Call number
Publication
Boston, Massachusetts : Beacon Press, 2014.
Pages
xvi; 300
Description
Every year, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., is celebrated as one of the greatest orators in US history, an ambassador for nonviolence who became perhaps the most recognizable leader of the civil rights movement. But after more than forty years, few people appreciate how truly radical he was. Arranged thematically in four parts, The Radical King includes twenty-three selections, curated and introduced by Dr. Cornel West, that illustrate King's revolutionary vision, underscoring his identification with the poor, his unapologetic opposition to the Vietnam War, and his crusade against global imperialism. As West writes, "Although much of America did not know the radical King--and too few know today--the FBI and US government did. They called him 'the most dangerous man in America.' This book unearths a radical King that we can no longer sanitize."… (more)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2015
Physical description
xvi, 300 p.; 9.3 inches
ISBN
9780807012826
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User reviews
LibraryThing member Madcow299
Not terribly impressed with the writing and composition of the book. Cornel West's introduction was probably the best part. While I agree with the premise. I did not think the author did a good job of making the argument nor would it have compelled me to agree with them had I not already been on
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their side, so to speak. Show Less
LibraryThing member Jahoclave
The Radical King
Martin Luther King Jr, Cornel West (Ed)
Beacon Press
January 2015
978-0807012826
For many, their first encounter with Doctor Reverend Martin Luther King Jr is the denuded and sanitized—“official”—elementary school vision of a slain civil rights leader whose grand vision of a
As cultural artifacts, legends offer us a static learning opportunity, a socially cohesive narrative, and an enjoinder to adopt certain ideals. They mystify the past, creating a contemporary interpretation palatable to modern ideologies. The Radical King is, for those interested in King the Man, a good introduction to the radical love of King’s unfinished programme. Even for those knowledgeable with King’s ideas, this edition of his writings, with minimal but evocative introductions, is a thought-provoking and insight-laden collection of King’s writings. Organized into four sections, The Radical King introduces the reader to radical love, thinking globally and acting locally, employing nonviolence, and the necessity of challenging economic inequality. From arguing for Gandhi as the greatest Christian to detailing his work with unions and labor leaders, The Radical King demonstrates Reverend King’s emphasis on what we would now call interesectionality. Like bell hooks later commentary on feminism in Feminist Theory, wherein making women equal to men in Western society is a pointless endeavor as Western society doesn’t grant equality to all men, Martin Luther King recognized the necessity of challenging economic exploitation and inequality in order to overcome prejudice and hatred.
That we still, today, struggle with inequality, racism, and prejudice of many kinds, that our nations still practice imperialism and drain the state coffers to fight wars, that we will continue to pass on these issues to our children remind us that the Reverend King is still pertinent today and it is to our peril to let him be transformed into a secular saint. We must remember him as a man whose words, collected in The Radical King are as important to his own lifetime as they are to us today.
Martin Luther King Jr, Cornel West (Ed)
Beacon Press
January 2015
978-0807012826
For many, their first encounter with Doctor Reverend Martin Luther King Jr is the denuded and sanitized—“official”—elementary school vision of a slain civil rights leader whose grand vision of a
Show More
racially integrated society has long since been achieved. His saintly mythos ensured, few ever delve beyond King the historical figures into the realm of King the Man, King the Thinker, King the Radical. Like those secular saints before him, Lincoln, Gandhi, Mandela, King has been transformed from an enemy of the state into a legend of republican virtue inherent in liberal democracy, despite the long and sordid history of those in power resisting to the very fiber of their being and with temerarious violence the very programs King and others sought to employ for our moral betterment. The sufferings of these men and others were the true source of radical love, practiced outside the bounds of the state and its apparatus that transformed our souls and today allow for our transformation of them from radical leaders into neutral legends. As cultural artifacts, legends offer us a static learning opportunity, a socially cohesive narrative, and an enjoinder to adopt certain ideals. They mystify the past, creating a contemporary interpretation palatable to modern ideologies. The Radical King is, for those interested in King the Man, a good introduction to the radical love of King’s unfinished programme. Even for those knowledgeable with King’s ideas, this edition of his writings, with minimal but evocative introductions, is a thought-provoking and insight-laden collection of King’s writings. Organized into four sections, The Radical King introduces the reader to radical love, thinking globally and acting locally, employing nonviolence, and the necessity of challenging economic inequality. From arguing for Gandhi as the greatest Christian to detailing his work with unions and labor leaders, The Radical King demonstrates Reverend King’s emphasis on what we would now call interesectionality. Like bell hooks later commentary on feminism in Feminist Theory, wherein making women equal to men in Western society is a pointless endeavor as Western society doesn’t grant equality to all men, Martin Luther King recognized the necessity of challenging economic exploitation and inequality in order to overcome prejudice and hatred.
That we still, today, struggle with inequality, racism, and prejudice of many kinds, that our nations still practice imperialism and drain the state coffers to fight wars, that we will continue to pass on these issues to our children remind us that the Reverend King is still pertinent today and it is to our peril to let him be transformed into a secular saint. We must remember him as a man whose words, collected in The Radical King are as important to his own lifetime as they are to us today.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Fullmoonblue
An excellent selection of King's more directly radical political statements. The material is engaging, and the introductions are fine. The thing about a book like this, however, is that it highlights how much MORE helpful a comprehensive electronically accessible archive of King's work would be. An
Until the day when I (and anyone) can hopefully easily search a digitized archive of King's written and spoken word, books like these will be the next best thing.
