The King Years: Historic Moments in the Civil Rights Movement

by Taylor Branch

Taylor Branch, author of the acclaimed America in the King Years , introduces selections from the trilogy in clear context and gripping detail.


The King Years delivers riveting tales of everyday heroes who achieved miracles in constructive purpose and yet poignantly fell short. Here is the full sweep of an era that still reverberates in national politics. Its legacy remains unsettled; there are further lessons to be discovered before free citizens can once again move officials to address the most intractable, fearful dilemmas. This vital primer amply fulfills its author’s “For students of freedom and teachers of history.”

This compact volume brings to life eighteen pivotal dramas, beginning with the impromptu speech that turned an untested, twenty-six-year-old Martin Luther King forever into a public figure on the first night of the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott. Five years later, minority students filled the jails in a 1960 sit-in movement, and, in 1961, the Freedom Riders seized national attention.

Branch interprets King’s famous speech at the 1963 March on Washington, then relives the Birmingham church bombing that challenged his dream of equal souls and equal votes. We see student leader Bob Moses mobilize college volunteers for Mississippi’s 1964 Freedom Summer, and a decade-long movement at last secures the first of several landmark laws for equal rights. At the same time, the presidential nominating conventions were drawn into sharp and unprecedented party realignment.

In “King, J. Edgar Hoover, and the Nobel Peace Prize,” Branch details the covert use of state power for a personal vendetta. “Crossroads in Selma” describes King’s ordeal to steer the battered citizen’s movement through hopes and threats from every level of government. “Crossroads in Vietnam” glimpses the ominous wartime split between King and President Lyndon Johnson. As backlash shadowed a Chicago campaign to expose northern prejudice, and the Black Power slogan of Stokely Carmichael captivated a world grown weary of nonviolent protest, King grew ever more isolated. As Branch writes, King “pushed downward into lonelier causes until he wound up among the sanitation workers of Memphis.” A requiem chapter leads to his fateful assassination.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Politics, American History, Audiobook, School, Biography

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Taylor Branch is an American author and historian best known for his award-winning trilogy of books chronicling the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. and some of the history of the American civil rights movement. The third and final volume of the 2,912-page trilogy — collectively called America in the King Years — was released in January 2006. Branch lives in Baltimore, Maryland, with his wife, Christina Macy, and their two children, Macy (born 1980) and Franklin (b. 1983).

-Wikipedia

Reviews

[Eli · Rating 3 out of 5]

To be completely honest, I didn't finish this. But I read so much of it (50 pages from the end) that I couldn't bear shelving it as DNF.

So this is basically highlight moments from Branch's King Years trilogy. I would recommend reading the trilogy if you're interested because I'm sure there's more to get out of it. This edition moves so fast that I barely absorbed anything and I didn't think it was all explained very well. As a scholar, Branch seems wonderful. But this book really wasn't my cup of tea.

[Eddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The ‘Years’ just flew by.

One would be hard-pressed attempting to condense a 2300+ page trilogy down to a 290 page paperback, but that’s what author, Taylor Branch, did. According to Branch, The King Years “..is a condensation, a short distillation, of the 18 most essential moments in the Civil Rights movement between [19]54 and 1968. It’s kind of like a re-introduction and re-interpretation of a transformative era in our history.” You would probably agree that it is always good idea to get reaquainted with Dr. King, his words and his deeds; and The King Years gives you a chance to do that without a huge commitment. The King Years, providing highlights from Birmingham to Selma to Memphis, just to name a few, offers enough moments of the movement to satisfy but yet leaves you yearning for much, much more.

[Kenneth Barber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It pulled major events of the civil rights era from the authors 3 volume work on the King years. A good introduction to MLK and events that defined an era

[Lindaellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hate giving this three stars because I know it is an historically significant book - and because for years I have wanted to read the Taylor Branch books about Dr. King. I didn't dislike this book, but there just was not enough there for me - I guess I wanted more detail, more first-person accounts, etc. That being said, I guess I should have read the unabridged book(s) if that's what I want! I do think the story of this era in which I was a child/teenager is compelling, and Branch is a wonderful historian. Probably should be a must-read everyone who wants a quick overview of an important era in American history.

[Fadillah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before you read this book, please pick up any complete history of Martin Luther King Jr. and read it. Some of the reviews here did state that this book is too short. I somehow enjoyed this book because it's compiled of major events that eventually turned him into one of the greatest orators and incredible figures at some point. The author did construct some of the events in his writing and portrayed how MLK handled it. What a great way to invite reader to dig deep in MLK's life.

