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While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age during the Civil Rights Movement
On September 15, 1963, a Klan-planted bomb went off in the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. Fourteen-year-old Carolyn Maull was just a few feet away when the bomb exploded, killing four of her friends in the girls' rest room she had just exited. It was one of the seminal moments in the Civil Rights movement, a sad day in American history . . . and the turning point in a young girl's life.
While the World Watched is a poignant and gripping eyewitness account of life in the Jim Crow South - from the bombings, riots and assassinations to the historic marches and triumphs that characterized the Civil Rights movement.
A uniquely moving exploration of how racial relations have evolved over the past 5 decades, While the World Watched is an incredible testament to how far we've come and how far we have yet to go.
While the World Watched is a poignant and gripping eyewitness account of life in the Jim Crow South - from the bombings, riots and assassinations to the historic marches and triumphs that characterized the Civil Rights movement.
A uniquely moving exploration of how racial relations have evolved over the past 5 decades, While the World Watched is an incredible testament to how far we've come and how far we have yet to go.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published January 20, 2011
273 people are currently reading
4071 people want to read
About the author
Carolyn Maull McKinstry
2 books15 followersCarolyn Maull McKinstry is a survivor of the Civil Rights struggle and an eyewitness to the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church bombing. As a teenager, she marched under Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and bravely faced Bull Connor's German shepherds and stinging fire hoses during the battle for equal rights in her hometown of Birmingham, Alabama.
Now, nearly fifty years after the bombing, Carolyn is still an active member of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, serves as president of the Sixteenth Street Foundation, and works full time spreading her message of racial reconciliation.
A highly sought-after speaker, she has appeared on Oprah, 20/20, CNN, and MSNBC, and portions of her story have been featured in Life magazine and USA Today. She has made numerous television and documentary appearances, including Spike Lee's documentary Four Little Girls; Soledad O'Brien's Black in America; Brian Williams's Shades of Progress, Shadows of Hate; and Family Network's We Shall Not Be Moved.
Carolyn has addressed audiences in New Delhi, Mumbai, Barcelona, and the Italian Baptist Evangelical Union in Rome, as well as the Rosa Parks Museum, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., and numerous colleges and universities.
She recently received her master of divinity from Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, Alabama, where she currently lives with her husband, Jerome.
(http://blackchristiannews.com/news/au...)
Now, nearly fifty years after the bombing, Carolyn is still an active member of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, serves as president of the Sixteenth Street Foundation, and works full time spreading her message of racial reconciliation.
A highly sought-after speaker, she has appeared on Oprah, 20/20, CNN, and MSNBC, and portions of her story have been featured in Life magazine and USA Today. She has made numerous television and documentary appearances, including Spike Lee's documentary Four Little Girls; Soledad O'Brien's Black in America; Brian Williams's Shades of Progress, Shadows of Hate; and Family Network's We Shall Not Be Moved.
Carolyn has addressed audiences in New Delhi, Mumbai, Barcelona, and the Italian Baptist Evangelical Union in Rome, as well as the Rosa Parks Museum, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., and numerous colleges and universities.
She recently received her master of divinity from Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, Alabama, where she currently lives with her husband, Jerome.
(http://blackchristiannews.com/news/au...)
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February 4, 2019
This memoir provides a first person account from a woman who grew up in the midst of the 1960s civil rights events in Birmingham, Alabama. She was fifteen years old in 1963 when the police used attack dogs and fire hoses to break up the "children's crusade" in Birmingham. Over 2,000 were arrested, most being between the ages of seven and 18. The author experienced being hosed with high pressure water, but was not one of those arrested.
Then later that same year the author was in the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church when a bomb explosion killed four of her close friends. The author had been with them minutes before the explosion and may have been a fifth victim but for the fact that she had other responsibilities requiring her presence elsewhere at that moment.
The memoir tells the story of the author going to college, meeting and marrying to her husband, and the birth of their children. The memoir also recounts her bouts with depression which the author associates with the trauma of losing her four friends in the church bombing. Additionally there were other bombings in Birmingham, Alabama during her youth that contributed to an atmosphere of chronic fear of violence. The house across the street from her parent's house was bombed with a force that broke many windows of neighboring houses include that of her family's. The author reports that her hometown at the time picked up the nickname of "Bombingham."
She and her own family moved back to Birmingham where she continues to live today. After her retirement from a career at Bell South, she returned to college and obtained a divinity degree. She has since been involved with raising funds, planning, and repair of the Sixth Street church. It is now on the registry of historic places. She also recounts the experience of being subpoenaed—39 years after the incident—to testify at the trial of one of the suspects (later convicted) of the church bombing. All four of the bombing suspects were arrested soon after the bombing and released after each paying a $100 fine for illegal possession of dynamite. (Convictions for murder came later in separate trials in 1977, 2001, and 2002. One suspect died before being charged.)
Interspersed among her personal story, the author includes references to concurrent historic events occurring throughout the United States and in Birmingham. Also included are frequent quotations from speeches by famous people, many of them by Martin Luther King Jr. The combination of her nitty-gritty descriptions of living through the events followed by the solemnity of these quotations provided the emotion to me as a reader that caused me to give it five stars.
The following is an excerpt from MLK's "I've Been to the Mountain Top" speech in which he reflects on the Birmingham Children's Crusade.
The following is a link to some quotations from this book:
https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes...
Then later that same year the author was in the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church when a bomb explosion killed four of her close friends. The author had been with them minutes before the explosion and may have been a fifth victim but for the fact that she had other responsibilities requiring her presence elsewhere at that moment.