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edited collection with thoughtful introductions is nice, but a readily searchable electronic archive would be even handier. Until the day when I (and anyone) can hopefully easily search a digitized archive of King's written and spoken word, books like these will be the next best thing.
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LibraryThing member adamps
This is a collection of King's work worth owning and referencing. It is full of speeches and texts I had not previously heard and it provides a much deeper and impressive look at one of the great influencers of American politics. It is a great text to get quickly past the simplified King so
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commonly used in popular culture. Show Less
LibraryThing member bks1953
This is an extremely important book -- for those who remember Dr, King, and for those who have come after. Because he has become sanitized, if you will. Every regime does it. Young French syudents aren't taught about de Gaulle's foibles or Napoleon's dictatorial tendencies. English kids aren't
god. Conversely, it's almost impossible to peruse a newspaper or view the TV without "George Washington" and "Abraham Lincoln" (he only saved the Union, right?) hawking new cars. And when Dr. King''s birthday finally became a federal holiday, I wondered just how long it would take until there were Dr. King Day sales events -- 7 years.
Which is why "The radical King" is so important. Dr. King is neither sanitized or deified. This collection of his sermons, letters, and speeches. 23 chapters are divided into four parts: Radical Love, Prophetic Vision: Global Analysis and
Local Praxis, The Revolution of Nonviolent resistance: Against Empire and White Supremacy, and Overcoming the Tyranny of Poverty and Hatred. For those who lived during that time, some of the entries will be hauntingly familiar: Letter from Birmingham Jail, All Labor Has Dignity, The Drum Major Instinct, Honoring Dr. DuBois. As for the rest of you who weren't fortunate enough to be alive in the 1950s and 1960s, this volume will serve as a glorious introduction to Dr. King's vision -- a vision that included so much much more than the five words that get played on the third Monday in January.
Read this book. Remembering or learning for the first time. Yes, there was -- and is -- a dream. But not a sanitized one. As:The radical King" editor Cornel West plainly states in his Introduction, "[Dr.] King sided with the poor and working people in the class struggle taking place in capitalist societies.... Could it be that we know so little of the radical King because such courage defies our market-driven world?"
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taught about Churchill's over-sized ego. And American students aren't told that at least their first seven presidents were slave owners (yes, John Adams at one point in time owned a few human beings; not anywhere near the number of his contemporaries, but it really isn't a matter of degree, is it?). Indeed, the mural of the US Capitol's dome interior is entitled, "The Apotheosis of Washington" -- I remember, as a teenage student having to look the word up. It means deification, i.e., George Washington became a god. Conversely, it's almost impossible to peruse a newspaper or view the TV without "George Washington" and "Abraham Lincoln" (he only saved the Union, right?) hawking new cars. And when Dr. King''s birthday finally became a federal holiday, I wondered just how long it would take until there were Dr. King Day sales events -- 7 years.
Which is why "The radical King" is so important. Dr. King is neither sanitized or deified. This collection of his sermons, letters, and speeches. 23 chapters are divided into four parts: Radical Love, Prophetic Vision: Global Analysis and
Local Praxis, The Revolution of Nonviolent resistance: Against Empire and White Supremacy, and Overcoming the Tyranny of Poverty and Hatred. For those who lived during that time, some of the entries will be hauntingly familiar: Letter from Birmingham Jail, All Labor Has Dignity, The Drum Major Instinct, Honoring Dr. DuBois. As for the rest of you who weren't fortunate enough to be alive in the 1950s and 1960s, this volume will serve as a glorious introduction to Dr. King's vision -- a vision that included so much much more than the five words that get played on the third Monday in January.
Read this book. Remembering or learning for the first time. Yes, there was -- and is -- a dream. But not a sanitized one. As:The radical King" editor Cornel West plainly states in his Introduction, "[Dr.] King sided with the poor and working people in the class struggle taking place in capitalist societies.... Could it be that we know so little of the radical King because such courage defies our market-driven world?"
Show Less
LibraryThing member owen1218
This is a good collection of some of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s more politically astute writings and speeches. It is an interesting read, particularly in seeing the way that his views evolved over time, most notably in progressing from holding nonviolence as a moral necessity to a strategic
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imperative. I found his essay on "Black Power" most powerful and have to wonder whether he wouldn't have supported more militant action had he lived longer. But although these essays show the radical side of MLK they also show where his views were still mired in reformism. In particular, despite everything he never seemed to give up hope that the United States could be reformed, or that white people could on a broader basis. It's unfortunate that he didn't live long enough for us to know what kind of revolutionary he might have been in 1973. Show Less
LibraryThing member chicobico
The FBI called Martin Luther King, Jr. “the most dangerous man in America.” In The Radical King, Cornel West assembles and introduces 23 of King’s essays, articles, sermons and speeches showing that the FBI had reason for concern. For King was indeed a true radical – a Christian pastor with
King’s steadfast commitment to nonviolent resistance as a means of harnessing the collective power of African-Americans and other oppressed peoples to bring about needed social and economic change comes through clearly in the book. His socialist leanings and disdain for the more materialistic and domineering aspects of capitalism are also apparent, but he is consistent in his criticism of communism.
