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My Soul Looks Back in Wonder: Voices of the Civil Rights Experience
Juan Williams's timely, compelling, and critically acclaimed book about the civil rights movement is now available in paperback, with a special, extended readers' group guide.
Published in collaboration with the AARP.
58,000 copies sold!
Deeply personal in tone, and powerful in the extreme, My Soul Looks Back in Wonder presents stirring eyewitness accounts from people who played active roles in the civil rights movement over the past 50 years. All the narratives are drawn from AARP's Voices of Civil Rights project, and they present a wide-ranging picture of the struggle.
This new and helpful readers' group guide includes a clear and succinct introduction especially directed to those studying the book; thought-provoking questions for discussion; praise for the author; and a brief author biography.
Juan Williams doesn't merely retell familiar tales about this tumultuous he showcases stories of personal transformation that bring a pivotal moment in American history profoundly alive. And it isn't just about the the vivid language and intimate experiences that unfold on every page reveal just how much the civil rights revolution remains a vital force today. Every speaker makes clear that the fight for equality must continue now, and into the future.
"David Halberstam provides an excellent overview...the combination of analysis and intimacy with powerful documentary photos makes for gripping narrative. Best of all are the connections with contemporary struggles for equality...Marion Wright Edelman's final impassioned essay speaks for the millions of all races who continue to be 'left behind in our land of plenty.'"-- Booklist
"Individual transformation is the organizing theme...The stories seem fresh because events played out differently for each contributor."-- Washington Post
Published in collaboration with the AARP.
58,000 copies sold!
Deeply personal in tone, and powerful in the extreme, My Soul Looks Back in Wonder presents stirring eyewitness accounts from people who played active roles in the civil rights movement over the past 50 years. All the narratives are drawn from AARP's Voices of Civil Rights project, and they present a wide-ranging picture of the struggle.
This new and helpful readers' group guide includes a clear and succinct introduction especially directed to those studying the book; thought-provoking questions for discussion; praise for the author; and a brief author biography.
Juan Williams doesn't merely retell familiar tales about this tumultuous he showcases stories of personal transformation that bring a pivotal moment in American history profoundly alive. And it isn't just about the the vivid language and intimate experiences that unfold on every page reveal just how much the civil rights revolution remains a vital force today. Every speaker makes clear that the fight for equality must continue now, and into the future.
"David Halberstam provides an excellent overview...the combination of analysis and intimacy with powerful documentary photos makes for gripping narrative. Best of all are the connections with contemporary struggles for equality...Marion Wright Edelman's final impassioned essay speaks for the millions of all races who continue to be 'left behind in our land of plenty.'"-- Booklist
"Individual transformation is the organizing theme...The stories seem fresh because events played out differently for each contributor."-- Washington Post
248 pages, Paperback
First published May 28, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
March 1, 2011
I am not even going to be funny in this review. I was fucking crying reading this. And mind you, I usually read on the train.
At least it wasn't "Kite Runner" or some other crap.
The accounts Juan Williams gathered in this book are all related in a rather matter-of-factly manner. "A large ball of fire floated across our yard toward the rose bush by the steps. The ball rolled over and turned into Mama".
I have so much admiration for all the people who fought in the Civil Rights Movement.
How the hell can you stay commited to the 'non-violence' approach when someone has just set your mother on fire? How do you live surrounded by so much hatred?
I just don't get where people find it in themselves to hate so much. I used to hate one person once and it was exhausting so I stopped and some of these people would hate actively all their lives a whole race of people. Were they that insecure?
And I know I am using past tense because I am naively optimistic.
My friend John tells me that Juan Williams is a right wing-ish kind of a guy over there in US, the Fox News type, but I swear I couldn't tell. There is an account that presents smuggling immigrants through border into the US as a legitimate form of civil disobedience.
At least it wasn't "Kite Runner" or some other crap.
The accounts Juan Williams gathered in this book are all related in a rather matter-of-factly manner. "A large ball of fire floated across our yard toward the rose bush by the steps. The ball rolled over and turned into Mama".
I have so much admiration for all the people who fought in the Civil Rights Movement.
How the hell can you stay commited to the 'non-violence' approach when someone has just set your mother on fire? How do you live surrounded by so much hatred?
I just don't get where people find it in themselves to hate so much. I used to hate one person once and it was exhausting so I stopped and some of these people would hate actively all their lives a whole race of people. Were they that insecure?
And I know I am using past tense because I am naively optimistic.
My friend John tells me that Juan Williams is a right wing-ish kind of a guy over there in US, the Fox News type, but I swear I couldn't tell. There is an account that presents smuggling immigrants through border into the US as a legitimate form of civil disobedience.
March 28, 2016
I. Love. This. Book. Read.
September 14, 2017
This is an insightful, well-written chronology of the Civil Rights Movement. Looking at issues that sparked the movement, such as the blatant murder of Emmett Till, the injustice of not being allowed to sit at the lunch counter in a store that depends of the sales to black population to keep the business open, the freedom riders, some of who gave their lives, the walk from Selma Alabama to the Capitol to fight for the right to vote, and the March on Washington where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his powerful speech that sparked a nation.
