A Call to Conscience: The Landmark Speeches of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (Hardcover)

by Clayborne Carson (Author), Kris Shepard (Author), Andrew Young (Contributor) "I want to preach this morning from the subject: "The Birth of a New Nation..." (more)
Key Phrases: United States, Gold Coast, British Empire (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
In his introduction, the one-time ambassador to the United Nations Andrew Young refers to MLK as "the voice of the century," and this collection deftly pays homage to that powerful voice. Carson (a Stanford University historian) and Shepard have compiled 12 of King's greatest speeches and prefaced them with touching and inspiring introductions written and read by prominent activists, leaders and theologians, including the Dalai Lama, Sen. Edward Kennedy and others. There's a lot more here than the "I Have a Dream" masterpiece (which is beautifully introduced by Dr. Dorothy I. Height, longtime president of the National Council of Negro Women). The material ranges from King's early talks in Alabama churches to the magnificent "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech, which he gave the night before his assassination. Many of the recordings have a raw quality, giving them authenticity. When King proclaims in his address to the first Montgomery Improvement Association mass meeting that democracy is "the greatest form of government on earth," the attendees' background cheers are so deafening that listeners will have to turn down the volume. The only element lacking in this noteworthy production is an adequate set of liner notes there are no dates for the material showcased, nor do the editors tell which speeches are on which CD. Simultaneous release with the Warner hardcover.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

From Library Journal
The word "landmark" may be applied not only to these speeches of King's but to this production as well. Great care has been taken in the writing and reading of introductions to each piece by some of the great names in Civil Rights history, bearing witness to King's call to conscience. Participants include Coretta Scott King, Andrew Young, Martin Luther King III, Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, and Dr. Dorothy I. Height. To hear an audience swell with excitement as King slowly and confidently builds emotional tension tempered with moral reasoning and intellectual prowess is to feel the thrill of what it must have been like to be in the great man's presence. This monumental work will be an invaluable addition to all library collections. Products of their time, some of the original recordings contain flaws in audio quality, but this does not detract at all from the overwhelming power and inherent goodness of the words or the man who spoke them. Mark Pumphrey, Polk Cty. P.L., Columbus, NC
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (January 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446523992
• ISBN-13: 978-0446523998
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #940,959 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great work, pity about the CD's, August 22, 2002

By	Geoff Purvis-Smith (PAGE, ACT Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Call to Conscience: The Landmark Speeches of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (Audio CD)

As an insight in MLK Jr and his power as a speaker, the audio version is wonderful. However, the CD's have a fundamental flaw - 5 of the discs cannot be played on a computer or in the car. It seems that they have some wacky indexing system that means that computers and car CD players can't read the necessary info. I've tried the discs in 3 computers and 2 cars - all with the same result. A terrible flaw in a wonderful product!! I can't listen to the speeches as I work, or as I drive to work - the only real time that I get to myself. Other than that, they're just about perfect!

22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A stirring book about a prophet of the sixties, January 4, 2001

By	Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews (#1 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Stanford University Professor Clayborne Carson compiles some of the great speeches by Dr. King that stirred the world into positive social activity. Most of the entries are famous such as the "I Have A dream", a personal favorite not just solely because of the moving address. I shared a row in coach on a plane from Hartsfield to Reagan with Congressman Lewis who still has butterflies from that landmark moment in history any time he flies into DC. The introductions to each oration provide additional perspectives on eleven of the "landmark speeches of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.". This is a wonderful collection that takes the reader back to a time of turmoil in which a prophet arose to awaken a generation into believing not just dreaming that justice and equality needs to be the American way.

Harriet Klausner

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Content Great, CAN'T LISTEN TO IT ON MY CD PLAYER, March 5, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: A Call to Conscience: The Landmark Speeches of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (Audio CD)

It is no doubt MLK's speeches are great and did alot
to shape American thinking. Unfortunately, I can only
play the first 2 CDs on my CD player. I have a friend
who has a CD player that can play all of them. Apparently
it has something to do with the index numbering on each
CD. Instead of each CD starting at 1 it starts where the previous CD left off. I wouldn't take a chance that this
product won't play in your CD player. I think it is very
unfortunate that I paid so much for the complete set of speeches
and I can't listen to most of it.
I WOULD WAIT UNTIL THE NEXT VERSION COMES OUT THAT CORRECTS THIS
FLAW.
It would have been also nice to have some text to accompany the
audio CDs.