Customer Reviews

Why We Can't Wait (Signet Classics)

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
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I chose to read this book originally as part of a high school assignment, and am very glad that I did so. As a white male born in 1980 who grew up in a predominately white area, I had a hard time understanding why race seems to be such a big issue in this country. As I saw it, slavery happened a long time ago and bigots were idiots to be ignored until they all died off. Why all this talk of discrimination and affirmative action? Why all the pleas for acceptance and peace?

This book came as a slap to the face of my preconceived notions. I realized suddenly that many of the men and women I see every day lived during that time, only a few decades ago, when white people didn't let black people drink from the same water fountains, and when blacks could be beaten and abused in the streets for daring to ask for equal treatment. I had heard of this before, but it had always seemed in the distant past. I was repeatedly astonished that such things could have happened in America.

My views took a new spin. Suddenly, King's arguments for affirmative action sounded reasonable. How could a black man "pull himself up by his bootstraps" if he has no shoes? How could the children of poor blacks in the south go to college, even if they were allowed to, when their parents couldn't afford the tuition? While I still do not like the idea of racial discrimination of any kind, I now see that there is reason to try to tip the scales back a little, at least for a generation or two.

Above all, I was surprised at how Godly a man King was. When I read the statements that his protestors were required to live by, such as "I will pray for those who persecute me," and "I will not strike back in anger," I realized that these people had more spiritual courage in fighting for what was right than I could muster in myself. They were moved by the notion that Christians must love one another regardless of race, and were determined to change society, not in bloody revolution, but by their unity in spirit, by their obvious displays of love, and by the power of prayer.

This is a moving book and one that opened my eyes. I recommend it highly for anyone, especially those of us born too late to understand the civil rights movement and the horrors that prompted it firsthand.

Dr. King's "Why We Can't Wait" is a remarkable book. The chapter containing the famous "Letter from Birmingham Jail" is one of the great political, religious and social works humanity has ever produced. If you read nothing else about the civil rights movement, or about Martin Luther King, this letter will show you why it was the right thing to do, why he won a Nobel Peace Prize, and why America (and the world) is a better place because King lived.

Every American should read two documents: The Constitution and "The Letter from Birmingham Jail."

I often wonder why we honor Martin Luther King with a holiday. For those who wonder why, read this book. In this book, King uses non violent techniques to force a change in the structure of race relations in this brutal city. The sixties could have been such a violent time in America had it not been for Dr. King.
With his techniques, he changed the social landscape in the deep South for the better. Why we can't wait is his reason why blacks should not tolerate a gradual change in race relations, but one that recognizes that change is needed as soon as possible.

Dr. King in this book, gives the background on the successful demonstrations in Birmingham and The 1963 March on Washington. (My father was at that march). Martin gives the insights on his Non -violent Direct Action approach and how it worked in Birmingham. He also explains what he meant in his I have a dream speech. Those who read this book will see that Dr. King favored a approach to bring African-Americans in the Mainstream that is similiar to Affirmative Action. Dr. King's mistakes were he assumed the whites in the North would favor his approach when he came to their neighborhood (Chicago 1966)and that those who favored ending segregation would support spending government money to help poor Blacks. All Americans should read this book.

What can I say that the other reviews haven't already said? This is a must-have for anyone interested in the major issue that has consumed our country and most of the world for so long. Well-written, well-researched, and well. . . just a plain good read. Highly recommended.

Also recommended: The Color Purple, Bark of the Dogwood, End of Blackness

At first, I read this book for an AP U.S. History Class. After reading it, though, I felt the need to read it again, and a third time. You can't really get the true spirit and deep meaning behind the book after reading it only once. This work is one of the most powerful I have ever read, and the movement that inspired it is one of the most interesting in the History of the United States. Consider it your civil duty to absorb this timeless piece of Dr. Martin Luther King's fight for freedom. You will not regret it.

This is a fantastic work by Martin Luther King Jr discussing the 1963 situation in Birmingham, Alabama, where King and others took a big step towards bringing down racism.

King's words and ideas are truly provocing, and should be read by all - they are not just applicable to the situation in 1963, but also to our lives today.

If everybody read this book and listened to its message, the world would be a better place.

Why we can't wait is a graphic description of the struggle of African Americans for equality. It blesses the reader with some valuable lessons to live by...that the oppressor must "want" freedom for themself; that injustice "is" like a boil or a sickness but it can be eradicated when exposed to proper medicine...the light! Other valuable words of wisdom are truly a blessing!

This book definitely opened my eyes to some of the injustices that took place before my time. In general, it is a vivid behind-the-scenes account of the Civil Rights movement and gives a fascinating glimpse into how political movements are sustained and implemented.

Dr. King shows that his cause is a human cause. It seemed to address all those that may not have been involved with his movement and how necessary and deliberate it was. He shows the courage behind the flame for the rights of all people. I consider it one of the most inspiring books I have ever read.