Recommended.
Recommended.
May 12, 2010
Part of the Voices of Civil Rights project, a collaboration between AARP and the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights to build an oral archive, this book aims (and sometimes strains) to link the African-American struggle for freedom to others in its wake. Among blacks, we hear from Jesse Epps, who helped with the 1968 Memphis sanitation strike; journalist Vernon Jarrett, who covered a 1946 Chicago race riot where a mob tried to kill some black veterans; and Carol Swann, one of two black students to integrate the eighth grade in Richmond, Va. Among whites, we meet Diane McWhorter, who grew up white and upper-class in Birmingham, only to write a searing history of her hometown during the Civil Rights era, and Rachelle Horowitz, who worked closely with Bayard Rustin, organizer of the famed 1963 March on Washington. Less fitting are the stories of Sammy Lee, the first Asian-American to win an Olympic gold medal, who had to endure racism from his own coach, and of Jim Dickinson, a white record producer in Memphis who witnessed the black influence on rock music. While activists for Mexican-American rights and the environment are certainly admirable, here they don't link their work to the Civil Rights movement in the way, for example, a disability rights activist and gay Congressman Barney Frank do. Copious b&w photos evoke the Civil Rights era as well as some interview subjects. While Williams, an author and NPR senior correspondent, gets the authorial credit, he acknowledges that a team of reporters did the interviews. While this is a serviceable introduction, more focused oral histories are more rewarding.
More than 30 people tell personal stories about the nonviolent struggle for civil rights, then and now, not only the leaders but also ordinary citizens who bear witness to "transforming moments" when they suddenly found the courage to try to change things. David Dinkins, New York City's first black mayor, served with the U.S. Marines in World War II; at home, he had to use the back of the bus. A white woman remembers herself as a child after the Birmingham murders ("My worst fear was that my father might be a member of the Klan"). David Halberstam provides an excellent overview; Williams' brief, clear notes introduce each eyewitness account; and the combination of analysis and intimacy with powerful documentary photos makes for gripping narrative. Best of all are the connections with contemporary struggles for equality, including those of immigrants, the poor, and the disabled. Marion Wright Edelman's final impassioned essay speaks for the millions of all races who continue to be "left behind in our land of plenty."
More than 30 people tell personal stories about the nonviolent struggle for civil rights, then and now, not only the leaders but also ordinary citizens who bear witness to "transforming moments" when they suddenly found the courage to try to change things. David Dinkins, New York City's first black mayor, served with the U.S. Marines in World War II; at home, he had to use the back of the bus. A white woman remembers herself as a child after the Birmingham murders ("My worst fear was that my father might be a member of the Klan"). David Halberstam provides an excellent overview; Williams' brief, clear notes introduce each eyewitness account; and the combination of analysis and intimacy with powerful documentary photos makes for gripping narrative. Best of all are the connections with contemporary struggles for equality, including those of immigrants, the poor, and the disabled. Marion Wright Edelman's final impassioned essay speaks for the millions of all races who continue to be "left behind in our land of plenty."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 4, 2010
This collection of Civil Rights era memories was a delight to read. The book did not attempt to comment on the Civil Rights Movement, or analyze the thoughts of the activists. Instead, it allows their words to tell stories of just before, during, and since the 1960s. It's a beautiful read, and opened my eyes not only to different aspects of the movement, but also to its far reaching affects.
February 23, 2011
This book not only addresses the African American struggle in the United States but other minorities and the prejudices they faced and are still facing in these United States. Being it it Black History Month, I enjoyed re-awakening the things that we have struggled for and this book serves as a reminder that the struggle is not over yet.
March 15, 2010
Terrific set of essays that the author, Juan Williams, has gathered to open our eyes to what took place during the civil rights movement from the mouths of many of its participants. Very insightful and invigorating. Good read!
September 8, 2016
I can't remember the last time before today that I devoured a book in one day. I don't ever seem to have the time to do that. But this book was that good.
December 24, 2014
Fabulous. The voices of the unsung heroes and heroines of the 60's Civil Rights movement is quite profound. While much has changed in the US, much is still the same. When will we learn?
January 19, 2016
My Soul Looks Back In Wonder: Voices of the Civil Rights Experience by Juan Williams (AARP Sterling 2004)(323.173) is a fine collection of essays on the civil rights struggle in the 1950's and 1960's. Surprisingly nonconfrontational, the book is a grim reminder of what a portion of our citizens went through to establish and exercise their rights. My rating: 6.5/10; finished 3/19/12.
April 3, 2007
Great collection of first-hand accounts of civil rights experience -- from the classroom to the stage, by those with celebrity and relatively unknown, stories from the 1950's through the 1990's and all chocked full of learnings for today. Good discussion guide in the back.
June 25, 2008
There are so many courageous and inspiring people in this book!
August 10, 2020
Truly enjoyed this book. It brought back so many memories.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews