April 4, 1968: Martin Luther King Jr.'s Death and How It Changed America

by Michael Eric Dyson

On April 4, 1968, at 6:01 PM, while he was standing on a balcony at a Memphis hotel, Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot and fatally wounded. Only hours earlier King—the prophet for racial and economic justice in America—ended his final speech with the words, “I may not get there with you, but I want you to know tonight, that we as a people will get to the Promised Land.”

Acclaimed public intellectual and best-selling author Michael Eric Dyson uses the fortieth anniversary of King’s assassination as the occasion for a provocative and fresh examination of how King fought, and faced, his own death, and we should use his death and legacy. Dyson also uses this landmark anniversary as the starting point for a comprehensive reevaluation of the fate of Black America over the four decades that followed King’s death. Dyson ambitiously investigates the ways in which African-Americans have in fact made it to the Promised Land of which King spoke, while shining a bright light on the ways in which the nation has faltered in the quest for racial justice. He also probes the virtues and flaws of charismatic black leadership that has followed in King’s wake, from Jesse Jackson to Barack Obama.

Always engaging and inspiring, April 4, 1968 celebrates the prophetic leadership of Dr. King, and challenges America to renew its commitment to his deeply moral vision.

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

306 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 31, 2008

About the author

Michael Eric Dyson is an American academic, author, and radio host. He is a professor of sociology at Georgetown University.

Reviews

[Darya Silman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Diversity of topics, from the influence of death in Black culture to Barack Obama's presidency, hides under the cover of April 4, 1968: Martin Luther King Jr.'s Death and How It Changed America.

The book's title is misleading: while it mentions Martin Luther King Jr's death, the assassination itself is a mere stop point in the narration about Black history up to the present day. Easy to listen to and multifaceted, the book can be divided into two parts, before and after King's death. The first part focuses on understanding death in Black culture in general and by King in particular. Michael Eric Dyson, an author of multiple books, speculates what would have happened to King if he hadn't been assassinated. Mythologization of King's legacy, like polishing all his shortcomings, started even before he was buried and begot Jesse Jackson as the new face of the civil rights movement.

Taken separately, the chapters are well-written and engaging. The author uses vast statistical material in one chapter to emphasize the current inequality between white and black Americans. In two other instances, he outlines Jesse Jackson's and Al Sharpton's biographies and King's influence on their preaching. However, I feel that the author interpreted King's death too broadly, using it as a root for discussing too far-stretched themes to be squeezed into one book. The last chapter, a fictitious dialogue between 80-year-old King (if he hadn't died, of course) and a journalist, seems inappropriate.

I recommend the book as an informative, passionate overview of the various topics connected with Black America. April 4, 1968 aroused interest in me to read other Michael Eric Dyson's books.

[Christopher · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a fine book up until the end. It's a light look into the effects of King's life and death on the Civil Rights Movement. I learned some things, especially about King's connections to Jesse Jackson and his influence on Al Sharpton. It also gives a brief summary of the differences in philosophy between King and other prominent black figures, contemporary with King and later.

But then Dyson ends it all with an imaginary interview with King, a "what would King say about his death and about the current times if we could talk to him now?" It's inspired by when Bill Clinton imagined what kind of report card King would give the America of the nineties, so I understand what Dyson is doing but it's bizarre, awkward, and plain distasteful. King is "interviewed" about how he feels about dying, whether or not he likes rap music (he likes the rapid-fire and witty delivery, but he doesn't approve of the violent and misogynistic lyrics), how he now fights for marriage equality, and his feelings about Oprah (he is her "biggest fan.") Dyson's half-hearted imitation of King's cadence in the audio version just makes it worse.

To be honest, this phony interview ruined the entire book for me. If the rest of it was exceptional in any way, I might be able to look the other way, but it's not, so I can't.

[Yesenia Cash · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Michael Eric Dyson very much, his voice is so powerful and I’m so glad I started black history month with this audiobook!

[Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Racism. Whenever some intellectually gullible juvenile either sees or hears that word, they assume it’s just about basic hatred among different color lines. What’s really striking is that racism is so much more than just a name you give someone or a stereotype you assume upon physical contact; racism is what we’ve inevitably lived upon. In Michael Eric Dyson’s novel, “April 4, 1968;” many undocumented confrontations and truths from the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. are revealed. Written in the form of a life analysis of Dr. King from early life to death; Michael Eric Dyson unchains the ideas of Dr. King and connects them to realities that we have now experienced. There are vice-gripping parts in the novel that make you ask, how did Dr. King do it, like when, “The sleeping pills he got from a physician friend stopped working. King’s reliance on elbow-bending to combat insomnia and exhaustion dramatically increased. His vacations rarely allowed him to escape his troubles and pressures. And the somber tones of his voice evoked the nightmares that stalked him when he wakened from unsatisfying sleep. Martin Luther King was a marked man.” And parts that make you sick beyond the extent of stomach pumping; “As Jackson spoke to a television reporter, Hosea Williams listened in and didn’t like what he heard. “I heard Jesse say, ‘Yes, I was the last man in the world King spoke to…’ That account has fueled the mythological passing of the leadership mantle from King to Jackson, a neatly staged succession story designed to legitimate Jackson’s standing as what Playboy magazine a little more than a year later called the “fiery heir apparent to Martin Luther King.” But in all, Michael Eric Dyson writes from not just the words of Dr. King, but from the boundary lines Michael himself was able to cross because of Dr. King’s efforts.

I would rate this book as not a number, like ‘5 out of 5,’ but as a must read book for those interested in learning more about what Martin Luther King Jr. not just had to surmount to, but what he alone had to disregard in his years leading up to his untimely passing. For me, the book was a good and surprisingly simple read at just over 240 pages. Think about this, wouldn’t you read a book containing a man that said, “My cause is so right, so moral, that if I should lose my life, in some way it would aid the cause?”

[Linda Lipko · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I read an incredibly well-written book, I am in awe of the ability to make sharp, creative images with words. Michael Dyson is such an author. I took time to read this fascinating book, not only because I am very interested in the civil rights movement, and Martin Luther King Jr.'s major contribution, but also because it was a very complex subject rendered understandable with the beautiful natural flow of words..

I've read many books which state that the murder of fourteen year old Emmet Till was the spark that lit the match to propel black Americans to take a stand. Martin Luther King, Jr, lead the people and the nation for justice, for equity, and for justifiably deserved equal treatment and retribution when a black person is murdered, demanding the same rights as others!

Dyson's words and excellent framing of the horror of this murder at the hands of southern white red necks, was so well written that I went back and read this section again and again. It hit me hard, very hard, thinking of how this innocent, intelligent, confident young boy was savagely beaten to death, leaving him, as Dyson so eloquently said, with two empty eye sockets and a "Munch like scream" on his dead face!

There are so many subjects covered in this book, and it is hard to cover all of them, but a few stand out, mainly that Martin Luther King Jr. knew he would be assignated for the cause. His poetic, last speech the rainy evening in Memphis April 3rd, 1968 confirmed his intuitive feelings that he had gone to the mountaintop, and he knew he may not get there with others, and that "like anybody I would like to live", but he was not afraid and knew that longeeeevity had its place.

Fast on his heels, J. Edgar Hoover was quite slimy. Particularly when trying to paint MLK as a communist, sexual deviate. In fact, Hoover used communistic, big brother is watching means of taping and harassing King. And by the morals and ethics of society at that time in history, J. Edgar did not live up to his own rigid standards.

By the end of his life, King looked back and was depressed and very, very tired. Others were splintering off into anything but non violence. Stokley Carmichael and Malcolm X both grew tired of non violent means that did not bring about a quick result.

