My father and I have written three books of narrative history. We tell stories from the American past that have a theme of interracial collaboration. Not sentimentally, but so that in a clear-eyed way, we can learn from moments in our history that may offer us hopeful ways forward. Growing up, I was shaped by narrative history techniques such as Simple Justice: The History of Brown v. Board of Education and Black America's Struggle for Equality by Richard Kluger and Taylor Branch’s America in the King Years trilogy. For this list, I wanted to share five favorite civil rights movement memoirs.
By Stephen Kendrick, Paul Kendrick
Nine Days tells the story of a young Martin Luther King Jr.’s courageous first overnight imprisonment with Atlanta sit-in students and how it clarified the path of his activism to change a nation. The book also traces how an interracial team of civil rights advisors for the Kennedy campaign went rogue for Dr. King and shifted the Black vote to narrowly elect Kennedy over Nixon—a decisive moment in shaping the political parties we have today.
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By John Lewis, Michael D'Orso
There is a spiritual quality in Lewis’ beautiful writing as he remembers a historic life. Lewis’ testament is of his journey from an Alabama farm to meeting a young Dr. King to becoming a leader in the Nashville sit-in movements and SNCC, all the way to the White House after speaking at the March on Washington. This book should be read forever.
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By Andrew Young
Few reflect on Dr. King more insightfully than Young, from strategy sessions to reflective late-night talks with Dr. King. His memories from campaigns like Birmingham are invaluable. There is both humor and great depth in the tale of Young’s life, from theological school and parish ministry to being at the center of the civil rights movement.
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By Coretta Scott King, Barbara Reynolds
An update to her earlier and equally fascinating, My Life with Martin Luther King, Jr., this chronicle helps readers understand that Coretta was not only Dr. King’s wife, but was a passionate civil rights activist and a partner to Dr. King in the movement. She knew racism in its most harrowing forms from her Alabama childhood and her fire for social justice developed in college before she met Dr. King. The reminiscences of their courtship in Boston and then the bus boycott in Montgomery after they decided to move back to the South to change their native region stick with a reader.
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By Harry Belafonte, Michael Shnayerson
One of the most candid memoirs of the era, Belafonte was key to the movement at consequential moments like Selma. From his early adulthood as a socialist in New York City to being a confidant to a Dr. King who was searching for how to change America, Belafonte is a great storyteller.
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By Vernon Jordan Jr., Annette Gordon-Reed
Like Andrew Young, Vernon Jordan was another generous, legendary person who I treasured interviewing for Nine Days. Sadly, he passed away this year, but left us a captivating account of his life, from childhood in Georgia to being a young lawyer under Donald Hollowell facing life and death stakes to surviving an assassination attempt. Jordan was a masterful orchestrator of change who appreciated his mentors and taught us all through this book.
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