The memoir tells the story of the author going to college, meeting and marrying to her husband, and the birth of their children. The memoir also recounts her bouts with depression which the author associates with the trauma of losing her four friends in the church bombing. Additionally there were other bombings in Birmingham, Alabama during her youth that contributed to an atmosphere of chronic fear of violence. The house across the street from her parent's house was bombed with a force that broke many windows of neighboring houses include that of her family's. The author reports that her hometown at the time picked up the nickname of "Bombingham."
She and her own family moved back to Birmingham where she continues to live today. After her retirement from a career at Bell South, she returned to college and obtained a divinity degree. She has since been involved with raising funds, planning, and repair of the Sixth Street church. It is now on the registry of historic places. She also recounts the experience of being subpoenaed—39 years after the incident—to testify at the trial of one of the suspects (later convicted) of the church bombing. All four of the bombing suspects were arrested soon after the bombing and released after each paying a $100 fine for illegal possession of dynamite. (Convictions for murder came later in separate trials in 1977, 2001, and 2002. One suspect died before being charged.)
Interspersed among her personal story, the author includes references to concurrent historic events occurring throughout the United States and in Birmingham. Also included are frequent quotations from speeches by famous people, many of them by Martin Luther King Jr. The combination of her nitty-gritty descriptions of living through the events followed by the solemnity of these quotations provided the emotion to me as a reader that caused me to give it five stars.
The following is an excerpt from MLK's "I've Been to the Mountain Top" speech in which he reflects on the Birmingham Children's Crusade.
I remember in Birmingham, Alabama, when we were in that majestic struggle there we would move out of the 16th Street Baptist Church day after day; by the hundreds we would move out. And Bull Connor would tell them to send the dogs forth and they did come; but we just went before the dogs singing, "Ain't gonna let nobody turn me round." Bull Connor next would say, "Turn the fire hoses on." ... ... ...The following link is to the text of the eulogy for the victims of the Sixth Street Baptist Church bombing given by Martin Luther King Jr. It was text such as this following descriptions of the close friendships that the author had with these girls that brought tears to my eyes:
That couldn't stop us. And we just went on before the dogs and we would look at them; and we'd go on before the water hoses and we would look at it, and we'd just go on singing "Over my head I see freedom in the air." And then we would be thrown in the paddy wagons, and sometimes we were stacked in there like sardines in a can. And they would throw us in, and old Bull would say, "Take them off," and they did; and we would just go in the paddy wagon singing, "We Shall Overcome." And every now and then we'd get in the jail, and we'd see the jailers looking through the windows being moved by our prayers, and being moved by our words and our songs. And there was a power there which Bull Connor couldn't adjust to; and so we ended up transforming Bull into a steer, and we won our struggle in Birmingham.
https://www.drmartinlutherkingjr.com/...
The following is a link to some quotations from this book:
https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes...
December 15, 2015
Some aspects of this book were wonderful. Other aspects left me stone-cold. I think it is a good book and definitely worth reading, so I gave it three stars. I very much appreciate both its factual content and the in-depth portrayal of the author, Carolyn.
This is a book very much aimed at those with a strong religious faith, which I do not have. Throughout the entire book hymns and bible verses and psalms are quoted, as well as speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr., John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy. Quotes make up a significant portion of the book. Given their historic content, hearing parts of these speeches was always interesting. The concluding theme of the book is that we must seek reconciliation and forgive those who have harmed us. The entire epilogue of about a half hour was a proselytizing sermon. I turned it off; the remaining 20 minutes I didn't listen to. I just could not take it anymore.
What I liked, and that which explains why I can still give this book three stars, is that the reader is given a moving and at the same time very clear eye witness account of the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, on September 15, 1963. A seminal moment in the Civil Rights Movement. In the rest of this paragraph I recount the events, so stop here if you want no spoiler. The four girls killed in the bombing were the author's friends. She spoke with them in the girls’ restroom minutes before the explosion. Leaving them, she mounted stairs that seconds later were disintegrated. After the explosion she frantically looked everywhere for her two younger brothers whom she had accompanied to the church and for whom she was responsible. Carolyn was then fourteen years old. Her account doesn't end there. After the event she was given no psychological guidance, contrary to current practices. Nothing from her parents, nothing from medically trained personnel, nothing from anybody. Silence, not only after the bombing itself but also in the following years. Eventually her psychological trauma became so intense she did seek help. You follow what happens to her two brothers. You follow the community's and the nation's response. You come to understand how her whole world collapsed with that bombing, and there were more bombings, another in the following year across the street from her home. All hope was placed in President Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. and then Bobby Kennedy. All were assassinated. I comprehend how the church was her entire world. The events are emotional, heartrending but clear and concise. In 2002, almost forty years after the bombing she was forced to relive it all again in trial proceedings; she was subpoenaed to testify on behalf of the accused!
The book follows the course of the author’s life until publishing this book in 2011.
The historical facts are clearly presented. The telling is moving. The statistics presented are relevant, simple to comprehend and they say volumes.
The audiobook is narrated by Felicia Bullock. It is movingly read. She reads very slowly, much of the time extremely slowly, particularly when she wishes to impart the gravity of the events. She sings the hymns. She has a lovely, strong base voice.
So I am very glad I read this. I understand the woman. Even if I don't have religious faith myself, I do understand hers. The history is well documented.
This is a book very much aimed at those with a strong religious faith, which I do not have. Throughout the entire book hymns and bible verses and psalms are quoted, as well as speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr., John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy. Quotes make up a significant portion of the book. Given their historic content, hearing parts of these speeches was always interesting. The concluding theme of the book is that we must seek reconciliation and forgive those who have harmed us. The entire epilogue of about a half hour was a proselytizing sermon. I turned it off; the remaining 20 minutes I didn't listen to. I just could not take it anymore.