Exactly one year prior, King spoke at the historic Riverside Church in NYC. He spoke of the need to stop intervention in Viet Nam. He brazenly challenged the audience to look closely at the connections between poverty and war. Some believe this was the final blaze of glory, but he took a very hard hit for his comments and beliefs. Some in the civil rights movement avidly felt that King was loosing his ability to focus and was branching off in too many areas.

Before his death, he was planning a march on Washington to rally the poor and shine a bright light on the injustice of poverty. Unlike the prior, very successful march on Washington, where he is best known for his "I Have a Dream" speech, the rally for poverty was splintered, unorganized and did not have the backing that the first march did. This march died with him.

If you are at all interested in MLK, and the civil rights movement, I highly recommend this book.

[Cynda is still foggy after knee surgery. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the book that names the social problems that plague our black citizens:

Chronic Unemployment
Racial Profiling
Educational Inequity
Radical Poverty
Gross Over-imprisonment
Enduring Reluctance to Hire/Reluctance to Keep on the Job

I have read several books trying to get to this information. Such an obvious list once Michael Eric Dyson gives me a list. (Sigh.)
------------

Dyson combines civil rights movement, civil rights leaders, the struggle to find strong leadership after MLK, cultural contributions of black folk, rise of black politicians, and often a rhetorical understanding of leaders he discusses.

From Dyson's short discussion of culturally important black people, I now have some new possible subjects and people to read about next Black History Month.

Civil Rights Leaders
Writers
Musicians
Actors
Artists
More
Dyson did little more more than list these cultural greats yet I want to know more.
That good of a writer.
That good of a book.

A good writer writing well. (Cheesy smile.)

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting perspective about how the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., shaped American and gave rise to the black leaders that are influential in society in present times.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

From the review I posted at Amazon.com:

Dyson gives us a good work here, although not his best. He should have subtitled the work, "King's Death as a Theology." For he attempts to use King's allusions to death, predictions of his own death, rhetoric of death, and the death of King itself as paradigms for understanding the post-Civil Rights era race pathos in America: Through racial injustice we are killing American society in general, and African Americans in particular, both literally and metaphorically (i.e., killing opportunities for social equality). Throughout the book, Dyson compares King's death to the death of Biblical characters. He overstretches his paradigms in order to act as a social conscience for America's failure at the problem of race. The paradigms become excuses for Dyson to make personal social commentary. There is too much Dyson commentary and not enough analysis and synthesis of King's death and its significance. Most interesting to the book, however, is Dyson's 21st Century dialog with King, a "what would King say if alive today." This section may be the strength of the book as Dyson draws from King's non-violent, prophetic-justice philosophy to make criticism of contemporary social ills. I am not sure everyone will agree with Dyson's conclusions about King's views about civil rights with respect to homosexuals. (A better theology on this subject can be found in Where Are All The Brothers? [Redmond]). However, I would recommend the book as part of a dialog about how far we have come on race in the last 40 years. Dyson shows that we have not come very far. I would read this book in hand with DuBois's The Souls of Black Folk, West's Race Matters and Democracy Matters.

[Aine · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were multiple times during the reading of this book, that I had to shout YEAH! Also, Michael Eric Dyson is so well-spoken it's somewhat intimidating.

[Dave B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a fan of Dyson’s analysis concerning African American current affairs. In this book Dyson was able to provide some insightful perspective for current day African American existence as reflected through the lens of MLK’s assassination April 4, 1968. These insights include: a new view on the progression of MLK’s political views (his migration from racial equality to economic justice, a MLK perspective on social economic progress for African American’s and African American evolution on the national political stage (This includes summaries of Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton and Barak Obama) .
I was also happy to read his analysis of Obama just prior to his election in 2008. Dyson was able to point out that the office of the president of the United States is focused on leading the country as a whole and cannot limit itself to confines of racial protest. The grass roots speakers and pulpit ministry must take on the mantel of struggle for social and racial equality.
Finally, I truly respect Dyson’s ability to see that MLK’s greatness is inextricably tied to his martyrdom. If Martin lived to see a natural death due to old age we would experience the strength in his humanity (full of successes and failures) rather than wave the banner of an idealistic icon of nearly godlike perfection. Dyson was able to see (thorough a mock interview) the evolution of a man rather than the still photos of a legend. In the long run an icon drives an emotional response that burns bright, eventually burning out. A living mentor creates an enduring discipline and lasting expectation. If Martin had lived we would have lost a holiday but gained a father.

