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My Soul Is Rested: The Story of the Civil Rights Movement in the Deep South
African American history.
496 pages, Paperback
First published October 18, 1977
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
July 10, 2020
I read part of Howell Raines's My Soul is Rested for a sociology class in college, but revisited it now to fill in gaps in my knowledge of the Civil Rights Movement. It's an oral history, published in the late 70s, assembling a rich variety of perspectives on the Movement just a decade hence – but in many ways feels, dishearteningly, like a chronicle of the times we're living in today. Recalling the summer of 1964, when CORE, NAACP, SCLC, and SNCC joined forces to bring white college students from around the country to Mississippi for demonstrations, activist Dave Dennis notes plainly, "We knew that if we had brought in a thousand blacks, the country would have watched them slaughtered without doing anything about it. Bring a thousand whites and the country is going to react to that in two ways. First of all is to protect..." Dennis's sober acknowledgement that our institutions value white lives over Black lives reminded me of a photo published recently in The New Yorker, in which white protesters lock arms to stop police in riot gear from charging a crowd: "one of the ways," says the photographer, Isaac Scott, "that white people can use their privilege to defend people of color." Dennis also recognizes that some of the Movement's white allies "might have demonstrated a couple of times... [and can claim] 'I was a part of that thing.' But the people who were down there staying, that was a real war" – a distinction that also has its echoes in today's Black Lives Matter protests.
In another interview, with Robert Patterson, an unabashed segregationist, Raines suggests that "the great majority of Southern white people,” in 1977, “no longer care as deeply as you do about" the fight over integration. Patterson's response should, in 2020, give us pause:
In another interview, with Robert Patterson, an unabashed segregationist, Raines suggests that "the great majority of Southern white people,” in 1977, “no longer care as deeply as you do about" the fight over integration. Patterson's response should, in 2020, give us pause:
I don't believe that. If they do, why do they all live in the suburbs, and why do they move out of the neighborhood when Negroes move in? And why do they send their children to private schools? And why do they manipulate and move to go out to an area that doesn't have many Negroes in it so they can send their child to a virtually all-white school? Why have the white people in Washington, D.C., moved out of Washington and left it virtually an all-black city? They haven't accepted integration. They've run from it.
September 5, 2011
This book is incredible: moving, eye-opening, horrifying, inspiring, and deeply disturbing, all at the same time.
Raines wisely allows the various historical figures to describe their experiences in their own words, and so on some level it is their storytelling ability that makes the events come alive. Yet Raines' skill in coaxing these stories from those who lived through the atrocities of the Civil Rights movement and the careful piecing together of those stories undoubtedly entitle him to his own fair share of the credit for this masterpiece.
My experiences with oral histories (both fictional and non-fictional) have been quite impressive, but the use of oral history as the medium for the story was, in this case, an inspired choice. As with other oral histories, the telling of the story through individual experiences (rather than dry, omniscient narration) heightens the emotional effect of the material--the reader feels the panic, senses the chaos, marvels at the senseless hatred and violence that plagued the South in the 1960s. Indeed, the book makes for a disturbing read, as the horror and fear and pain are all too clearly communicated through the memories of those who lived through the events.
In particular, I appreciated Raines' focus on the strategic decisions made behind the scenes. The ultimately decisive choice to use Gandhian non-violence was not a foregone conclusion. There were advocates for violent resistance all along the way, and it is Providential in the extreme that non-violent civil disobedience ruled the day. And other decisions were similarly fateful: We all know about Rosa Parks, but I for one never realized that her case was carefully selected to be the test case--that someone was sifting through the instances of discrimination and identified her story as the right one to tell to communicate to the masses the injustice of the situation. Likewise, the discernment of those who saw in Martin Luther King, Jr., the face and voice of the man to lead the movement to victory. History forgets these behind-the-scenes characters, but it is their choices that make or break history just as much as the visible heroes.
