[.ca] The Children (ISBN 0449004392)

From Amazon.com:
Like the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, the civil rights movement has achieved mythical status in America--an epic tale of heroes and martyrs; of sacrifice, honor, and courage in the face of overwhelming odds; of ideals worth dying for in a time and place where death was an all-too-real possibility. In The Children, prize-winning journalist and author David Halberstam goes back in time to the beginnings of the civil rights movement in Nashville, Tennessee, tracing both the lives of the individuals who initiated it and the growth of the movement itself into its present-day status. Every epic must have its hero, and The Children has James Lawson, a young, African American divinity student whose tactics in civil disobedience were learned at the knees of Mahatma Gandhi's followers during a three-year stint as a missionary to India. When he returned to the States and was accepted into the all-white Vanderbilt Divinity School, Lawson began teaching workshops to Nashville's African American youth designed to equip them for the equal-rights struggle, a battle Lawson believed could be won only with nonviolent tactics. Halberstam chronicles the fight against racism with the insight that comes from witnessing it first-hand. As a young journalist for the Tennessean in Nashville, he covered the rise of the civil rights movement, and in The Children he draws on many of his writings from the era. From accounts of lunch-counter sit-ins to the freedom rides, Halberstam's book covers the map of the crusade for racial equality, serving as a poignant reminder that heroes come in all ages, colors, and characters.

The unknown heroes of the Civil Right movements:
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!

The Children That Changed a Nation:
This book is an in depth look into the civil rights movement of the sixties. I really enjoyed the book because Halberstam went a long way in naming all of the players in the movement not just the famous ones such as Martin Luther King Jr. but figures such as Paul Lawson and Diane Nash. After reading the book you really get a feel of what all these leaders had to go through to earn themselves the rights that supposedly the constitution guaranteed them. He focuses on all aspects of the civil rights movement not just one aspects, so he really gives you a feel of how one event relates to another. This book is for anyone who is interested in history and the struggle that many endured in order to gain their place in it.

Noble Children, The Pride Of Our Nation, & Their Mission.:
David Halberstam has written an epic history of the young men and women, most still in their teens, who had the courage and nobility of spirit to fight the unjust status quo of segregation, and change the course of our nation's history. This is the story of the civil rights movement in the United States, beginning in the late 1950s and reaching its height in the mid-1960s. The story is told from the eyes of these young people - it is the history they made. "The Children" frequently put their lives on the line, risking physical danger and even death, to join the non-violent protests that would give all Americans equal rights under the law. The Movement's leaders were two black southern ministers, both strongly influenced by the teachings of Mahandas Gandhi. These two men, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Jim Lawson, designed the framework of the mission. They stratagized like generals waging a unique war. Young college students, mostly African Americans, whose parents had sacrificed much to send them to university, were recruited as soldiers. These vulnerable and committed students were schooled in the nonviolent tradition, with workshops, such as: "Justice Without Violence" and "The New Negro In The New South." We meet these children and hear of their experiences in Nashville, Montgomery, Birmingham, Selma, and many other towns and small cities all over the South. Halberstam documents the background of these young troops, their families, and struggles, growing up Black in America. He movingly describes the sit-ins, the Freedom Rides, and the terrible violence of the Klan, and of ordinary citizens, steeped in bigotry, that endangered all of them. We read about the voter registration campaigns, and the founding of SNCC and CORE. The moral, philosophical and political roots of the civil rights movement, and the divisiveness within the group as different ideologies emerged, are well documented, as is the death of Dr. King. Halberstam draws an amazing portrait of Jim Lawson, whose fervor and dedication moved a generation of Americans to action. The author truly excels, however, in bringing to life the young people whose story this is. We are updated, toward the end of the book, on the lives of the young activists today. This incredibly moving history reads like a novel you don't want to put down. And while we read about a most shameful period in our nation's history, who can fail to be proud of the young citizens who took action to make such important changes?

Dr Luther King, John Lewis, Diane Nash, Jame Bevel, Powell:
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.

A Superb, Masterful Retelling Of A Most Remarkable Story!:
As a veteran reader of 20th century history books, I've long considered David Halberstam to be one of the best and brightest of the contemporary historians publishing today. He is also, not so coincidentally, one of the most prolific, as well, having produced a steady stream of works covering such myriad historical and cultural subjects as a study of how the Kennedy and Johnson administrations stumbled and blundered their way into the quagmire of Vietnam to more whimsical studies of pop-cultural aspects of American life such as major league baseball and the effects of the seasons on residents of the island of Nantucket off the Massachusetts coast. In this book, "The Children", Halberstam focuses on the fascinating subject of the American civil rights movement from its genesis in thee black colleges and churches of the American south to its development as a pan-American movement during the early 1960s. One of the most admirable qualities of this superb book stems from the fact that Halberstam was in fact an eye-witness to many of the events described here, being a recent Harvard graduate who soon finds himself getting a heaping helping of ordinary racist reality in the 1950s-early 1960s American south. His interest in becoming a journalist draws him to a local city desk at an iconoclastically liberal southern paper that tolerates his naivety and cashes in on his energy and natural ability to write. Yet this is not a story in any manner about Halberstam. Rather, it is the fact that he waited so long to write about this era of his own career that makes it so mind-boggling, for he brings all of his mature powers of observation and description to bear on this story in a way that breathes fire and life into the oft-told tale, and makes each of the protagonists both more ordinary and more real. This is an important aspect of the story itself, for now, some forty years later, it is easy to forget how young and unworldly many of these youngsters were. In facing the challenges of the times as well as their own well-founded fears, each of them gradually becomes an extraordinary person. Here we have a master of prose describing these extraordinary events with a breathtaking narrative, focusing on each of the several individuals in turn in showing how the welter of events, circumstances, and individual personalities combine to create a social revolution by daring to oppose the most hoary of racial taboos through the practice of public non-violent opposition. This is a story that describes the epic beginnings and dramatic evolution of a veritable social revolution in America, one that changed the face of our society forever. This is a riveting book, one that well deserves the wide reading it has enjoyed to date. While the ground covered here has been canvassed before, most notably by Taylor Branch in his terrific two-volume history if the black struggle for equal rights in the United States during the 1950s-1970s, Halberstam's treatment is so personal, so well documented, and so meticulously narrated that one finds himself swept along with the tide of events and changes as the flood crests into a social revolution, drowning the vestiges and roots of the old culture in its path. There's a chorus of amazing and erstwhile protagonists here, from a young and naïve John L. Lewis to a crafty and devious Marion Berry, from an impressionable and impassioned Diane Nash to a determined and dedicated Rev. James Lawson, from an inspirational young Martin Luther King to a daring James Berel. This is truly a story that needs to be told and retold, for it comprises the quintessential American epic, something that could have happened nowhere but here. This book carries the signature trademark qualities of all of Halberstam's work; it is a meticulously researched, powerfully narrated and beautifully described work of history, one that focuses on one of the most remarkable events of the 20th century, the rise and growth of the indigenous black civil rights movement in the American South. It a testimony to the power of non-violent protest, and a paean to the wisdom and understanding a generation of unworldly black youngsters brought to bear on their times. I highly recommend this book! Enjoy!