[Craig Amason · Rating 3 out of 5]

As the title implies, this book is not a biography of King but instead a study about the impact of his death on his associates, the civil rights movement, and the American cultural and political landscape. But along the way, Dyson does dive deep into the serious challenges King faced as both a leader of the African-American people and as an advocate for them to the predominantly white power structure of his day. He provides details - with plenty of direct quotes - about King's fears of being assassinated, his deep depression, the vices he succumbed to under the pressures he endured, and the conflicts he had with other Black leaders. Some of the most fascinating sections are about those who wanted to and did follow King as leaders, carrying the mantle of forwarding the movement after King's death.

This is a good book, but it could have been a very good book accept for one fatal flaw. The author decided to channel King at the end, going off into an irresponsible lengthy fictional dialogue in the form of an interview with King, pretending he not been murdered and had lived to the ripe age of 80. The author and his readers cannot possibly know how King's views would change over the decades, or how he would react to developments of political, religious, and social importance. Dyson uses this last segment of the book as self-indulgent speculation, and we cannot help but wonder if this is an attempt to impress his own perspectives and opinions onto the martyred leader and one of the most influential voices of American history. By skipping this last unfortunate part of the book, we are left with a solid study of the legacy of a remarkable human being.

[Brian Eshleman]

Able to get a closer look at King the man as opposed to the untouchable icon. Dyson's claim that whites want King clawless and blacks want him flawless says much. Dyson fleshes out a man who struggled with depression and publicly admitted it, drank, over-ate, and cheated on his wife. Neither is the slain leader at the center of the book solely a source of reassurance to white who trumpet less racism in individual interactions. By the time he died, Dr. King forcefully opposed the U.S. government as the ultimate purveyor of violence on an international stage and insisted on forced income redistribution rather than blame or charity. Also featured is King as movement leader at times imperious and at times at risk of being made less relevant by younger leaders.

[Audrey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed that this wasn't more focused on Martin Luther King Jr. I expected there to be talk about the repercussions of his assassination and the Civil Rights movement as a whole but was surprised the parts about MLK just skimmed the surface. I learned a couple of new things about him though not to any great extent. Given the length of the book, I didn't anticipate this to be a deep account of anything, but there was a lot of content supplied and the brevity made so many things get lost in the jumble. At the same time, there were many repetitive passages. I tried to take it for what it was, but the speculation of the epilogue lost me. I don't like that kind of narrative in history books. I prefer the facts.

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

From reading this I learned a bit about Martin Luther King Jr’s connections with other important civil rights leaders as well as some more about King himself.

I readily disliked the ending. I thought it was odd and awfully presumptive to ‘interview’ King as if he were still alive. It was awkward and it made me feel uncomfortable to the point where I didn’t bother finishing it. For being so insightful on King’s life, it’s surprising that this felt like a good idea.

It was interesting to read about the rise of Obama just days before his VP is to become president, but also at times felt as if this was a stretch from what the book was analyzing up to that point.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is like taking a graduate course from Dyson on the implications of King's death. This is definitely an analysis, and the reader should realize that the writing seems to reflect Dyson's opinion rather than strictly historical fact. The rise of Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, and Barack Obama at the end of the book make for particularly interesting reading. Overall this is a very informative book.

[Andy Rausch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another terrific book by Michael Eric Dyson. Extremely well-written and well-researched. My only criticism is a long section with him holding an imaginary interview with Dr. King had he lived to be eighty. It strikes me as an incredibly audacious inclusion in a work of nonfiction. And Dyson putting words in the dead man's mouth is slightly troubling.

