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Death of a King: The Real Story of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Final Year Hardcover – September 9, 2014
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Editorial Reviews
Review
Praise for Death of a King and Tavis Smiley
"A reverential look at Martin Luther King Jr.'s last agonizing year that does not disguise the flaws of a saint.... [A] poignant account of King's final struggle. An eloquent, emotional journey from darkness to light."—Kirkus Reviews
"Tavis Smiley has captured not only the spirit of the movement, but the Spirit of Martin Luther King, Jr. in his last days. We didn't realize it but he knew he was on his way to Jerusalem, and as much as we tried to deter him, he fought back."—Andrew Young, former United States Ambassador to the United Nations and former Mayor of Atlanta
"Death of a King is a fitting climax to a noble saga. It is here adequately told and placed before history."—Reverend Gardner C. Taylor
A "microscopically focused biography, which trades in both weighty events and the everyday joys of family life."—Time
"Tavis Smiley has brought forward in his book Death of a King an accounting of the last year Dr. King was physically with us -- an accounting very much needed. Tavis rightfully emphasizes the error it is to continually emphasize his martyrdom mostly with no mention of the great work he did. Tavis's book helps people focus on his work and the spirit with which he worked."—Dorothy F. Cotton, Education Director for SCLC, the organization led by Dr. King
"One of the most important political voices of his generation."—The Philadelphia Inquirer
"A reverential look at Martin Luther King Jr.'s last agonizing year that does not disguise the flaws of a saint.... [A] poignant account of King's final struggle. An eloquent, emotional journey from darkness to light."—Kirkus Reviews
"Tavis Smiley has captured not only the spirit of the movement, but the Spirit of Martin Luther King, Jr. in his last days. We didn't realize it but he knew he was on his way to Jerusalem, and as much as we tried to deter him, he fought back."—Andrew Young, former United States Ambassador to the United Nations and former Mayor of Atlanta
"Death of a King is a fitting climax to a noble saga. It is here adequately told and placed before history."—Reverend Gardner C. Taylor
A "microscopically focused biography, which trades in both weighty events and the everyday joys of family life."—Time
"Tavis Smiley has brought forward in his book Death of a King an accounting of the last year Dr. King was physically with us -- an accounting very much needed. Tavis rightfully emphasizes the error it is to continually emphasize his martyrdom mostly with no mention of the great work he did. Tavis's book helps people focus on his work and the spirit with which he worked."—Dorothy F. Cotton, Education Director for SCLC, the organization led by Dr. King
"One of the most important political voices of his generation."—The Philadelphia Inquirer
About the Author
Tavis Smiley is the host of PBS's Tavis Smiley and Public Radio International's The Tavis Smiley Show. Smiley is also the bestselling author of 16 books. He lives in Los Angeles, California.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
38 of 40 people found the following review helpful
By
Rev. Judith Kelsey-Powell
on September 12, 2014
Format: Kindle Edition
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Tavis Smiley's genius is to isolate the last year of King's life (though never losing sight of the context of the entire life) to shine a light on " the fear and trembling and sickness unto death" that seems to be the inevitable destiny off all great spirits. We must never forget the totality of King's great mission of combating racism, poverty and militarism. As I read this book, especially regarding his discomfort with Coretta's activism, I reflected as I often have that he surely would have learned the lessons of feminism if he'd lived a little longer. I suspect that he would have been shocked but then proud that it was his daughter who followed him into the pulpit. But I digress.
King's last year crystallized the important insight that the Christian obligation to pick up the cross brings more pain than glory. The church has prettied-up that stark symbol of state-sponsored execution. King was not executed by the state, but the government he had indicted as the "greatest purveyor of violence" must be considered complicit in his death. No national holiday or monument can remove the blood stains from our hands until we fulfill the promise of American democracy that he articulated at the Lincoln Memorial in 1963.
King's last year crystallized the important insight that the Christian obligation to pick up the cross brings more pain than glory. The church has prettied-up that stark symbol of state-sponsored execution. King was not executed by the state, but the government he had indicted as the "greatest purveyor of violence" must be considered complicit in his death. No national holiday or monument can remove the blood stains from our hands until we fulfill the promise of American democracy that he articulated at the Lincoln Memorial in 1963.
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46 of 55 people found the following review helpful
By
Robert David STEELE Vivas
HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWER on September 12, 2014
Format: Hardcover
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The publisher has done a rotten job of summarizing this book. Here, paraphrasing the author as he just spoke on the Jon Stewart show, is the bottom line:
The minute that Dr. King turned against militarism and denounced the USA as the greatest purveyor of violence upon the world, he was first marginalized and then assassinated. "The System" was fine with Dr. King focusing on racism, and even poverty, but it would not tolerate for one moment his questioning the military-industrial complex and the national security state.