I was particularly struck by the unbending dedication displayed by those involved in the Civil Rights movement. It has not been so many years since the events described in this book took place, and yet that kind of commitment to an idea--any idea--has virtually disappeared from our society. These people faced the very real risk of serious bodily injury or death on a regular basis, and they did not flinch. They accepted that some causes are worth dying for, and that a man's life should be spent in furtherance of something greater than himself. And not just one man, or two. Hundreds and hundreds of people agreed and were willing to risk their lives for what they believed was right. And students--now often lamented as unmotivated, lazy, and stupid--were among some of the most influential and dedicated individuals involved in the movement.
Indeed, next to such dedication, even religious commitment in the modern world seems watery and ineffective. It is no wonder that so many who came out of the movement (or were raised by those who came out of the movement) espouse the cause of civil rights as if it were a religion--it demanded, and was given, far greater fealty than has been paid to religion in America since the Puritan days, if then. A convicting realization, to be sure.
I confess that my own appreciation of the reality of the Civil Rights movement was and is woefully inadequate. As is often the case when learning about historical hardship and victories, I had no idea what really went on, what the real cost was to those involved. I was humbled by this book--by the stories told and the people who told them. And I am grateful for this book, because I think it made me a little wiser by opening my eyes to how little I really know.
Everyone should read this book. In particular, I think it should be a required part of American History curricula at the high school and/or college lecture. I learned a heck of a lot more about the Civil Rights movement from this book than I did from whatever American History textbook was used at my high school.
An absolutely brilliant book. Please read it. I doubt very much that you will regret it.
Raines wisely allows the various historical figures to describe their experiences in their own words, and so on some level it is their storytelling ability that makes the events come alive. Yet Raines' skill in coaxing these stories from those who lived through the atrocities of the Civil Rights movement and the careful piecing together of those stories undoubtedly entitle him to his own fair share of the credit for this masterpiece.
My experiences with oral histories (both fictional and non-fictional) have been quite impressive, but the use of oral history as the medium for the story was, in this case, an inspired choice. As with other oral histories, the telling of the story through individual experiences (rather than dry, omniscient narration) heightens the emotional effect of the material--the reader feels the panic, senses the chaos, marvels at the senseless hatred and violence that plagued the South in the 1960s. Indeed, the book makes for a disturbing read, as the horror and fear and pain are all too clearly communicated through the memories of those who lived through the events.
In particular, I appreciated Raines' focus on the strategic decisions made behind the scenes. The ultimately decisive choice to use Gandhian non-violence was not a foregone conclusion. There were advocates for violent resistance all along the way, and it is Providential in the extreme that non-violent civil disobedience ruled the day. And other decisions were similarly fateful: We all know about Rosa Parks, but I for one never realized that her case was carefully selected to be the test case--that someone was sifting through the instances of discrimination and identified her story as the right one to tell to communicate to the masses the injustice of the situation. Likewise, the discernment of those who saw in Martin Luther King, Jr., the face and voice of the man to lead the movement to victory. History forgets these behind-the-scenes characters, but it is their choices that make or break history just as much as the visible heroes.
I was particularly struck by the unbending dedication displayed by those involved in the Civil Rights movement. It has not been so many years since the events described in this book took place, and yet that kind of commitment to an idea--any idea--has virtually disappeared from our society. These people faced the very real risk of serious bodily injury or death on a regular basis, and they did not flinch. They accepted that some causes are worth dying for, and that a man's life should be spent in furtherance of something greater than himself. And not just one man, or two. Hundreds and hundreds of people agreed and were willing to risk their lives for what they believed was right. And students--now often lamented as unmotivated, lazy, and stupid--were among some of the most influential and dedicated individuals involved in the movement.
Indeed, next to such dedication, even religious commitment in the modern world seems watery and ineffective. It is no wonder that so many who came out of the movement (or were raised by those who came out of the movement) espouse the cause of civil rights as if it were a religion--it demanded, and was given, far greater fealty than has been paid to religion in America since the Puritan days, if then. A convicting realization, to be sure.
I confess that my own appreciation of the reality of the Civil Rights movement was and is woefully inadequate. As is often the case when learning about historical hardship and victories, I had no idea what really went on, what the real cost was to those involved. I was humbled by this book--by the stories told and the people who told them. And I am grateful for this book, because I think it made me a little wiser by opening my eyes to how little I really know.