[Jason Scoggins · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I wish today, that Christians would stop talking so much about religion, and start doing something about it, and we would have a much better world, but the problem is that the church has sanctioned every evil in the world. Whether it’s racism, or whether it’s the evils of monopoly-capitalism, or whether it’s the evils of militarism. And this is why these things continue to exist in the world today.”

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

"Sure, your color can get you pulled over for driving your Ferrari in a white neighborhood, and it can get you followed in a store where they think you don’t have enough plastic to ring the cash register. But race plays out in the streets and in our culture in a far more complicated way. Its about how you use language, understand your heritage, interpret your history, identify with your kin, and figure out your meaning and worth to a society that places values on you beyond your control. And it’s also about what people see you as—or take you to be."

Dr. Michael Eric Dyson

This book was Dyson at his best, bringing Dr. King to life, through his tragic, transformative death. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is arguably the greatest, most influential American of all time.

[Douglas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dyson looks at how King and other civil rights leaders lived with an awareness of assassination. He makes a case that when King died he was idolized and relegated to the past. This overlooks his human flaws. It also ignores how his work moved to issues of poverty and the Vietnam War during his last year. (Tavis Smiley talks about this in his recent book on King.) Dyson examines how social problems effect African Americans to a great degree now. King's work is not done but goes on. Dyson examines Jackson, Sharpton and Obama as they have worked within King's legacy. The book concludes with an imagined interview with King in modern times.

[UnControlled Pen · Rating 3 out of 5]

April 4, 1968: Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Death and How It Changed America:

It was a good read when Mr. Dyson was talking about Dr. King's fears and depression. He spoke on how J. Edgar Hoover and the F.B.I tried to set King up. Mr. Dyson also speaks on how some events that happened in the Civil rights movement are happing in current events.

Overall, it's not a bad or a great read but holds your attention. If you like audiobooks, I suggest listening to the audiobook. Although when quoting Dr. King, Mr. Dyson seems to start to imitate King then say, maybe I shouldn’t.

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved how Dyson stripped away all the cultural myths about King and dug into his real nature and the reluctance he had as a leader. I also enjoyed the fictional interview with a much older King at the end of the book. I didn't realize he was only 39 when he was killed. Tragic.

[Jessica✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I understand the importance of this book, but there was a good portion that was bogged down with a barrage of percentages and comparisons. I learned a lot even when it felt info dumpy. I just was expecting more about his life up to his death. I should have read more about the book itself.

[Robin J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Where this book succeeds is when Dyson writes about Martin Luther King, his humanity, his fears and his vision for the future of America. Dyson rescues King from immortality, reminding his readers of the amazing courage it took to do what he and other Civl Rights workers did and he brilliantly delineates how King's martyrdom has diminished his accomplishments: "But martyrdom also forced onto King's dead body the face of a toothless tiger. His threat has been domesticated, his danger sweetened. His depressions and wound haven been turned into waves and smiles. There is little suffering, only light and glory. King's more challenging rhetoric has gone unemployed, left homeless in front of the Lincoln Memorial, blanketed on freezing nights in dream metaphors, feasting on leftovers of hope-lite, drinking discarded cans of optimism. Whites have long since forgotten just how much heat and hate the thought of King could whip up. They have absolved themselves of blame for producing, or failing to fight, the murderous passions that finally tracked King down in Memphis. What his assassin couldn't see through his viewfinder is that his bullet would shoot King into legend; the force of his report only thrust King into an even larger and richer life than the one he lived. If one man held the gun, millions more propped him up and made it seem a good, even valiant idea. And millions of others failed to speak out bravely against the brutality and evil that finally hunted King down and killed him. In exchange for collective guilt, white have given King lesser victories: a national birthday, iconic ubiquity, and endless encomiums. He has been idealized into uselessness for the poor that he loved, immortalized into a niceness that dilutes the radical politics he endorsed. His justice agenda has been smothered by adulation."