What I liked, and that which explains why I can still give this book three stars, is that the reader is given a moving and at the same time very clear eye witness account of the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, on September 15, 1963. A seminal moment in the Civil Rights Movement. In the rest of this paragraph I recount the events, so stop here if you want no spoiler. The four girls killed in the bombing were the author's friends. She spoke with them in the girls’ restroom minutes before the explosion. Leaving them, she mounted stairs that seconds later were disintegrated. After the explosion she frantically looked everywhere for her two younger brothers whom she had accompanied to the church and for whom she was responsible. Carolyn was then fourteen years old. Her account doesn't end there. After the event she was given no psychological guidance, contrary to current practices. Nothing from her parents, nothing from medically trained personnel, nothing from anybody. Silence, not only after the bombing itself but also in the following years. Eventually her psychological trauma became so intense she did seek help. You follow what happens to her two brothers. You follow the community's and the nation's response. You come to understand how her whole world collapsed with that bombing, and there were more bombings, another in the following year across the street from her home. All hope was placed in President Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. and then Bobby Kennedy. All were assassinated. I comprehend how the church was her entire world. The events are emotional, heartrending but clear and concise. In 2002, almost forty years after the bombing she was forced to relive it all again in trial proceedings; she was subpoenaed to testify on behalf of the accused!
The book follows the course of the author’s life until publishing this book in 2011.
The historical facts are clearly presented. The telling is moving. The statistics presented are relevant, simple to comprehend and they say volumes.
The audiobook is narrated by Felicia Bullock. It is movingly read. She reads very slowly, much of the time extremely slowly, particularly when she wishes to impart the gravity of the events. She sings the hymns. She has a lovely, strong base voice.
So I am very glad I read this. I understand the woman. Even if I don't have religious faith myself, I do understand hers. The history is well documented.
May 23, 2012
This is the first hand account of the civil rights movement by a woman who witnessed it. Carolyn Maull was just a teenager living in Birmingham, Alabama when a bomb blew up the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church and killed four of her friends. She recalls the incident, her fears, her hurts and the people who inspired her. This is a tragic part of American history that everyone should educate themselves about. I was just a little girl at the time and I can remember when these girls were killed. I was always sheltered from the outside world and as a white child I really knew nothing about prejudice and hate. But I can remember the incident because it was girls close to my age and it happened in church, a place that should always be a place of refuge. Birmingham, Alabama was a hotbed of racial hatred. During these dark years, many brave people stepped up for what they believed in. Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. emerged as a leader for not only the black community, but for everyone who believes that equality is for all. I was glad to see so many of his speeches included in this book. I have read bits and pieces, but this gives me much more to refer to. I learned so much about the children’s peace marches that I didn’t know. Until I read this first-hand account, I had a vague vision of what happened. But to read it is shear horror. Grown adults spraying children with fire hoses, loosing dogs on them, and jailing them is horrible when all they were doing was clapping and singing. One of the youngest children was only four-years-old. What really shocked me is that it wasn’t until 2009, just two years ago, that the criminal charges against those children were dropped. That means they had to live their whole lifetime with criminal charges on their record. Obviously things have changed, but there is still a lot of change that needs to come. I hope that if I am ever put in a situation where I have to choose between standing up for what is right or siding with my peers, that I will have the courage to do the right thing. Martin Luther King Jr, was a great leader, but other quieter leaders have emerged and one of those is Carolyn Maull McKinstry. Thank you, Carolyn, for your story.
I won this book in Goodread's First Read giveaway.
I won this book in Goodread's First Read giveaway.
September 22, 2012
I appreciate and applaud the author's willingness to tell her story and trumpet the message of recovery and reconciliation. Both her story and her message are important, and I felt that this book offered a nice bit of emotional counterpoint to the other book I've been reading on the Civil Rights movement: a book written with near complete objectivity.
The reason for the low rating was that I wasn't a fan of the book's format and style. Barring the epilogue, which is insightful and articulate, the voice of the rest of the narrative feels rather bland -- surprising, given the depth of emotions she obviously experienced. In addition, the long quotes from Dr. King's speeches (a bit too lengthy, especially for readers already well-versed in the movement) often interrupted the narrative abruptly with little to no segue. Also--in the Kindle edition, at least--the photographs don't appear until the very end of the file, leaving the reader deprived of their crisp reality until after they've already read the entire book.
The reason for the low rating was that I wasn't a fan of the book's format and style. Barring the epilogue, which is insightful and articulate, the voice of the rest of the narrative feels rather bland -- surprising, given the depth of emotions she obviously experienced. In addition, the long quotes from Dr. King's speeches (a bit too lengthy, especially for readers already well-versed in the movement) often interrupted the narrative abruptly with little to no segue. Also--in the Kindle edition, at least--the photographs don't appear until the very end of the file, leaving the reader deprived of their crisp reality until after they've already read the entire book.
August 16, 2016
I just remembered after a post from a friend that I had read this book. Excellent look back at a sad time during Civil Rights Movement. It's intense, so be ready.
April 14, 2014
From the book description “On September 15, 1963, a Klan-planted bomb went off in the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. Fourteen-year-old Carolyn Maull was just a few feet away when the bomb exploded, killing four of her friends in the girl’s rest room she had just exited. It was one of the seminal moments in the Civil Rights movement, a sad day in American history . . . and the turning point in a young girl’s life.”
Living through the civil rights upheaval of the 1960’s as a teenager was difficult for Ms. McKinstry. Not only did the bomb explode mere feet from where she was standing but she also lost four of her closest friends in the Baptist Church bombing and that impacted her life in ways she herself did not even realize until she was an adult. Despite living and growing up in “the most segregated and racially violent city in America", with the help of a strong family and unwavering faith she managed to go on with her life, education and career. Even so, it was difficult when many years later she was called to testify in the bomber’s trial, bringing every minute of that fateful day back to the forefront.
