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Summary: A truly interesting book.
Review: Halberstam's The Children is a moving account of young civil right's activists in the late 1950's and 1960's. We are privy to their self-doubts, the aspirations, the anxieties, and finally, the triumphs of those who organized and participated in demonstrations to abolish the cultural icons of Southern segregation: department store lunch counters; bus terminal waiting areas; and public restrooms among others. It is a book about black Americans electing to fight non-violently for the rights and dignities they had been denied, and how they confronted the clan, and unsympathetic southerners and police who fought their efforts with bigotry and fear. I would recommend this book for anyone interested in the civil rights struggle of the 1960's which eventually led to the federal government's involvement in protecting the demonstrators, and ultimately led to the Civil Rights Bill. There are also particularly interesting insights into benchmark events and people of the period including the march on Washington, confrontations in Selma and Birmingham, the courage of the Freedom Riders, perceptions of JFK, RFK, Hoover, LBJ, and King. All in all, this was a very interesting read, offering personal glimpses of a tumultuous period, and I would strongly recommend this book for people who enjoy personal reflections of historic events.
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Summary: The unknown heroes of the Civil Right movements
Review: I am not an American, and I often find that I come short when discussing history with my American friends. Therefore, I am always looking for books that can fill gaps in my knowledge. "The Children" is such a book. This is one of the best books you can find covering the Civil Right Movement. With a journalists precision Halberstam narrates the extraordinary story of the rise of the Civil Rights movement, which in the end broke the back of the Deep South segregation. "The Children" covers the fight for racial equality, including student protests, the story of lunch-counter sit-ins, to the freedom marches. We meet Sheriff Bull Connor, Jim Crow on the one side of the fight, and the young students James Lawson, Rodney Powell, and Diana Nash amongst others on the other side. Halberstam does an excellent job showing us what the Civil Right movement was all about, and what its supporters had to endure to end the segregation in the South. His first-hand familiarity with the conflict is evident throughout the whole book. (What most people don't think of is that, the covering the Civil Right movement was David Halberstam first "serious" story as a journalist for the Tennessean in Nashville. He was fresh out of colleague and a complete "nobody" in the world of journalism!) "The Children" was my first reading on the Civil Right movement and it was a true eye-opener for me. I learned so much from this book. With 800 pages "The Children" is not a quick read, but I never felt that too much was included. Now, 2 years later I still refer to this book when discussing the topic. This is one of the best books that I have ever read. "The Children" should be required reading for everyone. I couldn't recommend it higher!
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Summary: Another spectacular job of putting human faces on history.
Review: I just can't get enough of the way Halberstam humanizes events. (I only wish he preferred football to baseball.) The Children is as moving and insightful as "The Best and the Brightest," and best of all, shows what happened to the protestors as their lives went on.
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Summary: facinating
Review: I never wanted to put it down. I was so intrigued by learning how young people become so brave. I have always wondered if I would have been brave enough to participate in the events of the civil rights movement if I were alive at the time. After reading this book, I still question whether I would have been able to face the fears described so vividly by Halberstam. The book's extreme level of detail was very helpful in understanding the full scope of the risks taken by the young people, especially the details of the political environment and the media. I truely enjoyed it.
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Summary: David Halberstam is at the height of his writing power.
Review: It is impossible to say anything about David Halberstam's books without first saying how influential his journalism has been to an entire generation of journalists in the United States and overseas. When I was a young news clerk at The New York Times a long time ago, I read Halberstam's masterly "The Best and The Brightest," and I wrote him a note applauding his detailed research, the flow of his narrative, and the sheer sweep of his story. To my surprise, he responded promptly; it is a note that I still treasure -- just as I treasure every book he has written since. "The Children" shows Halberstam at the peak of his writing ability. He recreates the human environment of the frenetic years of the civil rights struggles, telling the extraordinary stories of some of heralded and unheralded players in a manner that is both gripping and provocative. The reader shouldn't be daunted by the length of this book (800 pages) because there isn't a single section that flags. "The Children" is certain to become a landmark book. It deepens our understanding of a traumatic period in American history, and illustrates vividly that ultimately all social forces and causes are shaped by individual men and women -- in this case people who battled racism and the ever-present antagonism of foes determined not to yield ground. "The Children" dramatizes the triumph of goodness; it is definitely a triumph of a genre that might be called histojournalism. It is a superb book by a towering writer of great sensitivity and skill.
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Summary: Tremendous Book About Civil Rights
Review: It's hard to believe that about 40 years ago most of the south was still segregated. Black people there were not allowed to use the same bathrooms or drinking fountains as white people, were not allowed to sit in the front seats on a bus, were not allowed to eat at public lunch counters, and most of them were denied the right to vote.
This is the story of a group of kids who had the courage to fight to change this. They carried on their fight in a non-violent way, accomplishing great results with their courage, wisdom and determination.
It's amazing to read about what they endured to win their fight.
Halberstam is one of my favorite authors and this is one of the best books I've ever read.
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Summary: Social history told with the sweep of an epic novel.
Review: No one writes the stories of big historical or social movements better than David Halberstam, and "The Children" is no exception. As readers of his other "big" books ("The Best and the Brightest," "The Powers That Be," "The Reckoning," "The Fifties") would expect, Halberstam chooses to tell the story of the budding civil rights movement not from the standpoint of the leaders, like M. L. King or Medgar Evers, but from the standpoint of the peacetime footsoldiers, who rallied the people and took the blows (literally) that ultimately ended segregation in the South. As always, Halberstam's prose is impeccable: intelligent, literate, witty, and above all, imbued with a deep and abiding sense of humanity. The young people in his story are heroes, but they're also people, and he makes us see them as such, with all their doubts, fears, and conflicting emotions. It's hard to think of a nearly 800 page book as a thriller, but I would dare anyone to read the first two sentences of Halberstam's Prologue and NOT feel the power of a master storyteller taking hold. To read "The Children" is to be reminded, and charged, by the power of democracy to achieve social change, and it is also to grieve, a bit, at how little has been achieved in the last twenty years.
