I Shared the Dream [Hardcover]

Georgia Davis Powers (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 15, 1995

In this landmark autobiography by one of the very first women treated as a peer by the leaders of the Civil Rights movement, former Kentucky State Senator Georgia Davis breaks her long silence to reveal her fascinating life story, including the truth regarding her often hinted-about relationship with Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

From a middle-class African American family, Powers resolved as a child not to follow the pattern set down for her by society. Instead, she "would make something of myself," and that she did. She was almost 40 when she came to politics but quickly made up for lost time, winning a seat in the Kentucky State Senate in 1968 and serving for 21 years, the only black and the only woman in the chamber, eventually becoming chair of the Labor and Industry Committee. She made her mark by pushing a fair housing bill through the legislature, later shepherding the passage of fair employment and antidiscrimination bills as well as a rise in the minimum wage. The survivor of two unsuccessful marriages, she finally married the man who had been her off-and-on lover for years. If the book makes headlines, however, it will not be for any of these reasons but because Powers was the lover of Martin Luther King Jr., who, she says, spent his last night with her. Photos. 30,000 first printing; author tour.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

In this self-congratulatory memoir, Powers, a Kentucky state senator for 21 years, focuses on her intimate relationship with Martin Luther King Jr. Her renderings of their conversations and those with King's brother may offer some insights to student of the Civil Rights movement, but her discussion of Kentucky politics, in which she participated for more than two decades, is cursory and disappointing. Her personal story is a theatrical tale, full of omens and premonitions, accompanied by descriptions of many sexual liaisons?with King and others?complete with wardrobe details. Powers plainly hopes to appropriate the King legacy for herself, but she does not succeed. The publisher plans a major publicity campaign.?Cynthia Harrison, Federal Judicial Ctr., Washington, D.C.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 200 pages
• Publisher: New Horizon Press (March 15, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 088282127X
• ISBN-13: 978-0882821276
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 1.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,274,992 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars approach it with an open mind, January 20, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: I Shared the Dream (Hardcover)

When this book first appeared in bookstores there was complete silence in the media. When I read it on the bus I got so many dissaproving looks that I had to remove the dustcover. This is an important memoir that tells a previously hidden part of the history of the Civil Rights movement. As for MLK's sex life the details mentioned in this well written book have already been hinted at in Ralph Abernathy's memoir years ago.
As for GDP herself, I have commend her for not trying to sugar coat the story. She comes off as a willful, selfish woman and doesn't seem to mind it as long as the true story is told.

1.0 out of 5 stars THIS BOOK NEW HOME WOULD BE DOWN THE STREET FROM LAST NIGHT DINNER AND YESTERDAY'S NEWSPAPER . (Trashed!), September 3, 2011

By 

Dr. Mark Robinson - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: I Shared the Dream: The Pride, Passion, and Politics of the First Black Woman Senator from Kentucky (Paperback)

Since I've been a member of Amazon, I have only reviewed one book; however, due to the subject, I found it hard not to leave a comment. Before reading this book, I have only heard a little about Sen. Georgia Davis Powers--not knowing she had any connection with Dr. King.

I have always been told by my mother "Don't kiss and tell". To say that Powers have done so many great things in her life, it saddens me that a woman of her educational and background would write a book like this. There were certain time in this book I thought I was reading my 16 year old cousin's dairy--not the first Black American woman that ever become Kentucky senator.

Powers so often in the book says that she loved MLK (she calls him ML); however, when this book was written, Dr. King's wife was still alive. If Powers loved MLK so much, why did she put the King family in so much hot water and drama? It is well known that MLK had many women friends and of my knowledge none of them have written a book besides Powers.

In closing, why was this book even written? UGH. Who did this book help? It didn't help the Civil Rights Movement. It makes me sick to my stomach when I think about how Kings Family must have felt when they heard the revolting sexual details in this "book". I really have a special place for this book and it would not be in my private library in my study. This book would live down the street with last night dinner and the yesterday's newspaper. In other words, it would be trashed!

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointed......, May 16, 2011

By 

Kris L. (Cleveland Heights, OH, US) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: I Shared the Dream (Hardcover)

I was not sure what to expect from this book but I purchased with an open mind after examining all of the reviews. I found myself disappointed. I would not recommend buying this product unless you find it at a yard sale or in the bargain bin at your local bookstore.