Growing up in Canada, I am probably not as informed about the civil rights movement as I could be but I found this book both interesting and enlightening. My only complaint would be that it felt a little disjointed. Ms. McKinstry slips into different time periods from time to time with no real explanation or warning. She also interspersed her telling of her story with quotes from speeches by Martin Luther King, JFK and others and I found that rather than adding to that particular section of her story it distracted me from what she herself was saying.
Living through the civil rights upheaval of the 1960’s as a teenager was difficult for Ms. McKinstry. Not only did the bomb explode mere feet from where she was standing but she also lost four of her closest friends in the Baptist Church bombing and that impacted her life in ways she herself did not even realize until she was an adult. Despite living and growing up in “the most segregated and racially violent city in America", with the help of a strong family and unwavering faith she managed to go on with her life, education and career. Even so, it was difficult when many years later she was called to testify in the bomber’s trial, bringing every minute of that fateful day back to the forefront.
Growing up in Canada, I am probably not as informed about the civil rights movement as I could be but I found this book both interesting and enlightening. My only complaint would be that it felt a little disjointed. Ms. McKinstry slips into different time periods from time to time with no real explanation or warning. She also interspersed her telling of her story with quotes from speeches by Martin Luther King, JFK and others and I found that rather than adding to that particular section of her story it distracted me from what she herself was saying.
May 25, 2013
I worked at the same company as Carolyn for a few years and knew that she had been at the church when the bomb went off and that the four girls who died had been close friends of hers. Carolyn was 14 at the time and she tells her viewpoint of not only the bombing but the whole year of 1963, etc. Interspersed with quotes and passages of speeches from Martin Luther King and John F. Kennedy, her text interlaced her personal experiences, the current laws and social mores of the south with the horrible images (attack dogs, Billy clubs, fire hoses, bombings) of that time to give the reader a visceral feel for what it had to have been like for a young girl who called Birmingham her home.
I am enjoying reading the book although I must admit I have to take breaks from it to deal with my inner shame and anger that all this happened. Carolyn lived through a tumultuous time in the history of Birmingham, Alabama, and the whole country. I am grateful she wrote her memories and thoughts down to share with the rest of us and to leave a first hand account of those events for future historians to use as a source. Her book can be viewed as her current contribution to the civil rights movement just as much as her participation in the children's March of 1963 where she was pummeled with high pressure water from the fire hoses and was almost arrested, contributed in the early days of the cause. Everyone should read this book - it is a classic.
I am enjoying reading the book although I must admit I have to take breaks from it to deal with my inner shame and anger that all this happened. Carolyn lived through a tumultuous time in the history of Birmingham, Alabama, and the whole country. I am grateful she wrote her memories and thoughts down to share with the rest of us and to leave a first hand account of those events for future historians to use as a source. Her book can be viewed as her current contribution to the civil rights movement just as much as her participation in the children's March of 1963 where she was pummeled with high pressure water from the fire hoses and was almost arrested, contributed in the early days of the cause. Everyone should read this book - it is a classic.
February 12, 2013
Highly recommended.
I decided to read this book partly because someone recently posted a quotation from MLK on Facebook. It was about loving thy neighbor, and I wondered how MLK could feel and preach love after witnessing the atrocities so many people had been through (and experiencing them himself).
This book is an account of what one woman went through during a painful time in US history, as well as her life afterward. It is a story of the amazing faith and courage people can assume when they are filled with hope and love. Even if you are not a particularly religious person, you will appreciate Ms. Maull McKinstry's path through pain, devotion to people, and faith in any higher power to help us through daily pains and frustrations.
I was happy to receive an earful of history about the Birmingham church bombing, which though aware of its occurrence I did not realize it marked the turning point in the Civil Rights movement.
I really enjoyed the speech excerpts, quotations from MLK, JFK, and Barack Obama throughout the book. And the Jim Crow laws printed at the end are alone worth alone, they made me so sad, as well as proud of those who have struggled over time to overcome such ignorance and hatred.
I decided to read this book partly because someone recently posted a quotation from MLK on Facebook. It was about loving thy neighbor, and I wondered how MLK could feel and preach love after witnessing the atrocities so many people had been through (and experiencing them himself).
This book is an account of what one woman went through during a painful time in US history, as well as her life afterward. It is a story of the amazing faith and courage people can assume when they are filled with hope and love. Even if you are not a particularly religious person, you will appreciate Ms. Maull McKinstry's path through pain, devotion to people, and faith in any higher power to help us through daily pains and frustrations.
I was happy to receive an earful of history about the Birmingham church bombing, which though aware of its occurrence I did not realize it marked the turning point in the Civil Rights movement.
I really enjoyed the speech excerpts, quotations from MLK, JFK, and Barack Obama throughout the book. And the Jim Crow laws printed at the end are alone worth alone, they made me so sad, as well as proud of those who have struggled over time to overcome such ignorance and hatred.
September 9, 2011
This book was so good that once I sat down today and finally got it started I actually finished it in 3 hours. I literally couldn't put it down. Totally different than what I expected. It is beautifully written and poignant, yet in a very simple way. If I could give this book more stars I would. One would never guess with how personally this book is written and brings you into a very ugly story that she has the impressive resume that she has. I think I had expected it to be more academically written and that was far from the truth. I felt like I was there with the little girl who lived through a very ugly period in US history and the aftermath it had on her life.
August 22, 2014
When we think of the 1960s in the US South, and of the Civil Rights Movement, we likely think of Rosa Parks, of the peaceful protests, and especially of Dr. Martin Luther King.