The book contains many of King’s well known writings and talks: his 1963 Letter from Birmingham Jail; his controversial 1967 speech against the Vietnam War at Riverside Church in New York; his February 1968 “drum major” sermon offering his own eulogy at Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church; and his dramatic “mountaintop” sermon delivered in Memphis on April 3, 1968, the night before his assassination. Even after many re-readings and re-hearings, the premonition of his impending death in that sermon remains startling.
Readers will also likely find much that is new in the book. One of the more interesting entries is an article by King published in Pageant magazine as a tribute to the socialist Norman Thomas. Since the book’s inclusions consist of largely unedited transcripts, it inevitably includes some minor readability annoyances, such as the repeated appearance of King’s favorite phrases. But Dr. West has put together a much-appreciated collection on the legacy of a radical American revolutionary who changed the way we think about justice.
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radical love for all humanity and a prophetic voice radical in his passion to combat racism, poverty and militarism wherever he saw it.King’s steadfast commitment to nonviolent resistance as a means of harnessing the collective power of African-Americans and other oppressed peoples to bring about needed social and economic change comes through clearly in the book. His socialist leanings and disdain for the more materialistic and domineering aspects of capitalism are also apparent, but he is consistent in his criticism of communism.
The book contains many of King’s well known writings and talks: his 1963 Letter from Birmingham Jail; his controversial 1967 speech against the Vietnam War at Riverside Church in New York; his February 1968 “drum major” sermon offering his own eulogy at Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church; and his dramatic “mountaintop” sermon delivered in Memphis on April 3, 1968, the night before his assassination. Even after many re-readings and re-hearings, the premonition of his impending death in that sermon remains startling.
Readers will also likely find much that is new in the book. One of the more interesting entries is an article by King published in Pageant magazine as a tribute to the socialist Norman Thomas. Since the book’s inclusions consist of largely unedited transcripts, it inevitably includes some minor readability annoyances, such as the repeated appearance of King’s favorite phrases. But Dr. West has put together a much-appreciated collection on the legacy of a radical American revolutionary who changed the way we think about justice.
Show Less
LibraryThing member GaryLeeJones
The Radical King is a thorough and thoughtful collection of speeches, essays, and other writings of Martin Luther King, Jr, selected and arranged by Cornel West to highlight King's dramatically radical ideas. West seeks to present a different view of King from the common view that he was too
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mainstream, or at least compromised too much with the middle of the political spectrum. The book succeeds very well, showing a democratic socialist set of objectives, a thoroughly pacifist method that never settled for mere passiveness, a critical reader of a wide range of philosophers and theologists. This is a very fine book, and Cornel West is to be congratulated. Show Less
LibraryThing member TravisWilson
This collection of King's writings and sermons is a serious read. A look into a man's life who helped lead a movement. Being able to gloss over the facade of the civil rights movement in America history has been subjected to a cruel white-wash of the struggle of man.
King, and West for that matter,
Overall the book is a solid representation of the plight of civil right movement of yesteryear and should be seen as an inside view of what is starting to emerge in America today.
King, and West for that matter,
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were and are very race-centric in their fight. Understandable in the time and positions that they are in. One King quote that seems to be more fitting for that position is "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere". That seems to be a missing ideal to the idea of race-centric movements. Overall the book is a solid representation of the plight of civil right movement of yesteryear and should be seen as an inside view of what is starting to emerge in America today.
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LibraryThing member nirrad
It was a great look into Pastor King's life and beliefs. Gave me many things to think about, though I can't say I agree 100% with everything I do agree with the majority of his beliefs. Also showed me a little of what is believed about him today and what he actually was seemed to be two different
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King's. It was a great in sight into the real MLK. Show Less
LibraryThing member Tonstant.Weader
In editing The Radical King, Cornel West sought to restore the real Martin Luther King, Jr. whose radicalism has been stripped away over the decades leaving an anodyne MLK whose name can grace boulevards and whose words can be quoted to defend oppression as easily as they can inspired the
While I have been reading The Radical King, a group of militant Wise Use anti-government grifters have occupied Malheur Wildlife Refuge in what they claim is a nonviolent protest—a claim echoed with unthinking and unquestioning irresponsibility by the press. The Radical King offers a powerful counter to their claims of nonviolence and exposes the injustice of their cause. When King defines what it means to be nonviolent, their heavily armed "nonviolence" is exposed as a lie. When King explains when civil disobedience is justified by unjust laws, their claims to be seeking justice are exposed as selfishness and greed, as antidemocratic and fundamentally unjust. I could not think of a better book to be reading at this time.
The Radical King is not without flaw. For example, West includes a speech "Where Do We Go From Here?" as well as another speech called "Black Power" and an except from the book, "Where Do We Go From Here?" which, together, become repetitive. While King was writing his book, he was quoting from it liberally and word for word. I would rather have a different selection from the book or even leave the book out for some other selection altogether and keep just the two speeches. If someone were just picking up The Radical King and reading a bit now and again, and not reading it from cover to cover, they will not be bothered by it. Reading it all at once, though, I sometimes began to wonder if i lost my place and had gone back to an earlier part of the book.
I like the four theme in which West arranged the book, the twenty-one selections organized around the themes of radical love, prophetic vision, resistance against empire and white supremacy, and overcoming poverty and hatred. These themes are a good organizing principle for his work and an insight into King's priorities and principles.