[Amy Lively · Rating 4 out of 5]

Branch’s full-length trilogy is very dense. It takes a lot of discipline to get through even one volume. This is an excellent distillation of some of the most essential events of the King era. I appreciate that Branch does not portray King as a god. He was a man with doubts and faults, like all of us, which makes his life and accomplishments more remarkable, not less.

[Andrew Squitiro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good summary of something I already knew bits and pieces of, but never the full story. I'll read the full trilogy one day, because, unfortunately, the bits and pieces are just larger bits and pieces now. I think Branch did the best he could with summarizing his works, but it still kinda felt like a highlight reel. White people today would hate Dr. King.

[Jacob Vahle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had read Branch's first volume of his HUGE King trilogy (Parting the Waters/Pillar of Fire/At Canaan's Edge), but wasn't feeling like reading two more 800 page volumes. This book was a good distillation of his trilogy - reads like the greatest hits of the Movement, but enough primary sources and focus on neglected angles that made it worth the read.

[Steve B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Taylor Branch is the preeminent historian of Martin Luther King Jr and the American civil rights movement. Branch won the Pulitzer in History for 'Parting the Waters: America in the King Years, 1954-9163' (part 2 of the trilogy). 'The King Years: Historic Moments in the Civil Rights Movement' is an abridged version of the high points of Branch's previous books. I actually bought this book a few years ago at the National Civil Rights museum in Memphis as I did not think I would read the 2700 pages plus of the trilogy but the 170 pages of the abridged version seemed doable. It was and I am not disappointed. Great highlights of the 'Movement'.

[Jazzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went into this book not expecting what it turned out to be. I thought this was more of an overall encapsulation of the overall Civil Rights Movement limited in time to the years MLK Jr was active in the movement. It turns out this is more or less a biography-lite of MLK Jr's life during the years he was active in the movement.

I say "lite" because this is a condensation of a 2500+ page trilogy. As such, this works very well. It covers a lot of ground, most of it very lightly. Personally, for now I am very satisfied with this condensed version.

Recommended for those who want an insight into MLK Jr's life and mind during this fascinating and monumental period.

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good but incomplete history of the civil rights movement, centering MLK and obscuring many of the other important players as extras in the MLK story. I often found myself wanting to know more about those men and women and frustrated to see them continually cast as bit players only. Relatedly, the book severely understates the importance of women as being central to the success of the CRM. Worth a read, but only as a jumping off point.

[Kyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an educator, this is perfect. Doesn’t pretend it’s everything, but dang did I learn a ton and finally understand some of the names that I’ve always been told were important but didn’t know why. Use of primary sources and pieces of his larger texts work well. Highly recommend, especially if you can get the audiobook read by Leslie Odom Jr.

[Crystal · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing. I think you are probably better off reading the three-volume set.

[Brett Milam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an abbreviated traverse through the Civil Rights Movement, as marked by Martin Luther King Jr.'s leadership from 1954 to 1968. Maybe one day I can dive into the much bigger ask of the three volumes that flesh much more of this out, but for now, this was a nice teaser look at the big flashpoints, and the subtler, more human moments of a movement trying to figure itself out. I personally find that philosophical undercurrent, and King trying to hold his grounding of it together, to be the most interesting elements here. Are we going to be a nonviolent movement? Or are we going to push back? And to what extent do we push back?

It is quite the ask to ask people to withstand angry, racist white mobs, firebombings, clubs, hoses, dogs, police, and so on. And then do it again. And then do it again. It's really quite remarkable. We all learn about this nonviolent protest and resistance in history class and many of us can probably recite some of the bigger moments, but when you stop and just take it in, it's freakin' remarkable. It really is.

So consider King's lift here. He's fighting historic, long-entrenched and violent racism to gain rights due African Americans. That in and of itself is a big ask. To get moderate whites to go with it. To go up against those violent racists. To get the political class to pony up. To get the cops to actually do their damn job of protection. And yet, on top of that, King also has the courage and temerity to rightly connect the dots between that struggle and the war in Vietnam and speak out against that war. Again, it's remarkable and admirable. I'm not saying anything new here, but it's worth remarking upon.