Do we know about 16th Street Baptist Church, about Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, and Cynthia Wesley? These 4 were murdered there: victims of a bomb planted by the Ku Klux Klan. Denise was 11. The rest of the girls were 14. Just children.
Did you know about them? I did not! And I wonder why?
Have we glossed over the absolute brutality that was perpetrated upon people of colour in the US in those days, in favour of the 'feel-good' stories of Rosa Parks, refusing to give up her seat, or the emotionally moving speeches of Dr. King?
This was not an easy book to read. It made me cry in several places, aching for the loss that young Carolyn Maull suffered. She was best friends with Cynthia, and good friends with Addie, Denise, and Carol. It made me sad, and ashamed that so many people were treated so unfairly and brutally. It made me wonder, and hope desperately, that I would have been on the side of equality and freedom if I had been alive at that time in history. The descriptions of typical 'Jim Crow' laws absolutely broke my heart.
No, this book was not easy to read, by any means. But, is it supposed to be? Isn't it supposed to be devastating to read of such injustices? Isn't it supposed to make our hearts break to learn of 4 little girls, who would likely be grandmothers today if they had not been murdered in their girlhood? Isn't it supposed to make us wince in shame to read about what happened to other people, simply because their skin colour was 'wrong'?
I think the reasons why this book was so hard to read are the exact reasons why it is so important to read it. Carolyn was able to come to a place where she forgave the men who murdered her friends. She, like Dr. King, reminds us that God is love, and that we cannot possibly come to Him without first clearing our hearts of anger and hatred and choosing to forgive and to love.
I know I will never be the same after having read this important memoir, and I thank Mrs. McKinstry for being brave enough to write it!
Do we know about 16th Street Baptist Church, about Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, and Cynthia Wesley? These 4 were murdered there: victims of a bomb planted by the Ku Klux Klan. Denise was 11. The rest of the girls were 14. Just children.
Did you know about them? I did not! And I wonder why?
Have we glossed over the absolute brutality that was perpetrated upon people of colour in the US in those days, in favour of the 'feel-good' stories of Rosa Parks, refusing to give up her seat, or the emotionally moving speeches of Dr. King?
This was not an easy book to read. It made me cry in several places, aching for the loss that young Carolyn Maull suffered. She was best friends with Cynthia, and good friends with Addie, Denise, and Carol. It made me sad, and ashamed that so many people were treated so unfairly and brutally. It made me wonder, and hope desperately, that I would have been on the side of equality and freedom if I had been alive at that time in history. The descriptions of typical 'Jim Crow' laws absolutely broke my heart.
No, this book was not easy to read, by any means. But, is it supposed to be? Isn't it supposed to be devastating to read of such injustices? Isn't it supposed to make our hearts break to learn of 4 little girls, who would likely be grandmothers today if they had not been murdered in their girlhood? Isn't it supposed to make us wince in shame to read about what happened to other people, simply because their skin colour was 'wrong'?
I think the reasons why this book was so hard to read are the exact reasons why it is so important to read it. Carolyn was able to come to a place where she forgave the men who murdered her friends. She, like Dr. King, reminds us that God is love, and that we cannot possibly come to Him without first clearing our hearts of anger and hatred and choosing to forgive and to love.
I know I will never be the same after having read this important memoir, and I thank Mrs. McKinstry for being brave enough to write it!
August 28, 2020
An extremely powerful and poignant true story about a courageous black woman who overcame the plight, lack of respect and racial injustice accorded to them by white Americans. It is a story about how traumatic and detrimental it could be the segregation imposed on them (black people) just because of the color of their skin. The hatred and inequality that engulfed their community made her a woman that she is today. A woman of Faith and a Warrior for Christ.
This informative book really opened my eyes, unexpectedly. It made me realized how hard it is to live as a black person. Disrespected and Unvalued. A raced that has been deprived to live at peace, of freedom, of voice and of happiness, all because of the color of their skin. I would've never thought that someone could experience such predicament, just because he is physically different. This book really changed my perspective about races and other cultures, in a way that it made me want to respect them even more. Respecting someone won't cost us a penny. This book made me realize that those people who are physically different, viably experienced various hardships that they don't really deserved. Because no one deserves to be hurt. No one deserves to be treated like he's not human at all. No one deserves to feel like he's worthless. No deserves to feel like he doesn't have the right to be happy. And, no one deserves to feel unloved. For me, this book is not just about black people, it's all about human race. Somehow, upon completing this book it made me realized that it's okay to be different. Because different isn't bad, it's not just the same. To be physically different will never mean that you're worthless or unlovable or invisible. Because those who are differemt often times make an unforgettable and great legacy on this Earth. YES! Their skin is black, but they are human too just like us and deep inside my heart I know and I believed that their heart and soul is as pure and as clean as the Holy Water of God.
This informative book really opened my eyes, unexpectedly. It made me realized how hard it is to live as a black person. Disrespected and Unvalued. A raced that has been deprived to live at peace, of freedom, of voice and of happiness, all because of the color of their skin. I would've never thought that someone could experience such predicament, just because he is physically different. This book really changed my perspective about races and other cultures, in a way that it made me want to respect them even more. Respecting someone won't cost us a penny. This book made me realize that those people who are physically different, viably experienced various hardships that they don't really deserved. Because no one deserves to be hurt. No one deserves to be treated like he's not human at all. No one deserves to feel like he's worthless. No deserves to feel like he doesn't have the right to be happy. And, no one deserves to feel unloved. For me, this book is not just about black people, it's all about human race. Somehow, upon completing this book it made me realized that it's okay to be different. Because different isn't bad, it's not just the same. To be physically different will never mean that you're worthless or unlovable or invisible. Because those who are differemt often times make an unforgettable and great legacy on this Earth. YES! Their skin is black, but they are human too just like us and deep inside my heart I know and I believed that their heart and soul is as pure and as clean as the Holy Water of God.
