And All Our Wounds Are Forgiven

by Julius Lester

A fictional recreation of the turbulence of the 1960s civil rights movement, narrated from alternating perspectives, chronicles the life and times of charismatic African-American leader John Calvin Marshall, from his rise to national prominence to his tragic assassination.

Genres: Fiction, African American, Historical Fiction, Cultural

232 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 27, 1994

About the author

Julius Lester was an American writer of books for children and adults. He was an academic who taught for 32 years (1971–2003) at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He was also a photographer, as well as a musician who recorded two albums of folk music and original songs.

Reviews

[P X · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’d give it 5 stars were it not for the sex scenes. I see the reasoning for including them, of course. The main character has been in a way sanctified and desexed by history, so including raunchy details about the incredible size of his p*nis and the ~delicious~ thickness of his s*men (lol) is actually a way to humanize the man. However!!!! Was that completely necessary? Some pages read as straight up Wattpad fanfic (which I did love back in 2012).

Ok other than that, great book. Complex characters and relationships. Love at its most brutal but also at its most forgiving. Fascinating political history of exec branch during the civil rights movement. Refreshing and ingenius format used to move across different narrators.

MLK was a theologian, so I wish the author had included some more about the religious roots of liberation and equality. Will be reading more about this time period. Thank you Julius Lester.

[Ruth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this novel set (through flashbacks) in the years of the civil rights movement. Uncharacteristically, I did like it at some of the "talky" points, when John Calvin Marshall (look at his given name & you'll know whom he represents, despite the usual "all resemblances to real persons are accidental" disclaimer on the copyright page) is ruminating about the movement & about race in U.S. society. I felt as if I were listening in on the thoughts of a respected friend.

However, I didn't like the relationship story or find it believable. That the MLK character would lock eyes with the tall, blond, beautiful young white activist at a public event, that his wife would see this & know that they would inevitably become lovers, that the white girl would over a period of many years provide deep safety & healing at a level that the wife could not, that the girl would stick his hand inside her blouse as he lies publicly dying, that she would later marry a dentist, forsake activism, & become a snow bunny in Vermont, that when the wife is lying in hospital years later in the wake of a stroke the girl should be compelled to rush in, sit down, & tell her all about the affair with her long-dead husband--it just doesn't hold up. Yuck.

Also, since John Calvin is a philosophy professor instead of a pastor, the whole spiritual dimension is missing. Whatever his personal failings (& I have not read enough about his life to know any details), the real MLK was a profoundly theological thinker.

[Susan Rothenberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written fictional version of the Civil Rights movement and Martin Luther King's role, including the very active sexual life of those involved with bringing about full integration of blacks into our country.

[Sharon · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was expecting something profound and instead found something obscene. A terrible waste of time.

[Mary Ann Deak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent background information on the Civil Rights movement in the 60's in a fictional setting. I highly recommend it.

[Shane Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

A majority of the philosophy and metaphors were compelling. But large portions of the novel felt like the author was writing erotic fiction from the perspective of civil rights activists.

[Michael C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this author's work!

[L · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I think God is pain and suffering and anguish and despair and hopelessness because there is so much more of those in the world than love."

Empecé este libro porque estaba en la biblioteca del colegio, sección quinto año y soy rebelde y me pongo a leer cosas que normalmente cualquier persona cuerda de primer año no haría. Me senté en un banco, leí las primeras 10 páginas y me lo llevé a casa.

No crean que esto los hará mejor como personas. Sí, es un libro de "ficción histórica" (ya lo creo, Julius Lester) y se centra en el movimiento de los derechos civiles*. La portada me engañó y pensé que me encontraría con algún essay sobre el tema mencionado anteriormente.

Pues no, señores. Sí encontrarán algo del movimiento de los derechos civiles en él, pero es el ambiente en que se centra la historia de verdad: la relación entre John Calvin Marshall (cuff cuff MARTIN LUTHER KING cuff cuff) y su secretaria.

Aprendí bastante sobre esa época tan oscura en los EE.UU y sin duda lo recomiendo. Había capítulos en los que realmente no podía dejar de leer, y esto no me pasa con muchos libros últimamente. La narración es muy buena y relatable, pude sentir que estaba allí con los personajes y lo pude imaginar perfectamente. Es difícil decir lo que es ficción y lo que no, pero, al fin y al cabo, nos quedamos con un libro que demuestra que todos somos humanos, que nadie es un héroe y que cualquier persona que contribuya con la historia y se comporte de cierta manera frente al mundo es probablemente un ser completamente diferente que jamás llegarás a conocer.

-
* No tengo ni idea de si así se traduce al español. YOLO.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was inspired to reread this (one of my favorite novels) after seeing "Selma," which likewise explores the personal pressures of moral and spiritual leadership on the very human Dr. King. The book of course goes much further in its searing examinations of the personal and public selves in conflict as they seek purpose and meaning.

In a discussion of this book, Julius Lester expressed dissatisfaction with the use of the famous photo on the hardcover edition (ironically one of the things that led me to read it the first time); he wrote the book as a love story. I kept that in mind as I read it again, and because of the complexity of the relationships in the story, I found even deeper dimensions to the novel. The fact is, there are many ways to read it, many uncomfortable questions, and always, its soaring language.

Also 26 January 1996:
One of the best novels I have ever read. A brilliant and heartbreaking fictional take on the life of Dr. King.

[J.M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up in a dollar bin and was really surprised by how good it was. The story is about a black civil rights leader who has an affair with his white secretary. It's really a very thinly-veiled fictionalized look at the life of Martin Luther King Jr., down to the assassination of the main character. I thought it was a fascinating look at race and gender issues and I really enjoyed it a lot.

[Michelle Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

SO far this is a page-turner full of so many unspoken truths. it's a book that should truly be read by all.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book over 20 years ago and I remember it like I read it yesterday. Powerful. Memorable. I may reread.

[Jamiya]

I enjoyed the book.