America in the King Years
| Company type | Book series |
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing |
| Founded | 1988 |
| Founder | Taylor Branch |
| Products | Historical books on Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement |
America in the King Years is a comprehensive three-volume historical account of Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement, authored by Taylor Branch over the span from 1982 to 2006. This series garnered several accolades, notably the 1989 Pulitzer Prize for History.
The trilogy—comprising Parting the Waters, Pillar of Fire, and At Canaan's Edge—takes its names from significant motifs in the Old Testament Book of Exodus: the Crossing of the Red Sea, the nocturnal divine guidance, and the Promised Land, which Moses glimpsed but never reached.
In 2013, a condensed single-volume edition was made available.
Background
Initially, in the early 1980s, Branch intended to undertake a three-year study focused on America during the civil rights period, centering on Martin Luther King Jr.. This project, however, expanded into a commitment lasting 24 years.[1]
Branch’s method for the King trilogy prioritized narrative storytelling rather than analytical critique:
My goal was to engage in storytelling—purely storytelling. I recognized that this era had a profound influence comparable to that of the Civil War and Reconstruction. Many works I encountered were heavily analytical and argumentative but failed to capture what transpired on a personal level, where true understanding of racial divides emerges. I committed to maintaining a storytelling approach and pursued each narrative thread as it unfolded. I did not foresee detailing King's interactions with individuals such as Rabbi Abraham Heschel. Following these stories led me into more dimensions than originally expected.[2]
Parting the Waters
The first installment, Parting the Waters: America in the King Years, 1954–63, released in 1988, documents pivotal moments in civil rights history including the Montgomery bus boycott, the 1961 Freedom Rides, the 1963 Birmingham campaign and Children's Crusade, as well as the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
This volume earned the 1989 Pulitzer Prize for History, sharing the honor with James McPherson’s Battle Cry of Freedom, and received the 1988 National Book Critics Circle Award for General Nonfiction. It was also shortlisted for the 1989 National Book Award in Non-Fiction.[3]
The cover image is a reversed segment from James Karales’s renowned photograph capturing the 1965 Selma to Montgomery march, originally published in Look magazine.
Pillar of Fire
The second volume, Pillar of Fire: America in the King Years, 1963–65, which appeared in 1998, explores significant occurrences such as the Assassination of President Kennedy, the Mississippi Freedom Summer, and King's reception of the Nobel Peace Prize.
At Canaan's Edge
The concluding volume, At Canaan's Edge: America in the King Years, 1965–1968, published in 2006, explores key moments such as the Selma to Montgomery marches, the 1966 Chicago Open Housing Movement, King's involvement in the Anti-Vietnam War movement, the Watts Riots, and the circumstances surrounding King's assassination. This work was honored with the Chicago Tribunes Heartland Prize for Non-Fiction in 2006.
The King Years: Historic Moments in the Civil Rights Movement
Simon & Schuster released a condensed edition of Branch's three-part series titled The King Years: Historic Moments in the Civil Rights Movement, which appeared in 2013.
HBO miniseries
In 2010, Harpo Productions, led by Oprah Winfrey, collaborated with HBO to create a miniseries adaptation of Branch’s trilogy, with a script written by Robert Schenkkan. To date, this project remains unproduced.
External links
- In Depth interview with Branch, February 5, 2006, C-SPAN
- Interview with Branch on Parting the Waters, January 16, 1989, C-SPAN
- Booknotes interview with Branch on Pillar of Fire, April 12, 1998, C-SPAN
- NPR's Fresh Air interview with Branch, January 16, 2006
- Taylor Branch discussing At Canaan's Edge at University of California’s Walter H. Capps Center, June 19, 2006
- Presentation by Branch on At Canaan's Edge, September 30, 2006, C-SPAN
- Interview with Branch regarding America in the King Years, April 28, 2007, C-SPAN
- Presentation by Branch about The King Years, January 22, 2013, C-SPAN
- Presentation by Branch on The King Years, September 21, 2013, C-SPAN
- ↑ Wallace, Bruce (4 February 2008). "A Conversation with Taylor Branch". The Nation. Retrieved 1 February 2012.
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedbook - ↑ "Parting the Waters". taylorbranch.com. 2011. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
- 1988 non-fiction books
- 1998 non-fiction books
- 2006 non-fiction books
- 20th-century history books
- Works about Martin Luther King Jr.
- American biographies
- Non-fiction books about the civil rights movement
- Series of history books
- History books about the United States
- Multi-volume biographies
- Simon & Schuster books
- Books about activists