The Autobiography of Medgar Evers: A Hero's Life and Legacy Revealed Through his Writings, Letters, and Speeches [Hardcover]

Myrlie Evers-Williams (Editor), Manning Marable (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 31, 2005

On the evening of June 12, 1963—the day President John F. Kennedy gave his most impassioned speech about the need for interracial tolerance —Medgar Evers, the NAACP’s first field secretary in Mississippi, was shot and killed by an assassin’s bullet in his driveway. The still-smoking gun—bearing the fingerprints of Byron De La Beckwith, a staunch white supremacist—was recovered moments later in some nearby bushes. Still, Beckwith remained free for over thirty years, until Evers’s widow finally forced the Mississippi courts to bring him to justice.The Autobiography of Medgar Evers tells the full story of one the greatest leaders of the civil rights movement, bringing his achievement to life for a new generation. Although Evers’s memory has remained a force in the civil rights movement, the legal battles surrounding his death have too often overshadowed the example and inspiration of his life.Myrlie Evers-Williams and Manning Marable have assembled the previously untouched cache of Medgar’s personal documents, writings, and speeches. These remarkable pieces range from Medgar’s monthly reports to the NAACP to his correspondence with luminaries of the time such as Robert Carter, General Counsel for the NAACP in the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case. Most important of all are the recollections of Myrlie Evers, combined with letters from her personal collection. These documents and memories form the backbone of The Autobiography of Medgar Evers— a cohesive narrative detailing the rise and tragic death of a civil rights hero.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In an era filled with charismatic leaders, Evers (1925–1963) came to national attention primarily as the victim of "the first political assassination of a major leader of the modern Black Freedom Movement." As NAACP field secretary in Mississippi, Evers recruited NAACP members, desegregated schools, registered voters and organized boycotts. The work was usually undramatic, but always perilous. Evers's widow and historian Marable seek to redress Evers's relative absence from the historical record. But more than half of these 89 documents (from the years 1954–1963) are mundane monthly reports to or business correspondence with the NAACP. Ten Evers speeches are included along with eight newspaper articles, four press releases, a telegram to Eisenhower and one to Kennedy, an NAACP newsletter, a "text fragment," a posthumous Life interview. There's no clue to the principle of selection. With the exception of two very brief notes to his family, there is no personal correspondence. This monument is a tomb ready for excavation by historians of the Civil Rights movement, but it's not for the ordinary reader looking for an autobiography of Medgar Evers. It reveals the quotidian work rather than the indomitable man. (June)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Evers-Williams, widow of Medgar Evers, the Mississippi civil-rights activist and head of the state's NAACP (who was slain in 1963), draws on her husband's personal papers to present a portrait of a man who understood the sacrifices he might be required to make for the cause he believed in. Evers' memoranda, transcribed public speeches, and personal notes present the picture of a servant-leader, a man who worried about the welfare of families, participated in boycotts and protests, and strategized about the most effective means of securing voting rights. His monthly reports included a chronicle of the escalating violence in reaction to the NAACP's efforts to recruit members. In an Ebony magazine essay, Evers explained why he continued to live and struggle in the racial cauldron of Mississippi. The collection includes correspondence with luminaries such as Martin Luther King Jr and Roy Wilkins, but is most revealing of the man who is less celebrated yet helped to lay the groundwork for the modern civil rights movement. Vernon Ford
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Basic Civitas Books; 1St Edition edition (May 31, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0465021778
• ISBN-13: 978-0465021772
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #812,410 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Documents of an Underrated Hero, July 3, 2005

By 

Andre M. "brnn64" (Mt. Pleasant, SC United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Autobiography of Medgar Evers: A Hero's Life and Legacy Revealed Through his Writings, Letters, and Speeches (Hardcover)

Not a bad text. I have heard a rare recording of the underrated hero Medgar Evers speaking once, and no he was not a "personality cult" leader who dazzled the masses with snappy slogans, but a sincere individual who appealed to people on the grounds of reason and integrity.

In texts such as the 1958 Ebony magazine article and the 1963 television show in Jackson, Miss (where he lived and died), he appeals to those unconvinced by his fight against segregation to put themselves in his place. His stands for human dignity as described in his NAACP reports in the book is heartwarming when you consider that he risked his life to make such statements.

The Life of Evers cries out for a DVD or an "American Experience" episode. Unfortuantely, the so-called "leaders" and their paper-tiger soundbyte "causes" of today are a far comedown from the true heroes of Evers' era (and Mrs. Myrlie Evers herself makes this point in far more polite terms in her intro). Sadly, most of the truly great ones like Evers are now dead. Hopefully, this will inspire a future generation to get it right and back on track.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A valuable historical record made public. Let's make sure it gets into every single public and school library., July 10, 2005

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Melody Moskowitz (Tucson, AZ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Autobiography of Medgar Evers: A Hero's Life and Legacy Revealed Through his Writings, Letters, and Speeches (Hardcover)

I watched Myrlie Evers-Williams talk about the book and so much more on C-SPAN II, Book TV. She was appearing at Karibu Bookstore in Hyattsville, Maryland on 6/17/05 and I was so moved by what she said that I bought and read the book. I wish the book were bundled with a copy of that talk because in her talk it is beautifully and forcefully made clear that although Medgar Evers was assassinated on June 12, 1963, his spirit and his work survive and continue to nudge, persuade, inspire, and demand of us that his vision is not nearly fulfilled and it is our job to join together to keep up the work. And dare I say, in the midst of such serious considerations, that the man had a wicked sense of the satiric? His letters to Eisenhower, to the admissions people at the white college that refused admission to him, and others are not only important historical documents about the civil rights struggle in the U.S., they are also really wonderful writing and make great reading-aloud material. I'd love to see one of those moving one-man theatrical productions staged based on this book, his writings, and his wife's continued growth, struggle, and determined leadership after his murder. What a story! What wonderful American lives!

4 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Powerful Book, June 26, 2005

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A customer "mistermaxxx" (usa) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Autobiography of Medgar Evers: A Hero's Life and Legacy Revealed Through his Writings, Letters, and Speeches (Hardcover)

Medger Evers was truly a Pioneer of Change. He died far too young at only age 37. this Book traces His speeches,writings&Letters at about bringing changes.He was One of the Most Important figures during the Civil Rights Movement.Much Respect to His Widow Myrlie Evers-Williams for sharing these Important Documents of History that speak of a Ugly chapter in America.this is a Must Read Book&Have Book.very Educational&a Book that reflects a time period that wasn't that long ago.