I was less impressed with Cornel's West introduction. West writes to impress more than to explain. The contrast between the clarity of King's prose and the opacity of West's is striking and explains why King was able to unite people so effectively while West has struggled. West's writing is pompous and bombastic while King's is humane and explanatory. Sometimes King's metaphors go pretty far afield. ("High blood pressure of creeds and anemia of deeds" appears more than once.) but they are used to make his language colorful, interesting and to draw people in. He never tries to elevate himself above his listeners or readers with deliberately difficult prose such as West here, "King's work and witness is a kind of prophetic pneumatology in motion—a kinetic orality, passionate physicality, and combative spirituality that weed mind to movement..." Is that a sentence from someone with a desire to communicate, to share his love and admiration for King's work? Is that a sentence from someone with a desire to communicate, to share his love and admiration for King's work? For West, it is more important that you know West is well-educated than that you understand that King's work was a prophetic expression of the power of the soul, of oral tradition wedded to nonviolent resistance and an empowered spirituality.
The idea of an empowered spirituality is important. King often speaks of the failure of people on the side of good to do the necessary to get power. Because power is so often in the hands of those who do evil, people of good will often avoid seeking power because they think power is evil, but power is merely the ability to work your will and if your will is good, if it is informed by love and justice, then power is also informed by love and justice. I am constantly urging people to read Rebecca West's Black Lamb and Grey Falcon where she also addresses the quandary that people face when trying to create change—shrinking from power for fear that power is evil. King addresses that same quandary effectively several times. It should be read by all those who would rather lose than do right if it involves compromise.
I like The Radical King and recommend it. I think it is important to remember King as he was and find inspiration in the real man, not the stuffed teddy bear King celebrated on his birthday by people who oppose everything he believed in. Reading this book, one cannot help but wonder what our world would be like if James Earl Ray had slipped in that bathtub in Memphis and fallen, maybe broken a leg and been unable to fire. Would we be in this bitter place, divided by anger and distrust? I do not know, but I am pretty sure we would have been in a better place.
I was provided a free copy of this book by Beacon Press through the early reviewer program at LibraryThing.
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oppressed. How many times have racists quoted "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." in order to defend structural racism? There is a real need to restore King, the radical, the socialist, the revolutionary.While I have been reading The Radical King, a group of militant Wise Use anti-government grifters have occupied Malheur Wildlife Refuge in what they claim is a nonviolent protest—a claim echoed with unthinking and unquestioning irresponsibility by the press. The Radical King offers a powerful counter to their claims of nonviolence and exposes the injustice of their cause. When King defines what it means to be nonviolent, their heavily armed "nonviolence" is exposed as a lie. When King explains when civil disobedience is justified by unjust laws, their claims to be seeking justice are exposed as selfishness and greed, as antidemocratic and fundamentally unjust. I could not think of a better book to be reading at this time.
The Radical King is not without flaw. For example, West includes a speech "Where Do We Go From Here?" as well as another speech called "Black Power" and an except from the book, "Where Do We Go From Here?" which, together, become repetitive. While King was writing his book, he was quoting from it liberally and word for word. I would rather have a different selection from the book or even leave the book out for some other selection altogether and keep just the two speeches. If someone were just picking up The Radical King and reading a bit now and again, and not reading it from cover to cover, they will not be bothered by it. Reading it all at once, though, I sometimes began to wonder if i lost my place and had gone back to an earlier part of the book.
I like the four theme in which West arranged the book, the twenty-one selections organized around the themes of radical love, prophetic vision, resistance against empire and white supremacy, and overcoming poverty and hatred. These themes are a good organizing principle for his work and an insight into King's priorities and principles.
I was less impressed with Cornel's West introduction. West writes to impress more than to explain. The contrast between the clarity of King's prose and the opacity of West's is striking and explains why King was able to unite people so effectively while West has struggled. West's writing is pompous and bombastic while King's is humane and explanatory. Sometimes King's metaphors go pretty far afield. ("High blood pressure of creeds and anemia of deeds" appears more than once.) but they are used to make his language colorful, interesting and to draw people in. He never tries to elevate himself above his listeners or readers with deliberately difficult prose such as West here, "King's work and witness is a kind of prophetic pneumatology in motion—a kinetic orality, passionate physicality, and combative spirituality that weed mind to movement..." Is that a sentence from someone with a desire to communicate, to share his love and admiration for King's work? Is that a sentence from someone with a desire to communicate, to share his love and admiration for King's work? For West, it is more important that you know West is well-educated than that you understand that King's work was a prophetic expression of the power of the soul, of oral tradition wedded to nonviolent resistance and an empowered spirituality.
The idea of an empowered spirituality is important. King often speaks of the failure of people on the side of good to do the necessary to get power. Because power is so often in the hands of those who do evil, people of good will often avoid seeking power because they think power is evil, but power is merely the ability to work your will and if your will is good, if it is informed by love and justice, then power is also informed by love and justice. I am constantly urging people to read Rebecca West's Black Lamb and Grey Falcon where she also addresses the quandary that people face when trying to create change—shrinking from power for fear that power is evil. King addresses that same quandary effectively several times. It should be read by all those who would rather lose than do right if it involves compromise.