April 9, 2011
I've studies and read a good amount about this time period throughout my life, but "While the World Watched" gave me a different perspective on the Civil Rights Movement. There were moments as I read this where I put myself in Mrs. McKinstry's place and was shocked by how much worse it would have been to live as a black person then - worse than I ever imagined.
Historical books have always fascinated me. This book went through many famous occasions in the Civil Rights Movement, but made them personal. Instead of reading about these events as simply something that happened, I was able see effects they had on those involved in them. Because this is an autobiography, there were facts and stories I've never read about that only someone who was in the middle of the action would know. Overall this is a intriguing book. It kept me reading.
(I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads)
Historical books have always fascinated me. This book went through many famous occasions in the Civil Rights Movement, but made them personal. Instead of reading about these events as simply something that happened, I was able see effects they had on those involved in them. Because this is an autobiography, there were facts and stories I've never read about that only someone who was in the middle of the action would know. Overall this is a intriguing book. It kept me reading.
(I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads)
September 30, 2015
Carolyn Maull McKinstry, really brings you into the time in our History when The Bombing of the 16th Street Church, time in our lives, where if you were not there, or even old enough to know about this part of our history, she brings you inside the church, into the lives of those girls that were killed, her life, and what life was about in those days.
Next year, will mark the 50th Anniversary of the Bombing, and this is a must read book, it is one that I will read again, and again to bring me back to a time where history, to be recalled like how McKinstry brings it back, she is just amazing writer.
Next year, will mark the 50th Anniversary of the Bombing, and this is a must read book, it is one that I will read again, and again to bring me back to a time where history, to be recalled like how McKinstry brings it back, she is just amazing writer.
February 26, 2021
McKinstry does an incredible job of sharing the history she lived in her youth. Her recount has given me an understanding that is much deeper than reading about each of these events indivually
or seeing then on a timeline. The author endured more heartache and struggle than many people would be able to bare. Her story is amazing and so heartrending. I feel like I have a much fuller understanding of the Civil Rights Movement now.
or seeing then on a timeline. The author endured more heartache and struggle than many people would be able to bare. Her story is amazing and so heartrending. I feel like I have a much fuller understanding of the Civil Rights Movement now.
February 2, 2013
I loved this book. Being able to relive what nobody seems to talk about anymore through the eyes of a person who was directly affected by it was very powerful.
I wish people would not criticize the author's writing style, but instead, listen to what she is saying. I can't imagine reliving these events was easy, and I'm grateful that she did it so I could read it.
I wish people would not criticize the author's writing style, but instead, listen to what she is saying. I can't imagine reliving these events was easy, and I'm grateful that she did it so I could read it.
January 23, 2021
I was born in 1963, how lucky I was to be born white in this country. I had no real idea of what atrocities black children born at the same time would suffer, nor did I know what their parents, grandparents and future children would suffer. I was born in Alabama and in the third grade my parents sent me to private school. I didn’t know why but come to find out all the students in my school were being bussed to the inner city, a black area. I rarely saw the real world as seen by the black people in my area even though we lived in the same city. I knew the N word was wrong. It that’s the extent of it.
This book was eye opening, some of the events I had heard about, some not, but this first hand account of living with the hate and evil that permeated this state and others has changed me. God gave this woman and these people courage beyond reason. Supernatural courage and faith that has no ceiling. I’m beginning to understand. I will still make mistakes but I will move forward as God is my witness.
This book was eye opening, some of the events I had heard about, some not, but this first hand account of living with the hate and evil that permeated this state and others has changed me. God gave this woman and these people courage beyond reason. Supernatural courage and faith that has no ceiling. I’m beginning to understand. I will still make mistakes but I will move forward as God is my witness.
June 4, 2021
Too religious for me, BUT...she did eventually got a degree in divinity, and became a hospital chaplain.
Unbelievable sentence on page 182:
"Every black family in my neighborhood knew the familiar sounds of a bomb exploding."
WTF???? Apparently, the Klan just casually bombed houses as they saw fit.
The author clearly suffered from PTSD, but turned her life around.
I'll be visiting the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in September as part of my Civil Rights tour, and I anticipate a lot of reflection and soul searching.
Unbelievable sentence on page 182:
"Every black family in my neighborhood knew the familiar sounds of a bomb exploding."
WTF???? Apparently, the Klan just casually bombed houses as they saw fit.
The author clearly suffered from PTSD, but turned her life around.
I'll be visiting the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in September as part of my Civil Rights tour, and I anticipate a lot of reflection and soul searching.
September 4, 2025
A beautiful retelling of history that is full of pain, perseverance, and forgiveness!
February 25, 2017
This true story recounts the Civil Rights Movement (especially in the 60s) and tells of the horrors of racial discrimination. It is hard to believe just how cruel man can be simply because of the color of someone else's skin. Hearing this story, made me want to stand up for the blacks during the Civil Rights crisis. But I wonder. If I had been alive during that period, would I have actually defended the defenseless, or would I have accepted it like virtually all of the other Americans living during that time. It makes you think. Perhaps I would only watch, distancing myself from a fight that seemed that it was not my own. But the truth is that we all must fight for what is right. Of course, not resorting to actual violence, but using Martin Luther King Jr.'s strategy--putting out the hate and racial injustice with love. One of my favorite lines in the book from one of King's speeches is this: "Darkness cannot put out darkness. Only light can do that."
