It is hard to review a book when it covers so many topics. Admittedly, they are all intertwined into systemic racism, but I was incredibly disappointed to see how much plain ol' politics played in people decisions throughout the book. Drilled down, the premise is that MLK was in prison for driving with an out of state drivers license. (Is that even an actual crime?) The book follows how he gets there, how he gets out, and how these events all play into the 1960 presidential election. The authors use this as the basis for a detailed view of the two political party's stand on racism and racial equality and how this lightening rod moment helped transform the parties into what we see today. Several times throughout the book I saw glimpses of current politics. How Black voters had a major impact on the outcome of the 2020 presidential election and the balance of power in the Senate. How Whites court the Black vote but carefully so as to not alienate White voters and then to ignore the needs of those Black voters. And several times I wonder how the events of 1960 would have been different in today's world of cellphones and Twitter. The level of background was perfect. It didn't assume the reader was fully aware of events at the time but also was overly detailed and repetitive. I did feel that the foreshadowing throughout the book was a bit unnecessary. Any reader would be sufficiently engaged and not need a teaser to turn the page!

This is a brilliant book about Martin Luther King and the days after his arrest in Georgia after a sit in protest. JFK and Nixon is also a part of these nine day’s. There are other characters that are presented and their role during this time. This book presents so much that may not be known and should be part of a curriculum. I am not sure if it should be high school or college, but one if not both. In the meantime, I thank the authors for this quality read. We can read it now and we all should. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the arc of this book in return for my honest review. Receiving the book in this manner had no bearing on this review.

I am fairly certain that I was taught the story of Martin Luther King’s arrest in the weeks prior to the 1960 presidential election at some point in my educational past, but, as much of history gets portrayed in textbooks, the moment was cast through broad brush strokes mostly aimed at highlighting the moral compass of candidate John F Kennedy than anything else.

Paul and Stephen Kendrick have written a compelling and utterly readable account of the nine days that encompassed MLK’s arrest at a lunch counter sit-in in Atlanta Georgia and subsequent threat of prolonged detention in Reidsville prison (known for its particularly violent treatment of black inmates), as well as, the political machinations going on in the background to determine which candidate, Nixon or JFK, would grab and run with the moment to support MLK on the record. The authors posit that the nine days led to a turning point in political identity for black Americans who, prior to the election, majority supported Republican candidates due to the support for segregation found amongst white, southern Democrats. Indeed, JFK’s appearance of support (mostly due to a less than two-minute phone conversation with Coretta Scott King during MLK’s detention) seemingly galvanized a sea change in black voters despite the fact that Nixon had previously been considered the civil rights candidate (and actually had a history/relationship with MLK, unlike JKF who hardly knew him at all). The sea change would only grow deeper as the years progressed and has played an equal, if not more important, role in the latest election (how little things have changed).

The book is also an ode to the three men who made it all happen – journalist Louis Martin (often overlooked in history’s retelling of events), Sargent Shriver (JFK’s brother-in-law and eventual founder of the Peace Corps), and civil rights attorney Harris Wofford (who eventually worked as senator of PA before being unseated by the human equivalent of a gnat, Rick Santorum). The three men were all true believers in MLK and civil rights – walking the walk while others in the campaign (namely, John and Bobby Kennedy) were not too keen to do much more than talk. The authors delve deep into the various twists and turns and machinations the men took to get their candidate to take the stand they all believed in so wholeheartedly. The work of these men is worthy to be engrained in the historical record.

It’s all a pretty riveting read, to say the least.

Thank you to netgalley, the authors, and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I found this book to be fascinating. It was certainly an eye-opener to learn how much danger Martin Luther King, Jr was in as well as how pivotal this moment really was to the outcome of the 1960 Presidential election. Highly recommended.