Another item worth highlighting is the Birmingham church bombing, which killed four little girls. Branch said this, "Among civilian whites in general, reactions wound more softly in the same coil: a stab of sympathy and generalized remorse, followed quickly by resentment of exaggerated accusations and then a growing sense of innocence. 'All of us are victims,' insisted Mayor Albert Boutwell.'" If that sentence couldn't be applied at any other time in American history including in modern and present times. Somehow, some way, the whites will rationalize themselves into being the *true victims*.

Finally, another area worth noting, is how vile and abhorrent the FBI under J. Edgar Hoover was, and the way they targeted, harassed, smeared, surveilled and threatened King, up to and including trying to get King to kill himself. It's one of the most shameful periods in law enforcement history.

Anyhow, even if you think you're familiar with the Civil Rights Movement and King, familiarize yourself some more. Because there is more here. Well-worth reading on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

[Jeremy Anderberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this slim distillation of Branch’s massive trilogy on the Civil Rights Movement, the renowned author aims to share “the gist of the patriotic struggle in which the civil rights pioneers, like modern Founders, moved an inherited world of hierarchy and subjugation toward common citizenship.” As is expected in an abridgment, there’s some context missing and the short chapters feel somewhat clipped, but The King Years is hard to beat as a primer on how the triumphs of that movement came to be.

For my own understanding of that time period, this book was an important read in a couple ways.

First, it helped me realize just how unpopular the Civil Rights Movement was at the time. Upwards of 60% of Americans disapproved of the numerous, near-constant protests, speeches, and “dramatics.” Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr., though revered in our modern age, were two of most hated public figures of the era. Today, for comparison, the Black Lives Matter movement has public support that’s the inverse of 50 years ago, with over 60% of people in favor of the principles behind it.

Second, given the short chapters that focus on pivotal moments, years go by with the turn of a page. The reader realizes just how long and drawn out the fight for civil rights really was. The Montgomery bus boycott was in 1956 and the Civil Rights Act wasn’t passed until 1964, with the Voting Rights Act following on its heels in 1965. It was nearly a decade of struggle and social change for our nation — in the midst of the Cold War and a presidential assassination. The ‘60s were intense, man.

In light of the passing of John Lewis, who makes numerous appearances in the book, this volume is especially worth reading. (As is the entire trilogy, though at over 2,300 pages, it does require some endurance.) More than the other books featured in this article, it provides hope for what could be. As Branch concludes:

Above all, the King years should serve as a bracing reminder that citizens and leaders can work miracles together despite every hardship, against great odds.

[Julie Capell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Like many other reviewers, I had hoped to skip the hard slog through the highly acclaimed, three-volume original books by this author on the civil rights movement in America by getting this abridged version. And like many others, I came away underwhelmed. Some of the moments and people the author chose to include here seemed odd choices to me. I am by no means an expert on the civil rights movement, but I really didn't learn anything new, so I would definitely not recommend it for anyone with more than a passing knowledge of the events of the 1960s. Neither can I recommend it for someone just beginning to research this era; the narrative is too disjointed and there is not enough context to understand the implications of the events described here unless you already have some background. Ultimately, the only thing this book inspired in me was a strong desire to re-watch all of "Eyes on the Prize."

[I listened to this as an audiobook read by Leslie Odom, Jr. who did the best he could with the unenviable task of performing some of the most well-known speeches in American history by some of our most famous orators. Wisely realizing King and Kennedy are inimitable, Odom reads their famous lines in more or less his own voice, but this just made it all the more obvious that this content is better consumed either in written form, or by listening to the original speakers. As an audio book, I would not recommend this.]

[Leew49 · Rating 3 out of 5]

"America's Founders entrusted political responsibility in the citizens themselves . . . During the short career of Martin Luther King, Jr, between 1954 and 1968, the nonviolent civil rights movement lifted the patriotic spirit of the United States toward our defining national purpose." p. 188

