Reviews
"[In] this slim but powerful book... Younge is adept at both distilling the facts and asking blunt questions." —Boston Globe "Unequivocal . . ." —Financial Times "[An] often highly entertaining saga of the clashing egos engaged in the drafting... [with] a compelling, beat-by-beat analysis of a myth's creation: King's delivery of 'the Speech' on the day." —The Independent "Younge provides new insight into the roles of key civil rights leaders in a captivating story that is eloquently written and punctuated with surprising detail. More importantly, the book sheds new light on Dr. King and paints him in a way that portrays the true grit and determination that stuck with him like the many followers he inspired and led." —The Grio "It is refreshing to find an opus like this being published on the 50th anniversary to remind us of the true meaning of Dr. King's moving remarks. Younge... does a masterful job of not only dissecting Dr. King's words, but of filling in much of the back story to the events leading up to his taking the podium." —Kam Williams, Baltimore Afro-American "Martin Luther King's 1963 'I have a dream' speech was a thrilling milestone in the civil rights movement, so enduring that we tend to attribute its searing power to a kind of magic. But Gary Younge's meditative retrospection on its significance reminds us of all the micro-moments of transformation behind the scenes--the thought and preparation, vision and revision--whose currency fed that magnificent lightning bolt in history." —Patricia J. Williams "Younge needs only a few words to get to the root of the matter, doing so with a gut punch as the topic requires... [he] offers an insightful and unvarnished interpretation of the speech [and its] aftermath." —ForeWord Reviews, PRAISE FOR GARY YOUNGE "British, black and brilliant, Gary Younge shows us the America our own journalists mostly ignore." --Katha Pollitt "A critical writer at a critical time." --Andrea Levy "One of the tiny handful of contemporary journalists left who are consistently worth reading. A voice for our times." --Stuart Hall, "Martin Luther King's 1963 'I have a dream' speech was a thrilling milestone in the civil rights movement, so enduring that we tend to attribute its searing power to a kind of magic. But Gary Younge's meditative retrospection on its significance reminds us of all the micro-moments of transformation behind the scenes--the thought and preparation, vision and revision--whose currency fed that magnificent lightning bolt in history." --Patricia J. Williams "Fifty years after Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his iconic "I Have a Dream" speech during the March on Washington, that refrain has resonated across time and geography, continuing to inspire movements for freedom and equality and giving King's speech memorable status. Younge, journalist and columnist for the Guardian and the Nation , considers King's speech in the context of its significance in the U.S. and abroad. Exploring the factors that determine how speeches are remembered and whether they are remembered at all, Younge details the context of the August 1963 speech, in the tumultuous year that started with Alabama governor George Wallace declaring eternal segregation in the South and ended with President Kennedy's assassination. He details the long, sleepless night of preparation, the dramatic moment when King turned over his prepared speech and delivered remarks from his heart, using the phrase many had advised against, warning that it was trite and overused. Despite its lukewarm reception at the time, the speech has gone on to resound throughout the world--in Africa, Asia, South America, and Europe--as an appeal for justice and equality 50 years after it was so famously uttered." --Booklist "Younge needs only a few words to get to the root of the matter, doing so with a gut punch as the topic requires... [he] offers an insightful and unvarnished interpretation of the speech [and its] aftermath." --ForeWord Reviews Praise for Stranger in a Strange Land: Encounters in the Disunited States : "Abroad in America, Gary Younge is an acutely skeptical observer." --Jonathan Raban "Gary Younge is an excellent journalist--a critical writer at a critical time." --Andrea Levy "One of the tiny handful of contemporary journalists left who is consistently worth reading. A voice for our times." --Stuart Hall Praise for No Place Like Home: A Black Briton's Journey Through the American South : "Younge's book is a blend of travelogue, historical research, and social commentary leavened with the sharp eyes and tongue of an outsider examining the American racial milieu." --Booklist Praise for Who Are We--and Should It Matter in the Twenty-First Century? : "Penetrating and provocative." --Guardian, The Speech: The Story behind Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Dream . Younge, Gary (Author) Aug 2013. 166 p. Haymarket, hardcover, $19.95. (9781608463220). 808.5. Fifty years after Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his iconic "I Have a Dream" speech during the March on Washington, that refrain has resonated across time and geography, continuing to inspire movements for freedom and equality and giving King's speech memorable status. Younge, journalist and columnist for the Guardian and the Nation, considers King's speech in the context of its significance in the U.S. and abroad. Exploring the factors that determine how speeches are remembered and whether they are remembered at all, Younge details the context of the August 1963 speech, in the tumultuous year that started with Alabama governor George Wallace declaring eternal segregation in the South and ended with President Kennedy's assassination. He details the long, sleepless night of preparation, the dramatic moment when King turned over his prepared speech and delivered remarks from his heart, using the phrase many had advised against, warning that it was trite and overused. Despite its lukewarm reception at the time, the speech has gone on to resound throughout the world--in Africa, Asia, South America, and Europe--as an appeal for justice and equality 50 years after it was so famously uttered. -- Vanessa Bush, Booklist PRAISE FOR GARY YOUNGE "British, black and brilliant, Gary Younge shows us the America our own journalists mostly ignore." --Katha Pollitt "A critical writer at a critical time." --Andrea Levy "One of the tiny handful of contemporary journalists left who are consistently worth reading. A voice for our times." --Stuart Hall, "[In] this slim but powerful book... Younge is adept at both distilling the facts and asking blunt questions." --Boston Globe "Unequivocal . . ." --Financial Times "[An] often highly entertaining saga of the clashing egos engaged in the drafting... [with] a compelling, beat-by-beat analysis of a myth's creation: King's delivery of 'the Speech' on the day." --The Independent "Younge provides new insight into the roles of key civil rights leaders in a captivating story that is eloquently written and punctuated with surprising detail. More importantly, the book sheds new light on Dr. King and paints him in a way that portrays the true grit and determination that stuck with him like the many followers he inspired and led." --The Grio "It is refreshing to find an opus like this being published on the 50th anniversary to remind us of the true meaning of Dr. King's moving remarks. Younge... does a masterful job of not only dissecting Dr. King's words, but of filling in much of the back story to the events leading up to his taking the podium." --Kam Williams, Baltimore Afro-American "Martin Luther King's 1963 'I have a dream' speech was a thrilling milestone in the civil rights movement, so enduring that we tend to attribute its searing power to a kind of magic. But Gary Younge's meditative retrospection on its significance reminds us of all the micro-moments of transformation behind the scenes--the thought and preparation, vision and revision--whose currency fed that magnificent lightning bolt in history." --Patricia J. Williams "Younge needs only a few words to get to the root of the matter, doing so with a gut punch as the topic requires... [he] offers an insightful and unvarnished interpretation of the speech [and its] aftermath." --ForeWord Reviews