Everyone should read this book. In particular, I think it should be a required part of American History curricula at the high school and/or college lecture. I learned a heck of a lot more about the Civil Rights movement from this book than I did from whatever American History textbook was used at my high school.
An absolutely brilliant book. Please read it. I doubt very much that you will regret it.
August 7, 2011
Every American voter should read this book.
'My Soul Is Rested' is an accounting of approximately 100 short, oral interviews with those who participated in the Civil Rights Movement. The matter-of-fact authenticity of these voices resonates with stunning impact.
What I knew of the Civil Rights Movement I had learned from history books as I have no family ties to the American South. I was woefully ignorant of the depth of impact of segregation, the brutality of the struggle, and courage of those who persistently pursued equality. The rawness of these stories was most surprising and obliterated the shallow, remote lens through which I had viewed this period of American history.
That my country has a history of slavery, racism, segregation, brutality and inequality grieves me. That my country has a history of courageous individuals working together toward a more just community gives me hope. I met new heroines and heroes in the pages of this book. For that I am grateful.
'My Soul Is Rested' is an accounting of approximately 100 short, oral interviews with those who participated in the Civil Rights Movement. The matter-of-fact authenticity of these voices resonates with stunning impact.
What I knew of the Civil Rights Movement I had learned from history books as I have no family ties to the American South. I was woefully ignorant of the depth of impact of segregation, the brutality of the struggle, and courage of those who persistently pursued equality. The rawness of these stories was most surprising and obliterated the shallow, remote lens through which I had viewed this period of American history.
That my country has a history of slavery, racism, segregation, brutality and inequality grieves me. That my country has a history of courageous individuals working together toward a more just community gives me hope. I met new heroines and heroes in the pages of this book. For that I am grateful.
Read
February 3, 2023This book is copyrighted 1977 and my paperback version is from December 1978. The author is a journalist so he takes a journalistic approach to the subject. The book is all interviews with the various people involved with the various elements of the Civil rights movement with modest introductory paragraphs to set the context of the interview. The interview excerpts included in the book are all verbatim. It turned out to be an interesting method of approaching the subject. What I liked best was breaking down the movement into its component parts/geography/group along with chronology. I was aware of most of the events included in the book, but I could not place them in the proper context to understand the bigger picture and how all of the events unfolded. Most of the people interviewed I was not familiar with, but many are well-known. The main exception is Jesse Jackson was not included and I wonder why. I now want to watch the movie Mississippi Burning again, since I should understand it much better after reading this book. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in an interesting overview of the movement. I have said the pages outlining the chronology, so I am recycling this book.
May 16, 2020
A great book, but may be confusing for those who are unfamiliar with the many different phases and events of the civil rights movement.
This is an oral history of the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s, mostly through interviews conducted by the author with dozens of figures. Leaders like John Lewis, Andrew Young and Ralph Abernathy are complemented by a dizzying array of characters, from locals who joined in the marches to reporters covering the events to white supremacists still proud of disrupting them. The text comprises the interviewees' own words interspersed by some introductions, explanations and questions by the author, but the range of events (including not only the "big hits" like Selma and Birmingham but also less known episodes like the sit-ins that preceded MLK's arrival on the scene) is so great and the explanatory material so haphazard that without having a good grasp of the history it may be hard to follow. I recommend reading a book on the movement generally before this one, for this reason, or perhaps consulting wikipedia liberally.
That said, the stories and narratives are quite striking. One thing that is very much driven home is just how widespread and deep the abuses were and the threat of them. Personally, I can say that I knew well of the famous pictures of dogs and water hoses being turned on demonstrators, but I had been unaware of the extent of outright murder before reading this and one other account. The individuals registering to vote, sitting in and marching were not merely brave, they were well aware that they may die for the cause, and they frequently did what they did under the glare of people they knew to be murderers. To put it differently, if you don't read this book, read *a* book on this topic.