When Dyson leaves King, this book loses steam. I find Dyson's style engaging and I would be interested in reading his thoughts about King's successors but this book gives short-shrift to them, especially after the passion and intelligence of his sections on King.

Ultimately, half a great book is better than nothing.

[Scott Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This audiobook was a concise, but insightful read about the impact of Martin Luther King Jr.'s death on American society, in the immediate aftermath and in the years following the assassination. The work analyzes aspects of King's life, and while not providing an in-depth biography, it did highlight some of the challenges King faced in the later part of his life, from the fight against poverty to dealing with a loss of prestige in the late 1960s. If not for the assassination in 1968, it is likely that King would not be the revered figure that he is now. The work then proceeds to discuss the depressing statistics about how African American still struggle in the years after King's death...struggles that still continue nearly 10 years after the publication of this work. King was not a perfect man, but just as important, King's work did not single-handedly fix race issues in America. Dyson is writing this as Barrack Obama was merely a presidential candidate. It would be interesting to see if Dyson would revisit this work after two terms of an African American President. Overall, the work is good, but the ending with the presumed interview of a King who lived to be 80 seems a little unnecessary, and does somewhat weaken the work. Still, worth the time to read.

(1/15/2021) The overall rating is still the same. Given the events of 2020, it would be interesting to see King’s reaction and thoughts on what happened and the impacts. The statistics of how African Americans struggle have not changed all that much from 2008 to 2021, unfortunately. King is as mythologized as ever, but he work and messages are no less significant, especially in the events of the past year. It is a constant struggle, but the work of men like him is important to move forward and fight the fight against racism and discrimination.

[Rachel Simone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting analysis of MLK Jr's impact before and after his death and how his death immortalized and re-popularized him. I enjoyed the analysis of subsequent leaders of the movement,specifically Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. This was published in early 2008, so it includes some things about President Obama and hopes for the future. I would like to read Michael Eric Dyson's analysis of the Black Lives Matter movement, focusing on the seemingly decentralized leadership style.

The imagined interview with MLK Jr as the afterword was a bit much, but I believe most of it was rooted in speeches and letters and were logical extrapolations.

[Rosalyn Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

"On this significant anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination, I dove into "April 4, 1968" by Michael Eric Dyson. This book provides a poignant look into MLK's final days, shedding light on his preoccupation with his own mortality, which was both poignant and chilling.

Dyson masterfully delves into the historical context, offering insights into MLK's mindset leading up to that fateful day. However, the narrative occasionally strays into tangents about other civil rights leaders like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. While informative, these diversions felt better suited for another book, slightly detracting from the central focus.

Towards the end, the book takes an unexpected turn with an imagined interview, speculating on how MLK would respond to contemporary events. While intriguing in concept, it felt somewhat forced and was my least favorite part of the book.

Overall, "April 4, 1968" is a compelling read that provides valuable historical perspective. However, it could benefit from a tighter focus on MLK's final days, minimizing tangents and speculative elements. Nonetheless, it's a timely and thought-provoking tribute to a pivotal moment in history.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part biography, part analysis of King’s impact on America both pre and post death. I enjoyed it for the most part and learned a few new things. The author examines both ways in which King’s “Dream” has been reached, and also areas where we have fallen short.

Growing up in a racially homogeneous small rural town I grew up thinking that racism was a thing of the past. The most popular show on TV featured a Black family, and my walls were plastered in the posters of successful African Americans that I would have loved nothing more than to grow up to be just like.

As I got older I moved to a part of the country that was much more racially diverse. I made friends with many of other races, and also sorrowed to learn that racism still exists in this country in a variety of forms.

While I disagree with some of the Author’s politics, and probably King’s as well. I can agree with King’s “Dream,” and also with the assertion of the author that we still have plenty of room to grow.

My biggest complaint with the book involves the denigration of some individuals based on their politics. At one point the author took a swipe at Colin Powell, claiming that King would have disapproved of him because of his role in the Bush administration. Then later he accuses Clarence Thomas of “selling out” his race, without giving any examples of how he has done this.