I appreciate the spirit of forgiveness that is prevalent throughout the book. Carolyn even forgave the people who bombed her church, killing her four friends. She was able to forgive, because God forgave. It's wonderful to hear how God pulled Carolyn through those really hard times, harder than most anybody has to face. God enabled her to give up her drinking, her bitterness, and give her life to Himself. A powerful story that is most definitely worth the read. If you want to learn more of the history of the Civil Rights Movement, and, if you want to learn how God can work through any situation, read this book.
I appreciate the spirit of forgiveness that is prevalent throughout the book. Carolyn even forgave the people who bombed her church, killing her four friends. She was able to forgive, because God forgave. It's wonderful to hear how God pulled Carolyn through those really hard times, harder than most anybody has to face. God enabled her to give up her drinking, her bitterness, and give her life to Himself. A powerful story that is most definitely worth the read. If you want to learn more of the history of the Civil Rights Movement, and, if you want to learn how God can work through any situation, read this book.
August 28, 2016
Carolyn was the same age as her four friends who were killed by the bomb planted at Birmingham's Sixteenth Street Baptist Church. Her work as a volunteer in the church office put her in touch with one of the bombers that fateful, historical day, saved her life, forced her to testify for the defense in one bomber's trial, decades later, and indelibly, profoundly affected her - for worse and ultimately for better - thereafter.
This book is at various points her memoir, a decades-long firsthand account of race relations in America's South and the Civil Rights Movement; a sermon; and a case study of traumatic experiences with do's and don'ts for recognizing and addressing their effects.
I only wish Carolyn had a better editor. This important content could have - should have - better served her, her audience, and the events and experiences she describes.
This book is at various points her memoir, a decades-long firsthand account of race relations in America's South and the Civil Rights Movement; a sermon; and a case study of traumatic experiences with do's and don'ts for recognizing and addressing their effects.
I only wish Carolyn had a better editor. This important content could have - should have - better served her, her audience, and the events and experiences she describes.
June 8, 2018
What Carolyn McKinstry and her community endured in Birmingham, Alabama is hard to comprehend. She tells about her experiences growing up in the most segregated city in America and the unbelievable acts of hate and racism prevalent during her child and adulthood, but particularly in 1963. She tells about the emotional and mental trauma she endured as well as the leaders who inspired her and gave her hope. Carolyn shares how she came to forgive the hate filled individuals who killed her friends and her path to healing. Carolyn’s vulnerability, emotion and candor make her experiences unforgettable and a story that needs to be told. I love her message in which she challenges us to stop being bystanders and be a person of action, particularly in the face of those that are hateful.
This book is definitely one that sticks with you.
This book is definitely one that sticks with you.
September 23, 2012
Fantastic eye opening firsthand account of the hardships and trials of a young black girl living through the Civil Rights Movement. It's so hard to sit there and read, wondering how the world could have ever sat back and let all of those events occur without batting an eyelash... and yet racism (although thankfully diminished from what occured here) still exists and is still very much a threat to our society and those who live in it. If you don't come out of reading this book with a new-found respect for people of color and the things they've had to endure to get to where they are today, you must have a heart made of cold, hard steel. This book touched me, and I would recommend it to anyone.
March 25, 2017
I enjoyed learning more about this (horrific) historic event, but honestly, it wasn't so much the main character's story, but her connection to (and capitalization on) the greater story at large. I appreciated the interweaving of various MLK speeches, but it felt like those were inserted to fill space.
February 16, 2023
I listened to this book on Libby and I’d highly recommend it that way. The reader does a phenomenal job of helping you feel the emotions grappled with in this book. It is a heart wrenching but important story to tell, with still so much hope weaved throughout.
The authors faith is foundational to who she is and how she processed the horrible events she lived through. I loved how raw she was but still remained steadfast in her trust in Jesus. I’m so glad I read this book. It gave me more depth to understand a world I didn’t grow up in and made me more resolute to continue to fight for justice and mercy.
The authors faith is foundational to who she is and how she processed the horrible events she lived through. I loved how raw she was but still remained steadfast in her trust in Jesus. I’m so glad I read this book. It gave me more depth to understand a world I didn’t grow up in and made me more resolute to continue to fight for justice and mercy.
January 18, 2022
This book really put me through the emotional gambit! I learned so much and ended on such an uplifting note.
July 18, 2025
This is a visceral and authentic memoir. Unlike many others, this book doesn’t follow an extraordinary human being around, but rather a normal, young girl. It revolves mostly around the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing and the impact it had on Carolyn then and later in life. It captures the zeitgeist of 1960s Alabama without being preachy. 5 stars.
June 29, 2015
This was actually a selection from SYNC-YA in 2014, but I kept putting off reading it due to the heavy subject matter (I primarily read to escape). Given the events of June 17, 2015, however, this seemed like an excellent time to finally get around to reading it. Do we really still live in a world where people can't find sanctuary within their own church? Well, of course we do, and the problem remains endemic in the South. So what did I learn from McKinstry's take on the Birmingham Church Bombing? Don't drink, trust in Jesus, and follow MLK. Okay, I know that's facetious coming from an agnostic, but that's a fair summary of the book's themes. I think what was interesting to me to see how much the words of Martin Luther King Jr. informed the response in Charleston.
We have to keep moving forward.
I'm concerned about a better world. I'm concerned about justice; I'm concerned about brotherhood; I'm concerned about truth. And when one is concerned about that, he can never advocate violence. For through violence you may murder a murderer, but you can't murder murder.Through violence you may murder a liar, but you can't establish truth. Through violence you may murder a hater, but you can't murder hate through violence. Darkness cannot put out darkness; only light can do that.