I like The Radical King and recommend it. I think it is important to remember King as he was and find inspiration in the real man, not the stuffed teddy bear King celebrated on his birthday by people who oppose everything he believed in. Reading this book, one cannot help but wonder what our world would be like if James Earl Ray had slipped in that bathtub in Memphis and fallen, maybe broken a leg and been unable to fire. Would we be in this bitter place, divided by anger and distrust? I do not know, but I am pretty sure we would have been in a better place.
I was provided a free copy of this book by Beacon Press through the early reviewer program at LibraryThing.
Show Less
LibraryThing member nmele
As I read, I kept marking passages for reflection, and to quote to friends. The quotability and aptness of Dr. King's thoughts are not the most significant aspect of this book, however. Dr. West's judicial selection of texts draws a three dimensional portrait of the courageous, insightful and
The Radical King includes Dr. King's 1964 statement from which this quote is taken; it also includes the full text of his April 1967 address on Vietnam at Riverside Church. In a few sentences, he indelibly drew the links connecting poverty, racism and war.
The mainstream makes Dr. King a denatured icon of nonviolence, but The Radical King highlights his radical commitment to nonviolence, based on equally radical love.
Our secular society has also “whited out” Dr. King's Christianity, but this book corrects all these misinterpretations of the man. Here's one example, “The cross is the eternal expression of the length to which God will go to restore broken community.” Dr. King was willing to go to that same length. Reading and rereading these essays and extracts, I renewed my appreciation for Dr. King's daring, love, and wisdom. I urge you to do the same.
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outspoken prophet who was Dr. King. The reassuring saintly figure the mainstream celebrates with a holiday weekend and cliched pieties shrinks before the bold prophet who again and again exposed the injustice, racism and violence of his time. His analyses are unfortunately still relevant, as are his suggestions for action.The Radical King includes Dr. King's 1964 statement from which this quote is taken; it also includes the full text of his April 1967 address on Vietnam at Riverside Church. In a few sentences, he indelibly drew the links connecting poverty, racism and war.
The mainstream makes Dr. King a denatured icon of nonviolence, but The Radical King highlights his radical commitment to nonviolence, based on equally radical love.
Our secular society has also “whited out” Dr. King's Christianity, but this book corrects all these misinterpretations of the man. Here's one example, “The cross is the eternal expression of the length to which God will go to restore broken community.” Dr. King was willing to go to that same length. Reading and rereading these essays and extracts, I renewed my appreciation for Dr. King's daring, love, and wisdom. I urge you to do the same.
Show Less
LibraryThing member sfosterg
I received a copy of The Radical King, edited by Cornel West, through the Librarything Early Reads giveaway program in exchange for an honest review.
The book is a collection of speeches, sermons and articles written by the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Although these items have been published
Dr. King's mission has been watered-down and sanitized since the early days of the Civil Rights Movement. West resurrects some of King's works and depicts King's inner reflections, personal and thought development through the Movement. Furthermore, he also shows how the basic principles of his ministry were also relevant to US domestic and international policy, poverty, the War in Vietnam and the significance of non-violent resistance. West's annotations add more depth to the selections. The underlying principles in Dr. King's works still hold true and can be applied in the 21st century.
The book is a collection of speeches, sermons and articles written by the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Although these items have been published
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and circulated numerous times over the years, the art of the collection is in the selection and arrangement of the works by Dr. West. Dr. King's mission has been watered-down and sanitized since the early days of the Civil Rights Movement. West resurrects some of King's works and depicts King's inner reflections, personal and thought development through the Movement. Furthermore, he also shows how the basic principles of his ministry were also relevant to US domestic and international policy, poverty, the War in Vietnam and the significance of non-violent resistance. West's annotations add more depth to the selections. The underlying principles in Dr. King's works still hold true and can be applied in the 21st century.
Show Less
LibraryThing member agnesmack
"King and Mandela are the two towering public figures in the past fifty years in the world. Both have been Santa-Clausified - tamed, domesticated, sanitized, and sterilized - into nonthreatening and smiling old men with toys in their bags and forgiveness in their hearts. yet both were radical and
The above quote was written by Cornel West to introduce a section of The Radical King, which is a collection of speeches and writings by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. As the quote and title suggest, this collection went beyond the feel-good stuff most people are familiar with and dug deep into the way King actually was: hated by the police, the government, and a large percentage of the populace.
King was not a Marxist, as many anti-King people will tell you. He didn't believe capitalism was particularly successful in the world he lived in, but his goal was to reform and not replace it. One of the essays is both a long critique of capitalism and a condemnation of communism:
"The revolution of values must go beyond traditional capitalism and Communism. We must honestly admit that capitalism has often left a gulf between superfluous wealth and abject poverty, has created conditions permitting necessities to be taken from the many to give luxuries to the few, and has encouraged smallhearted men to become cold and conscienceless so that, like Dives before Lazarus, they are unmoved by suffering, poverty-stricken humanity. The profit motif, when it is the sole basis of an economic system, encourages a cutthroat competition and selfish ambition that inspire men to be more I-centered than thou-centered. Equally, Communism reduces men to a cog in the wheel of the state."
I learned a lot of things in this book, including King's real opinions on violent versus non-violent protest (hint: it's not what you think) and, yes, a lot of his thoughts on economic reform.