In another book I recently read “Invisible Influence” by Jonah Berger, research was summarized which seemed to show that many capable Black students sabotage themselves academically for fear of “acting white.” It seems to me that the author of this book contributes to that sort of attitude for attacking successful prominent Black individuals for betraying their race, simply because of a difference of political opinion.

In season 2 of Malcolm Gladwell’s podcast “Revisionist History” he shows how Black youth perform much better academically, if during grade school they have had at least one Black teacher. Showing them that it’s “ok” for African Americans to do well academically. In light of this I think it would help us get closer to realize King’s “Dream” if we would hold up successful individuals such as Colin Powell, and Clarence Thomas as role models rather than belittling them over political differences.

The book was written 10 years ago, while President Obama was still just a candidate. When he was elected I had high hopes that he could help heal some of the racial divide in this country. But it seems to me that race relations deteriorated under his leadership, and have gotten even worse under President Trump’s leadership.

So I guess what I’m trying to say is that I agree with the Author’s 10 year old conclusion that we still have work to do to realize King’s “Dream.”

[Rob Brock · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book provides a very thoughtful and challenging look at the death of Martin Luther King, Jr, and how his life has been viewed since that time. As is usual for Michael Eric Dyson, the author's words sing, not unlike the words of the subject of his book, and much of the book was a delight to read.

Speaking of how society has held on to pieces of the MLK legacy and yet ignored others, the author says that "King's more challenging rhetoric has gone unemployed, left homeless in front of the Lincoln Memorial, blanketed on freezing nights in dream metaphors, feasting on leftovers of hope-lite, drinking discarded cans of diet optimism."

Dyson suggests that we ignore many of King's most important teachings even as we claim to honor him: "In exchange for collective guilt, whites have given King lesser victories: a national birthday, iconic ubiquity, and endless encomiums. He has been idealized into uselessness...immortalized into niceness...His justice agenda has been smothered by adulation."

What the author does brilliantly is to frame King's life in King's own words, showing how his speaches were an exercise in "automortology", a term Dyson coined to describe the interpretation of one's own life and death. He describes how King spoke of the legacy he intended to leave when he died, since death was always imminent for him.

The second half of the book looks at whether we as a society have reached King's promised land, and examines the leaders who have taken up King's mantel since his death: Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, and Barack Obama. However, because this book was written for the 40th anniversary of King's death, the author speaks of Senator Obama and his candidacy for US President up through the primary battles with Hillary Clinton. I found myself wanting to sit down with the author to talk about all that has happened since 2008, with Obama's presidency, the rise of Trump, and public conciousness of police brutality and white supremacy.

An afterword for the book is an imaginary interview between the author and Martin Luther King, Jr, on the occasion of his 80th birthday, if he had not been assasinated. I think the interview revealed more about the author than it did about King himself, but the author did draw from's King's own writings and speeches to make some compelling arguments about positions King might have taken on the issues facing America in 2008.

Though I think the book loses steam as we pivot away from Martin Luther King, I think Michael Eric Dyson's analysis of King's legacy and the meaning of his life and death is well worth the read.

[Cameron DeHart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Taking off one star because I found the afterword really offensive. Dyson writes a fake interview with MLK on his 80th birthday, and Dyson just puts a bunch of 21st century leftist words into MLK's mouth. I agree with everything he said, of course, but I found the whole exercise tacky and offensive in its puff piece idol-worship of King.

I like 80% of what Dyson writes. The latter chapters in this book, documenting King's legacy through Jackson, Sharpton, and Obama, are excellent and the writing is clear. The earlier chapters, which amount to hero worship to an insane level, are WAY too poetic/prophetic. Dyson is performing firmly in a long African-American tradition of being creative with the English language to amplify his message and reach the audience. But GODDAMN, this book could lose 75% of its adverbs, adjectives, alliteration, parallel sentence structures, and jargon. The first few chapters were almost unbearable because of the flowery writing that did more to signal Dyson's creativity and ministerial bonafides than to actually make any real points about MLK.