The author -- whom I found to be very inspiring, coherent, and concise -- a brilliant articulator of the key points in the book -- goes on to have a conversation with Jon Stewart about how the USA simply cannot handle truth-tellers in relation to "big money" matters such as elective wars (racism and poverty being "little money" matters, and deliberately so).
Dr. King was ultimately assassinated by a US Army sniper on detail to the FBI and under the personal direction of J. Edgar Hoover. The story is told in An Act of State: The Execution of Martin Luther King and has also been documented and validated in a judgment by a federal court awarding the King family the single dollar in damages they requested.
I will mention in passing, because somehow Reddit noticed it today and sent the world to my website, that Henry Kissinger, the dowager empress of the political servant class, is a war criminal (see ...Read more ›
The minute that Dr. King turned against militarism and denounced the USA as the greatest purveyor of violence upon the world, he was first marginalized and then assassinated. "The System" was fine with Dr. King focusing on racism, and even poverty, but it would not tolerate for one moment his questioning the military-industrial complex and the national security state.
The author -- whom I found to be very inspiring, coherent, and concise -- a brilliant articulator of the key points in the book -- goes on to have a conversation with Jon Stewart about how the USA simply cannot handle truth-tellers in relation to "big money" matters such as elective wars (racism and poverty being "little money" matters, and deliberately so).
Dr. King was ultimately assassinated by a US Army sniper on detail to the FBI and under the personal direction of J. Edgar Hoover. The story is told in An Act of State: The Execution of Martin Luther King and has also been documented and validated in a judgment by a federal court awarding the King family the single dollar in damages they requested.
I will mention in passing, because somehow Reddit noticed it today and sent the world to my website, that Henry Kissinger, the dowager empress of the political servant class, is a war criminal (see ...Read more ›
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By
Charles T. Franklin
on September 24, 2014
Format: Kindle Edition
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"Death of a King" is one of those books that changed my life after reading it. Never have I read a book that so intricately described a person that I have heard about so much in my life. Tavis Smily (with David Ritz) put together a truly powerful book that shows the complexity of following your heart, even when the crowd is no longer with you.
In this book, you see the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. after the "I Have a Dream Speech". The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who had to battle people questioning his moves against the Vietnam War, questioning the efficacy of non-violence, and people questioning whether Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. really could bring about the "Dream" he so believed in.
Yet, you also get to the see the other side of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. that is rarely discussed. You see the Dr. King, who likes to joke, is worried about his duties as a father, listening to Aretha Franklin, and trying to keep his struggling non-profit together. You'll see the depressed side, the personally morally conflicted side, the angry side, the tired side, and more.
After seeing so many frozen images of Dr. Martin Luther King. Jr. as a civil rights activist, this was the first book I read that treated him as a human.
It's a truly multi-faceted and well-researched book that I would put in the same category of Alex Haley's "Autobiography of Malcolm X". I encourage anyone who wants to do a deeper study of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and his life to read it.
I got this book from the library, but I'm buying it for my personal collection. There is great content for reflection in each chapter. It is amazing that Tavis Smiley was able to capture the essence of Dr. King's life in one year in the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
In this book, you see the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. after the "I Have a Dream Speech". The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who had to battle people questioning his moves against the Vietnam War, questioning the efficacy of non-violence, and people questioning whether Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. really could bring about the "Dream" he so believed in.
Yet, you also get to the see the other side of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. that is rarely discussed. You see the Dr. King, who likes to joke, is worried about his duties as a father, listening to Aretha Franklin, and trying to keep his struggling non-profit together. You'll see the depressed side, the personally morally conflicted side, the angry side, the tired side, and more.
After seeing so many frozen images of Dr. Martin Luther King. Jr. as a civil rights activist, this was the first book I read that treated him as a human.
It's a truly multi-faceted and well-researched book that I would put in the same category of Alex Haley's "Autobiography of Malcolm X". I encourage anyone who wants to do a deeper study of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and his life to read it.
I got this book from the library, but I'm buying it for my personal collection. There is great content for reflection in each chapter. It is amazing that Tavis Smiley was able to capture the essence of Dr. King's life in one year in the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By
Kindle Customer
on September 15, 2014
Format: Kindle Edition
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Really loved this book which is not only well written but tells a story that few knew. Here was a man who in spite of his own acute depression and the hatred of nearly the entire nation Dr King never gave up his belief in nonviolence. This story of Dr Kings last year on earth paints a picture of a real flesh and blood man and not the card board saint we have created in our minds.
Mr Smiley is to be congratulated for telling this story which portrays Dr King as a real person warts and all.
Mr Smiley is to be congratulated for telling this story which portrays Dr King as a real person warts and all.
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