"True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar; it understands that an edifice that produces beggars needs restructuring."
I would certainly recommend this thought-provoking and beautifully written collection by one of the wisest men the world has known.
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revolutionary. They were hunted, hated, and hurt by the powers that be. And both had radical love."The above quote was written by Cornel West to introduce a section of The Radical King, which is a collection of speeches and writings by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. As the quote and title suggest, this collection went beyond the feel-good stuff most people are familiar with and dug deep into the way King actually was: hated by the police, the government, and a large percentage of the populace.
King was not a Marxist, as many anti-King people will tell you. He didn't believe capitalism was particularly successful in the world he lived in, but his goal was to reform and not replace it. One of the essays is both a long critique of capitalism and a condemnation of communism:
"The revolution of values must go beyond traditional capitalism and Communism. We must honestly admit that capitalism has often left a gulf between superfluous wealth and abject poverty, has created conditions permitting necessities to be taken from the many to give luxuries to the few, and has encouraged smallhearted men to become cold and conscienceless so that, like Dives before Lazarus, they are unmoved by suffering, poverty-stricken humanity. The profit motif, when it is the sole basis of an economic system, encourages a cutthroat competition and selfish ambition that inspire men to be more I-centered than thou-centered. Equally, Communism reduces men to a cog in the wheel of the state."
I learned a lot of things in this book, including King's real opinions on violent versus non-violent protest (hint: it's not what you think) and, yes, a lot of his thoughts on economic reform.
"True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar; it understands that an edifice that produces beggars needs restructuring."
I would certainly recommend this thought-provoking and beautifully written collection by one of the wisest men the world has known.
Show Less
LibraryThing member UnionGospelMission
The Radical King is a great look at the wisdom of Martin Luther King, Jr. The wisdom King bestows is relevant in today's society.
LibraryThing member leslie.98
I find it hard to rate this audiobook - the sections by Cornel West were a 3* (or perhaps even a 2.5*) but the sections that came straight from King's own writings were excellent, averaging 4*. Listening to King's words reminded me why he is such a role model to people of all races and ages.
One
Part 1: Radical Love
1. The Violence of Desperate Men, read by Bahni Turpin
2. Palm Sunday Sermon on Mohandas K. Gandhi, read by Kevin R. Free
3. Pilgrimage to Nonviolence, read by Gabourey Sidibe
4. Loving Your Enemies, read by LeVar Burton
5. What is Your Life’s Blueprint?, read by Michael K. Williams
Part 2: Prophetic Visions
6. The World House, read by Colman Domingo
7. All the Great Religions of the World, read by Mike Colter
8. My Jewish Brother, read by Colman Domingo
9. The Middle East Question, read by Leslie Odom, Jr.
10. Let My People Go, read by Bahni Turpin
11. Honoring Dr. Du Bois, read by Danny Glover
Part 3: Nonviolent Resistance
12. Letter From Birmingham Jail, read by Leslie Odom, Jr.
13. Nonviolence and Social Change, read by LeVar Burton
14. My Talk With Ben Bella, read by Colman Domingo
15. Jawaharlal Nehru, A Leader in the Long Anti-Colonial Struggle, read by Kevin R. Free
16. Where Do We Go From Here?, read by Mike Colter
17. Black Power, read by Wanda Sykes
18. Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence, read by Robin Miles
Part 4: Poverty and Hatred
19. The Bravest Man I Ever Met, read by Michael K. Williams
20. The Other America, read by Wanda Sykes
21. All Labor Has Dignity, read by Kevin R. Free
22. The Drum Major Instinct, read by Mike Colter
23. I’ve Been to the Mountaintop, read by Bahni Turpin
One
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complaint: Due to the way the book was organized, sometimes there would be repetition (even word for word repetition) in back-to-back entries. This repetition would have been less notable if the writings had been organized differently. Despite that small complaint, I thought the organization was interesting. Below is a list of the contents with the narrator for each specified. West gives introductory comments at the beginning of each section plus before several of the individual entries (and of course again at the end though I suppose those couldn't be called 'introductory'!).Part 1: Radical Love