Again, I love the later chapters in this book, and I really enjoy the other book I'm reading by him right now. Some of the worst offenders in this book:

- Referring to the author of Roots, "[Alex] Haley's comet of a book...". Such a cheap and pointless play on words.
- Referring to Obama's struggle to settle on a single expression of his black identity, "In fact, there was a War in Barack". Pronounced like "Iraq". Fuck you dude, that's word play on a high school level.

I'm also not a big fan of Dyson's dips into his "minister role", especially when he calls on liberals and black folks to talk more about values and spiritual virtue. Obviously my perspective is limited and not at all consequential to the black community, but I think the Church is a suffocating force that too often reinforces paternalism, patriarchy, and homophobia. Yeah, the Church is hugely important to the community and the history of Black America. I get it. But I wish secular, feminist, and LGBT leaders in the black community didn't have to be so beholden tohristianity or Islam in order to gain respectability and resources.

[Travious Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Michael Eric Dyson captures the decades following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., with integrity and fidelity. Aptly titled, April 4, 1968, subtly suggests to us that epithet of Dr. King— and macroscopically our own— is incorrect. The story of Dr. King didn’t end the day he died. His death has had lasting effects on the unraveling of American history, for better and worse. Within the framework of his life and death, the Black experience has shifted drastically in various avenues: politics, entertainment, business athletics, and the like. The story of Dr. King continues without his presence here on earth.

Dyson succinctly outlines the progress of the Black experience in light of Dr. King’s role as a modern day Moses, or even a messianic figure, and poses the thought: Are we living in the promised land or a vast wilderness? The profundity of this question must not be lost on anyone because its implications are of utmost importance— if we are in the promised land and have inherited the dream of Dr. King, where do we go from here? If not and we are still wandering in the wilderness., where is our Joshua to lead us into promise? Dyson also highlights how we have experienced the leadership of three distinct Joshua figures since Dr. King— Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, and Barack Obama. The roles of these three men, along with a series of women who have shaped our experiences, has served various meanings to the same ultimate end of freedom and human rights.

The culmination of this book sees Dyson detailing an interview he would have loved to have had with Dr. King commemorating his 80th birthday. This was quite touching and he brought Dr. King to life with honor and dignity, confronting issues such as the prosperity gospel, welfare, hip-hop and rap, same-sex relationships, women’s rights, and Barack Obama to name a few. Just as America rallies for us to never forget 9/11, let us never forget April 4, 1968x, that Martin Luther King, Jr., did not die a natural death. We must continue to be vigilant against social, political, and moral evils. I highly recommend this book to any and everyone to keep on their shelf.

[Johnathan Nazarian · Rating 2 out of 5]

What starts off as an excellent discussion on King's life and legacy ends with an extremely liberal diatribe that forces words in King's mouth (and literally, his voice, if you listen to the audiobook with his impersonation) on the most liberal of leftist talking points. The first several chapters of the book were excellent, with honest evaluations of King and racism in America. I would even say it was masterful at first. Dyson then, quite literally, deifies King and spends ample time comparing him as Messiah. A lot of time is wasted on Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton (way more is said than needed to understand King's impact on them). Then the end.. where everything derails.The end of the book makes a myriad of assumptions about how King would respond to issues such as LGBTQ, abortion, Obama (pre election), the Iraq war, etc. (All from the most liberal of positions). It portrays an interview on those topics as if King were alive today. It's awkward and many of the answers don't seem to align with King or his religious background. In fact, Dyson tried to excuse this by making King apologize for his previous beliefs. While using religious language, it is clear the author is not religious. King's actual words and actions stand strong for what they stood for. They do not need to be lifted to Messiah status. They certainly do not need to be extrapolated, manipulated, and added to in order to makes points that don't align with King's known position on things. His legacy shines bright. He shouldn't be manipulated for political gain. This could have been a great book. Unfortunately, Dyson got in the way.