Taylor Branch is known for his three-part biography of MLK, comprised of AT CANAAN'S EDGE, PILLAR OF FIRE AND PARTING OF THE WATERS. THE KING YEARS is a one-volume condensed version of the trilogy. It is not a traditional biography, but rather a history of the early civil rights movement--and the era which it to a large extent defined--with MLK justifiably at the center of the story. If it has a flaw, THE KING YEARS suffers from condensation by ellipsis, occasionally omitting facts essential to the narrative, seeming to assume that the reader has prior knowledge of the situation, perhaps because they were included in the original, longer version. By revealing the politics--and the scheming that went into the politics--both external and internal to the Civil Rights movement, THE KING YEARS moves between fodder for cynicism and genuinely inspirational moments of great words and greater courage. Branch does a commendable job of portraying the early civil rights movement as well as its relation to the Viet Nam era and the other controversies of the 1960s and beyond.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Narrative concentrated version of a three volume history. I enjoyed the quoted speeches and smaller moments arranged with narration especially performed by actor Leslie Odom Jr. who used subtle accents and mood change to depict the various historical characters. I was also surprised by but appreciated that it wasn't all moments where King was present or directly involved, it gave attention to the fact of how many people were involved in this history. I was also surprised by how much time it covered and how spread out some of the events were. I know King didn't live long (killed before he was 40) but I suppose I didn't realize how young he was when things started, and that several years followed some of the bigger, more known events from the early 60s.

[Lucinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was very glad I read this book. It is comprised of selections from the author's trilogy "America in the King Years". While I lived through the events depicted, I found I had a new and better understanding of the events. I was only vaguely aware of what was going on during my college years. Later events were much more familiar. I heard Taylor Branch speak at a library luncheon and the book was included in the fee. He was an excellent speaker who certainly had a comprehensive knowledge of the events he wrote about. It was interesting, too, that the leaders of the movement are not uniformly idolized, but are presented with all their human failings and doubts. Good read.

[Anne Bennett · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book. I never studied Civil Rights Movement in school so I have had to get my information from books I read and documentaries I've watched. I listened to Taylor Branch speak at a seminar last spring and bought the book to learn more. Unfortunately, The King Years is too truncated. Branch has picked excerpts from his three volume set on Civil Rights which weighs in at over 2000 pages. This book at 200 pages was just too short, yet the excerpts were too dense. The worst of both worlds.

[Bardia Vaseghi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a beautiful rendering of the complex tapestry of the civil rights movement—its conflicts between students, the federal governments, and its leaders like Abernathy and King; its tug between non-violence and Black Power; and the cold indifference of the public to human tragedy against the movement’s ability to advance justice on human scale. The most beautiful scene in the whole book is Bobby Kennedy’s incredulity that a group of ragtag black and white students could bring the whole world to attention with the simple act of trying to ride a bus.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I generally liked the book and recognize that it was an attempt to boil three impressive works down into one manageable piece. However, the editing left me often confused and I found myself having to re-read and ultimately seek out other resources to fill in the blanks left within a few chapters. This was definitely a manageable piece and I wish the editing team had done a better job. Another 50 pages wouldn’t have been unbearable, but may have helped make this piece better capture the story.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the first volume of the American During the King Years, Parting the Waters, which took me about six months of insomniac kindle effort, so I decided to try a short cut, reading the last two thirds of this instead of parts 2 and 3 of the trilogy. It was like going from a fire hose to a barely adequate water fountain; too much detail to too little. Nonetheless, a worthwhile review of some of the highlights of the civil rights movement.

[Alexander Abbe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had this on my shelf at home. Pulled it out to use it as a reference guide while reading assigned primary sources for my 2021 summer class, Great American Texts: MLK. Basically read it alongside the texts to help me think through the context and better understand the assigned readings.

Book does a nice job of selecting the pivotal moments in the Civil Rights Movement. Each short chapter focuses on one event and it pulls from Branch's massive books.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, I definitely should have read the trilogy instead of this condensed volume of selections from the trilogy. It moved much too fast and I didn't get nearly a complex/complete enough portrait. I appreciate the idea of an abridged version of a dense trilogy, but felt this was much too abridged. I could have read this length of book about just the FBI Cointelpro smear campaigns, etc. alone.

[Belle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m so glad I read this book! It’s one thing to know that Martin Luther Kong Jr. was a great leader, but this book gives insight to the day to day struggle with getting people on-board with non-violence! Like most biographies I read, I got a little lost in the specific names and had to rewind the audiobook a handful of times.

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A VERY brief summation of key events of the Civil Rights movement, which has only made me want to read/listen to Branch's full-text works on Martin Luther King Jr (and wish that Leslie Odom could narrate them as well!).

[Andre Guimond · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book with many passionate inspiring moments and stories and some context around them. The right amount of back and resulting story that piqued my curiosity on many different topics I am ignorant about!
Audio book From NBPLS.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned a great deal from this book, and was grateful for the chance to read Taylor Branch without having to read the three volume America in the King Years, from which it derived. I now have the skeleton and can fill in the pieces of interest as I choose.

[Thomas Christianson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great overview, very informative.