And I say to you, I have also decided to stick with love, for I know that love is ultimately the only answer to mankind's problems. And I'm going to talk about it everywhere I go. I know it isn't popular to talk about it in some circles today. And I'm not talking about emotional bosh when I talk about love; I'm talking about a strong, demanding love. For I have seen too much hate. I've seen too much hate on the faces of sheriffs in the South. I've seen hate on the faces of too many Klansmen and too many White Citizens Councilors in the South to want to hate, myself, because every time I see it, I know that it does something to their faces and their personalities, and I say to myself that hate is too great a burden to bear. I have decided to love. If you are seeking the highest good, I think you can find it through love.
We have to keep moving forward.
July 17, 2014
Short Review: While the World Watched is a first person account of the 1963 16th Street Church Bombing where four young teenage girls died, and her life after that bombing. This is a book well worth reading to get a sense of the civil rights movement for someone that was a young teen. She was probably the last person to see the four girls before they died (she left the bathroom just before the bomb went off). The book does a good job not lionizing the civil rights movement, while at the same time showing how normal people were both scared and pissed off by the system.
It also spends time talking about pain, depression, eventual decent into alcoholism and what would probably be described as PTSD today. That is a side that most other books don't seem to mention and I think is important to telling the whole story of the civil rights movement.
Other reviews complain about the long extended quotes of speeches, sermons, songs and other documents of the era. I think that these other documents (especially in the audiobook) give greater context.
I expected that much of the book would be about the particular day, but really the book is mostly about her life after the day. Today she is the head of the foundation that oversees the 16th Street church and she has gone to seminary and works for reconciliation. That story is as important as remembering the bombing.
My full review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/while-the-world-watc...
It also spends time talking about pain, depression, eventual decent into alcoholism and what would probably be described as PTSD today. That is a side that most other books don't seem to mention and I think is important to telling the whole story of the civil rights movement.
Other reviews complain about the long extended quotes of speeches, sermons, songs and other documents of the era. I think that these other documents (especially in the audiobook) give greater context.
I expected that much of the book would be about the particular day, but really the book is mostly about her life after the day. Today she is the head of the foundation that oversees the 16th Street church and she has gone to seminary and works for reconciliation. That story is as important as remembering the bombing.
My full review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/while-the-world-watc...
December 4, 2012
A personal look at a gruesome time in history. The author, Mrs. Mckinstry came of age during the Jim Crow era...and witnessed and even played a part in the fight for civil rights/ human rights. She didn't realize the gravity of racial injustice and hate until September 15, 1963, the day her church was bombed, and the day she lost her childhood friends. The day her life was changed.
I enjoyed this book...unlike anything I've ever read. While I read, it was almost hard to imagine the injustices of that time. There's a stark difference between reading about racial prejudice and civil rights in a textbook and reading an autobiographical account. It tugs at your heart because you begin, like any other story or account, to put yourself in the character's shoes...to try to feel what the character is feeling or felt. While I'll never feel the way Mrs. Mckinstry did/does...I still ached for her. For all the people who lived in that time. For the lost lives, lost children. While we have more work to be done, I'm so grateful to her and to the many leaders of her time for not accepting the status quo.
While the World Watched is a poignant and inspirational account of the civil rights era. It made me more appreciative of what I have, the opportunities I have, and my family. And of course, it made me more appreciative of people like Mrs. Mckinstry, whom I am truly in awe of.
I enjoyed this book...unlike anything I've ever read. While I read, it was almost hard to imagine the injustices of that time. There's a stark difference between reading about racial prejudice and civil rights in a textbook and reading an autobiographical account. It tugs at your heart because you begin, like any other story or account, to put yourself in the character's shoes...to try to feel what the character is feeling or felt. While I'll never feel the way Mrs. Mckinstry did/does...I still ached for her. For all the people who lived in that time. For the lost lives, lost children. While we have more work to be done, I'm so grateful to her and to the many leaders of her time for not accepting the status quo.
While the World Watched is a poignant and inspirational account of the civil rights era. It made me more appreciative of what I have, the opportunities I have, and my family. And of course, it made me more appreciative of people like Mrs. Mckinstry, whom I am truly in awe of.
July 22, 2014
September 15, 1963 was a major turning point in 14 year-old Carolyn Maull's life. On that day she was just feet from a bomb planted in her church by the KKK when it went off killing four of her friends. Not only was this day a turning point in her life, but also the Civil Rights Movement.
This memoir acts a an eyewitness account of life in the Jim Crow South - from violent bombings, assassinations, and riots to the peaceful marches and protests that came to characterize the Civil Rights Movement. We see Carolyn attempt to make sense of all that's going on around her and find her place there. The memoir also documents how racial relations have changed and evolved over the course of 50 years, as primarily focused on Birmingham, Alabama.
Before reading this I didn't know very much about the church bombing at all - let alone that it was a major turning point in more than one way. I really appreciate first hand accounts like this. My only issues here are with the format. At times, the narration could jump from her testimony of the day itself, other events, and speeches (excellent use of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s words) with little to no segue between them. It could come across as a abrupt and a little confusing if listening to the audiobook.
Overall, I highly recommend her gut-wrenching perspective on his influential time in history.
This memoir acts a an eyewitness account of life in the Jim Crow South - from violent bombings, assassinations, and riots to the peaceful marches and protests that came to characterize the Civil Rights Movement. We see Carolyn attempt to make sense of all that's going on around her and find her place there. The memoir also documents how racial relations have changed and evolved over the course of 50 years, as primarily focused on Birmingham, Alabama.
Before reading this I didn't know very much about the church bombing at all - let alone that it was a major turning point in more than one way. I really appreciate first hand accounts like this. My only issues here are with the format. At times, the narration could jump from her testimony of the day itself, other events, and speeches (excellent use of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s words) with little to no segue between them. It could come across as a abrupt and a little confusing if listening to the audiobook.
Overall, I highly recommend her gut-wrenching perspective on his influential time in history.
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