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The essential moments of the Civil Rights Movement are set in
historical context by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of the
magisterial America in the King Years trilogy--Parting the Waters;
Pillar of Fire; and At Canaan's Edge.Taylor Branch, author of the
Pulitzer Prize-winning America in the King Years trilogy, presents
selections from his monumental work that recount the essential
moments of the Civil Rights Movement. A masterpiece of storytelling
on race and democracy, violence and nonviolence, The King Years
delivers riveting tales of everyday heroes whose stories inspire us
still. Here is the full sweep of an era that transformed America
and continues to offer crucial lessons for today's world. This
vital primer amply fulfills Branch's dedication: "For students of
freedom and teachers of history."
In the second volume of his three-part history, a monumental trilogy that began with Parting the Waters, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award, Taylor Branch portrays the Civil Rights Movement at its zenith, recounting the climactic struggles as they commanded the national stage.
These concluding years of the freedom era show King at the height
of his powers even as his worldly prestige falls under withering
attack. We witness non-violent advances for democracy in the face
of growing factionalism and fear. We meet heroines and martyrs;
enter a world battered by private doubts, public dreams, contagious
inspiration, official harassment, and poisonous discord over the
Vietnam War. The narrative begins with violence before the pivotal
1965 Selma march for the right to vote, a dangerous time. From
landmark victory there, King's movement comes under threat from
competing forces. Branch chronicles dramatic campaigns in
Mississippi and Alabama, King's tormented alliance with Lyndon
Johnson, his painful break with Stokey Carmichael over black power,
and persecution by Hoover's FBI. Like PARTING THE WATERS and PILLAR
OF FIRE, AT CANAAN'S EDGE is a magnificent achievement that brings
the decades of the Civil Rights struggle alive and preserves the
integrity of those who marched and died.
Taylor Branch's groundbreaking book about the modern presidency,
"The Clinton Tapes," invites readers into private dialogue with a
gifted, tormented, resilient president. Here is what President
Clinton thought and felt but could not say in public.
This book rests upon a secret project, initiated by Clinton, to
preserve for future historians an unfiltered record of presidential
experience. During his eight years in office, between 1993 and
2001, Clinton answered questions and told stories in the White
House, usually late at night. His friend Pulitzer Prize-winning
author Taylor Branch recorded seventy-nine of these dialogues to
compile a trove of raw information about a presidency as it
happened. Clinton drew upon the diary transcripts for his memoir in
2004.
Branch recorded his own detailed recollections immediately after
each session, covering not only the subjects discussed but also the
look and feel of each evening with the president. The text engages
Clinton from many angles. Readers hear candid stories, feel
buffeting pressures, and weigh vivid descriptions of the White
House settings.
Branch's firsthand narrative is confessional, unsparing, and
personal. The author admits straying at times from his primary role
-- to collect raw material for future historians -- because his
discussions with Clinton were unpredictable and intense. What
should an objective prompter say when the President of the United
States seeks advice, argues facts, or lodges complaints against the
press? The dynamic relationship that emerges from these interviews
is both affectionate and charged, with flashes of anger and humor.
President Clinton drives the history, but this story is also about
friends.
"The Clinton Tapes" highlights major events of Clinton's two terms,
including wars in Bosnia and Kosovo, the failure of health care
reform, peace initiatives on three continents, the anti-deficit
crusade, and titanic political struggles from Whitewater to
American history's second presidential impeachment trial. Along the
way, Clinton delivers colorful portraits of countless political
figures and world leaders from Nelson Mandela to Pope John Paul II.
These unprecedented White House dialogues will become a staple of
presidential scholarship. Branch's masterly account opens a new
window on a controversial era and Bill Clinton's eventual place
among our chief executives.
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