1. The Violence of Desperate Men, read by Bahni Turpin
2. Palm Sunday Sermon on Mohandas K. Gandhi, read by Kevin R. Free
3. Pilgrimage to Nonviolence, read by Gabourey Sidibe
4. Loving Your Enemies, read by LeVar Burton
5. What is Your Life’s Blueprint?, read by Michael K. Williams
Part 2: Prophetic Visions
6. The World House, read by Colman Domingo
7. All the Great Religions of the World, read by Mike Colter
8. My Jewish Brother, read by Colman Domingo
9. The Middle East Question, read by Leslie Odom, Jr.
10. Let My People Go, read by Bahni Turpin
11. Honoring Dr. Du Bois, read by Danny Glover
Part 3: Nonviolent Resistance
12. Letter From Birmingham Jail, read by Leslie Odom, Jr.
13. Nonviolence and Social Change, read by LeVar Burton
14. My Talk With Ben Bella, read by Colman Domingo
15. Jawaharlal Nehru, A Leader in the Long Anti-Colonial Struggle, read by Kevin R. Free
16. Where Do We Go From Here?, read by Mike Colter
17. Black Power, read by Wanda Sykes
18. Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence, read by Robin Miles
Part 4: Poverty and Hatred
19. The Bravest Man I Ever Met, read by Michael K. Williams
20. The Other America, read by Wanda Sykes
21. All Labor Has Dignity, read by Kevin R. Free
22. The Drum Major Instinct, read by Mike Colter
23. I’ve Been to the Mountaintop, read by Bahni Turpin
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LibraryThing member Bidwell-Glaze
I have read a lot of Martin Luther King Jr.'s works. I love him both for his radical works and his inspirational works. If you are not familiar with him, or are only familiar with the whitewashed schoolbook's King, The Radical King might be a good introduction so long as you skip all of Cornell
West seems to enjoy the logical fallacy of giving only two choices in an argument and we are required to pick one, when in reality there are multiple options which are not acknowledged. The choices of essays, speeches, and other writings are not the ones I would have chosen, but I am not black. They give a decent view of the fighter that Martin Luther King Jr. was and I was pleased that West included the writings which showed the fear and sacrifices that go along with justice work.
Many of my favorite quotations are sprinkled through this book as my favorite King is the one who pushes us onward, not the one who dreams of a good world with good people throughout. I know that that world needs to be fought for, and have known it since I was a child of anti-racist parents. Being an activist in anti-“drug-war” policies, and anti-poverty worker only solidified my opinion of the oligarchy we live in.
If you have read this far, here is an example of the politicizing which I hate in West's thought and writings. Because President Obama was not able to follow through on his dreams to close GITMO, to pull back from all of Bush's wars, to get the rich to pay their fair share of taxes, and to pass a single-payer health-care bill, West says that “Sadly, the damage done by Obama apologists – often for money, access, and status – is immeasurable and nearly unforgivable.” [p. xiv] He then goes on to blame all of the black murders, and other failures to get things through congress during his term directly to President Obama's “betrayal of the “radical” King's message.
Overall, a good book, damaged slightly be Cornell West's input. West's name got it printed, but I am not pleased by his additions to the text.
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West's rabid politicizing and false dichotomies. West seems to enjoy the logical fallacy of giving only two choices in an argument and we are required to pick one, when in reality there are multiple options which are not acknowledged. The choices of essays, speeches, and other writings are not the ones I would have chosen, but I am not black. They give a decent view of the fighter that Martin Luther King Jr. was and I was pleased that West included the writings which showed the fear and sacrifices that go along with justice work.
Many of my favorite quotations are sprinkled through this book as my favorite King is the one who pushes us onward, not the one who dreams of a good world with good people throughout. I know that that world needs to be fought for, and have known it since I was a child of anti-racist parents. Being an activist in anti-“drug-war” policies, and anti-poverty worker only solidified my opinion of the oligarchy we live in.
If you have read this far, here is an example of the politicizing which I hate in West's thought and writings. Because President Obama was not able to follow through on his dreams to close GITMO, to pull back from all of Bush's wars, to get the rich to pay their fair share of taxes, and to pass a single-payer health-care bill, West says that “Sadly, the damage done by Obama apologists – often for money, access, and status – is immeasurable and nearly unforgivable.” [p. xiv] He then goes on to blame all of the black murders, and other failures to get things through congress during his term directly to President Obama's “betrayal of the “radical” King's message.
Overall, a good book, damaged slightly be Cornell West's input. West's name got it printed, but I am not pleased by his additions to the text.
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LibraryThing member jhgreen
Sometime in the past I may have read a more inspiring book than “The Radical King,” but if so I can’t recall what it might have been. Few people in my lifetime have had a more beneficial influence on the world than Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., but was he a radical as the title and introduction
Perhaps Dr. Cornel West, who edited the book and contributed the introduction, wanted to read his own radical views in Dr. King’s writing, but if so, they are well disguised from me. Some of the statements West makes in the introduction are absurd and inappropriate. The introduction to a book such as this is a poor place to air his disappointment in President Obama, even to the point of asserting that under the National Security Agency and the Obama administration “King could have been subject to detention without trial and assassination by executive decree owing to his links to ‘terrorists’ of the day such as Nelson Mandela.”
I would describe much of MLK’s writing in this book as idealistic, but I suspect a title “The Idealistic King” wouldn’t sell nearly as many books as the implication that he was a radical. Maybe “The Prophetic King” would be a more apt title because much of his writing is a warning on the order of the Old Testament prophets that the country was on the wrong path. He was one of the most prominent citizens to denounce America’s war in Vietnam, but was that a radical position? If so, plenty of others agreed with him. Many people at the time suggested that he should attend to racial justice and avoid the raging controversy of the war, but he disagreed. Not only did he contend that black people were dying in disproportionate numbers in Vietnam, but money was being squandered that should have been used to eliminate poverty. Moreover, he stated that his social justice morality demand that he could not separate it from his anti-war stance.
I recommend these writings to anyone who wants a more complete understanding of Dr. King's thinking and beliefs.
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to this book suggests? I doubted Dr. King’s radicalism before I started to read the book, and disbelieve it even more now after reading this collection of his eloquent prose. His message never varied. It was a simple, logical, and extremely persuasive expression of agapeic love, demand for social and legal justice, and a call for direct non-violent actions designed to force America to live up to its ideals. Perhaps Dr. Cornel West, who edited the book and contributed the introduction, wanted to read his own radical views in Dr. King’s writing, but if so, they are well disguised from me. Some of the statements West makes in the introduction are absurd and inappropriate. The introduction to a book such as this is a poor place to air his disappointment in President Obama, even to the point of asserting that under the National Security Agency and the Obama administration “King could have been subject to detention without trial and assassination by executive decree owing to his links to ‘terrorists’ of the day such as Nelson Mandela.”