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Summary: Dr Luther King, John Lewis, Diane Nash, Jame Bevel, Powell
Review: Sufferage, Voting Rights of 1965, Civil Right Act of 1964, Lyndon Johnson, Martin Luther King, James Bevel, Diane Nash, John Lewis, Bull Conner, Selma, Freedom riders, Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Ghandi, Nonviolent protests, Frisk, Chicago, riots, children's crusade, Brown v. Board of Education, Bernard Lafayette, James Lawson, Nashville Mayor Ben West , Robert Kennedy, Rodney Powell, Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, mayor Marion Barry, and Vanderbilt Divinity School. The children is an excellent historical document highlighting the oppression and struggles of the black man, the nonviolent influence teachings of Ghandi, and the lives of early Black religious, political, and student leaders. Halberstam gets caught up in the movement and details the adventures, tradegies, struggles, and pain associated with the civil rights movement. The supreme court ruling in Brown v Board of Education starts the paving of the road against segregation. The struggle would not be easy as young black activist wanted more rights, rights not popular among the white community, right such as, to eat with caucasians, ride buses in non-segregated sections, attend movies without having to watch from the black only balcony, and vote limited by the literacy and discriminatory practices design to prevent eligibility for blacks. The movement for equal rights started slowly and was large based on Christian idealogy, "if they enemy strike thee on the check turn also the other cheek". Black religious leaders would draw from simple fundamental teachings of Christ and Ghandi about non-violent philosophy to encourage the black community to resist violence to achieve their objectives. The religious leaders could see the long term advantages to non-violent protests, knowning that militant approaches would lead to significant increases in death. The civil rights era was a time of danger, excitement, and determination. The black leaders believing the beating could not break down the spirit and they could rise above their attackers. If they were beaten down, they would be replaced, and show their undominatable determination. As the movement grew diverse idealogies emerged leaving some of the black leaders disoriented about the groups commitment to non-violence. The first trumiphant event breaking the barrier of segration came as political pressure mounted against Mayor Ben West who commit to stop segregation and allow blacks and whites to eat together. James Bevel who involved both the older black generation who feared and submitted completely the white man and the children in protest marches. Halberstam seemed to believe this was the turning point for the movement as the older generation was ready to standup against their oppressors. If even the children could make a statement the movement was gaining force. An the movement would increase in the thousands from town to town and the media would follow the marches, beatings, speechs, and the unrest of a nation in disruption. Halberstams book of over 700 pages demostrates the amazing interest the media acquired while centering on the social changes threatening to break the social imperatives of the time. The intensity and interest was amazing. The movement was to remain disciplined, non-violent, and legal. Individuals not willing to commit to the principles and practices of non-violence were not allowed to participate. Mr Luther King would not march against a court injunction until his lawyers cleared the injunction. The goal was non-violent protests. The struggle to gain Federal protection for the freedom riders did not come immediately. The freedom riders brought local law confrontation and klan involvement into the picture. Robert Kennedy right hand man a federal agent would be badly beaten. The battle lines were emerging between the Klan and the Federal government. Violence, death, and brutality characterized the protests of the freedom riders highlighted with numerous encounters with Bull Conner, a known member of the Klan, and general racist corruption controlling the police force. Halberstam struggles with explaining the issues preventing the Federal government from early involvement in civil right violations. Its seems the south even after a 100 years of emancipation struggled with the after effects of slavery. The social imperatives had not been redefined and the government seemed perplexed on how to influence change. The civil war had been won by the North but the idealogy remained very Southern. However, Dr. King would visionalize a future where the idealogy of the south and the world would be more tolerate and accepting of the black culture. The price to gain this freedom would require the deepest commitment from all of the black culture. Analogies to Dr. King being the Mose to liberate his people were often used to rally the black communities to action. Dr King would become the figure head for the media to focus on. Dr King role in increasing black rights would be recognized by the black community. However, some would not feel so supportive and desire leaders by John Lewis to play a more promient role. The fundamentalism deriving the equal rights movement crowned in the confrontation between black activist and the white klan police force at Selma. The violence is appalling as Halberstam paints a picture of hugh waves of militant officers beating and club innocent men, women, and children in the act of prayer. This is an extremely painful depiction of suffering and determination. Dr King would attempt to rally support in Chicago but find a different culture and challenges. Dr Kings assassination was a sad moment in American History. Halberstam makes no conclusions about the black social problems today nor the long term benefits of the movement for the black community.
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Summary: The inner circle of the Civil Rights Movement
Review: The Civil Right Movement was the precursor for all the Social Upheaval of the second half of the Twentieth Century. Here, Halberstam documents some of the seminal characters that moved America to become aware of it's immorality. His description goes far beyond what they did, but toward how they came to the point in their lives where they faced down hate, prejudice and even death in the struggle for equality.
Rating:
Summary: The inner circle of the Civil Rights Movement
Review: The Civil Right Movement was the precursor for all the Social Upheaval of the second half of the Twentieth Century. Here, Halberstam documents some of the seminal characters that moved America to become aware of it's immorality. His description goes far beyond what they did, but toward how they came to the point in their lives where they faced down hate, prejudice and even death in the struggle for equality.
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