/2013 -
" I enjoyed learning about MLK, the era, other important figures of the time. But, the minute detail eventually wore me down, and I stopped short of finishing the 900+ pages. "
— John, 1/6/2013 -
" Moving through the deep South with Freedom Riders as US comes of age as a nuclear superpower.....Wow, a masterful handling of a complex subject and a turbulent time. I can't praise Taylor Branch's first book enough for its balanced thoughtful analysis of its subject. Worthy to be called a standard. "
— Rochelle, 12/7/2012 -
" Very well done but more than I can handle right now. "
— Chris, 8/8/2012 -
" A hefty book, but a fascinating glimpse so far in to the development of MLK Jr.'s philosophy and work. "
— Kristi, 4/26/2012 -
" this blew me away in 1993. My copy was signed by Rosa Parks. "
— Mike, 1/10/2012 -
" Great read in 1988. Not sure if it's been topped since then. "There is an arc in the moral universe and it bends toward justice." A true American hero. "
— Joe, 10/4/2011 -
" Everyone should read this amazing book! "
— Holly, 2/13/2011 -
" Outstanding account of Martin Luther King Jr.'s formation as a Baptist minister and the beginning of the Civil Rights movement in America and the geo-political landscape at that time ending with the Kennedy administration. "
— Murray, 1/31/2011 -
" Awesome read. Branch is THE authority on the civil rights movement. "
— Ross, 1/26/2011 -
" A great American story ... but I never read the second volume. <br/>I think I couldn't bear to. "
— Mackay, 12/9/2010 -
" The most well-written and thorough version of the most important story in American history "
— Steve, 11/2/2010 -
" This series is a must read for every American who wants to consider herself educated. A truly great book on a great chapter of American history. "
— John, 8/29/2010 -
" Seems well researched, but so detailed at points that it really became difficult to read. "
— Maryeah, 8/2/2010 -
" Great Civil Rights history that really helps you understand some of the complexities of Martin Luther King, Jr., and the political milieu he had to navigate. "
— Frank, 7/29/2010 -
" Very long and only 1 of 3- need to read the others. "
— Jscorse, 7/26/2010
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 C. C. H. Pounder
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.