I would describe much of MLK’s writing in this book as idealistic, but I suspect a title “The Idealistic King” wouldn’t sell nearly as many books as the implication that he was a radical. Maybe “The Prophetic King” would be a more apt title because much of his writing is a warning on the order of the Old Testament prophets that the country was on the wrong path. He was one of the most prominent citizens to denounce America’s war in Vietnam, but was that a radical position? If so, plenty of others agreed with him. Many people at the time suggested that he should attend to racial justice and avoid the raging controversy of the war, but he disagreed. Not only did he contend that black people were dying in disproportionate numbers in Vietnam, but money was being squandered that should have been used to eliminate poverty. Moreover, he stated that his social justice morality demand that he could not separate it from his anti-war stance.
I recommend these writings to anyone who wants a more complete understanding of Dr. King's thinking and beliefs.
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LibraryThing member leslie.98
3.5*
I find it hard to rate this audiobook - the sections by Cornel West were a 3* (or perhaps even a 2.5*) but the sections that came straight from King's own writings were excellent, averaging 4*. Listening to King's words reminded me why he is such a role model to people of all races and ages.
One
Part 1: Radical Love
1. The Violence of Desperate Men, read by Bahni Turpin
2. Palm Sunday Sermon on Mohandas K. Gandhi, read by Kevin R. Free
3. Pilgrimage to Nonviolence, read by Gabourey Sidibe
4. Loving Your Enemies, read by LeVar Burton
5. What is Your Life’s Blueprint?, read by Michael K. Williams
Part 2: Prophetic Visions
6. The World House, read by Colman Domingo
7. All the Great Religions of the World, read by Mike Colter
8. My Jewish Brother, read by Colman Domingo
9. The Middle East Question, read by Leslie Odom, Jr.
10. Let My People Go, read by Bahni Turpin
11. Honoring Dr. Du Bois, read by Danny Glover
Part 3: Nonviolent Resistance
12. Letter From Birmingham Jail, read by Leslie Odom, Jr.
13. Nonviolence and Social Change, read by LeVar Burton
14. My Talk With Ben Bella, read by Colman Domingo
15. Jawaharlal Nehru, A Leader in the Long Anti-Colonial Struggle, read by Kevin R. Free
16. Where Do We Go From Here?, read by Mike Colter
17. Black Power, read by Wanda Sykes
18. Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence, read by Robin Miles
Part 4: Poverty and Hatred
19. The Bravest Man I Ever Met, read by Michael K. Williams
20. The Other America, read by Wanda Sykes
21. All Labor Has Dignity, read by Kevin R. Free
22. The Drum Major Instinct, read by Mike Colter
23. I’ve Been to the Mountaintop, read by Bahni Turpin
I find it hard to rate this audiobook - the sections by Cornel West were a 3* (or perhaps even a 2.5*) but the sections that came straight from King's own writings were excellent, averaging 4*. Listening to King's words reminded me why he is such a role model to people of all races and ages.
One
Show More
complaint: Due to the way the book was organized, sometimes there would be repetition (even word for word repetition) in back-to-back entries. This repetition would have been less notable if the writings had been organized differently. Despite that small complaint, I thought the organization was interesting. Below is a list of the contents with the narrator for each specified. West gives introductory comments at the beginning of each section plus before several of the individual entries (and of course again at the end though I suppose those couldn't be called 'introductory'!).Part 1: Radical Love
1. The Violence of Desperate Men, read by Bahni Turpin
2. Palm Sunday Sermon on Mohandas K. Gandhi, read by Kevin R. Free
3. Pilgrimage to Nonviolence, read by Gabourey Sidibe
4. Loving Your Enemies, read by LeVar Burton
5. What is Your Life’s Blueprint?, read by Michael K. Williams
Part 2: Prophetic Visions
6. The World House, read by Colman Domingo
7. All the Great Religions of the World, read by Mike Colter
8. My Jewish Brother, read by Colman Domingo
9. The Middle East Question, read by Leslie Odom, Jr.
10. Let My People Go, read by Bahni Turpin
11. Honoring Dr. Du Bois, read by Danny Glover
Part 3: Nonviolent Resistance
12. Letter From Birmingham Jail, read by Leslie Odom, Jr.
13. Nonviolence and Social Change, read by LeVar Burton
14. My Talk With Ben Bella, read by Colman Domingo
15. Jawaharlal Nehru, A Leader in the Long Anti-Colonial Struggle, read by Kevin R. Free
16. Where Do We Go From Here?, read by Mike Colter
17. Black Power, read by Wanda Sykes
18. Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence, read by Robin Miles
Part 4: Poverty and Hatred
19. The Bravest Man I Ever Met, read by Michael K. Williams
20. The Other America, read by Wanda Sykes
21. All Labor Has Dignity, read by Kevin R. Free
22. The Drum Major Instinct, read by Mike Colter
23. I’ve Been to the Mountaintop, read by Bahni Turpin
Show Less