This is an oral history of the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s, mostly through interviews conducted by the author with dozens of figures. Leaders like John Lewis, Andrew Young and Ralph Abernathy are complemented by a dizzying array of characters, from locals who joined in the marches to reporters covering the events to white supremacists still proud of disrupting them. The text comprises the interviewees' own words interspersed by some introductions, explanations and questions by the author, but the range of events (including not only the "big hits" like Selma and Birmingham but also less known episodes like the sit-ins that preceded MLK's arrival on the scene) is so great and the explanatory material so haphazard that without having a good grasp of the history it may be hard to follow. I recommend reading a book on the movement generally before this one, for this reason, or perhaps consulting wikipedia liberally.
That said, the stories and narratives are quite striking. One thing that is very much driven home is just how widespread and deep the abuses were and the threat of them. Personally, I can say that I knew well of the famous pictures of dogs and water hoses being turned on demonstrators, but I had been unaware of the extent of outright murder before reading this and one other account. The individuals registering to vote, sitting in and marching were not merely brave, they were well aware that they may die for the cause, and they frequently did what they did under the glare of people they knew to be murderers. To put it differently, if you don't read this book, read *a* book on this topic.
January 5, 2015
Fantasic first-person stories of the civil rights struggle. Let's you feel the reality of what happened, on all sides, far better than any other history I ever read.
June 10, 2020
I reread this book that had deeply impressed me by the courageous people Of the Civil Rights Movement who resisted the Jim Crow South, its traditions, and inequalities. This book was like reading from personal diaries of so many unknown people who worked hard to be heard, to vote, to attend schools through protests, boycotts, and resistance In the face of violence. This country must continue working relentlessly together for equal rights, equal opportunity, and recognize that there is only one human race.
April 2, 2021
This book was required reading for my Southern States history class about 20 years ago. I have been thinking about it quite a bit the last couple of days and know I need to re-read it. It is one of the texts that enlightened my understanding and helped me to see a lifetime and a way of life that I didn’t (and never can) experience. It helped me to appreciate choices that people may make that I do not necessarily agree with or understand on the surface—and to recognize that people make choices based on their life experiences.
April 28, 2021
I loved the way these interviews were arranged to tell the story of parts of the Civil Rights Movement, and I loved the collection of people, accounts and personalities that were represented. I'm looking forward to reading this again already because hearing people tell it in their own words was fascinating and deeply moving. LOVED this book.
August 12, 2020
Probably one of the best books I read all summer. Brings you inside the civil rights movement, and offers new perspectives.
Want to read
March 15, 2021Fleming Rutledge quotes this book a bit in her books on the crucifixion. It looks well worth reading.
July 1, 2021
This book taught me more about the civil rights movement than 12 years of school.
February 25, 2017
This book will stay with me for many reasons. So many people who were and are so brave that I had never heard of (Hosea Williams, Ralph Abernathy, Fannie Lou Hamer). Touching and inspiring.
August 11, 2013
My Soul is Rested is the reason Howell Raines should have won the Pulitzer Prize. (He won it for his reporting about his family's maid.) In My Soul is Rested, Raines interviewed key participants during the Civil Rights struggles of the South, particularly his (and my) home city of Birmingham, Alabama. I particularly remember reading his oral history of the Police Chief of Albany, Georgia, and how he tried to convince Birmingham's Commissioner of Public Safety (!) Bull Connor to learn about Gandhi and peaceful resistance to keep the peace in Birmingham. Bull Connor ignored that advice, of course. I also loved getting some of the inside story of the business leaders who worked together to bring peace to our war-torn city, especially the story of A.G. Gaston and his family, a black business and moral leader.
This book should be reprinted now during the 50th anniversary of so many of the events that it covers. It's sad that what is remembered about Howell Raines was his being fired as editor of the New York Times, a job he had risen to through his reporting at small newspapers, then the Atlanta Journal Constitution, and the New York Times. He was editor of the Editorial Pages prior to becoming general editor and lost his job during the brouhaha about a young black reporter who had concocted reports, filed false expense accounts, etc. Raines was accused of favoring minorities, but he also reportedly had abrasive relationships within the newsroom. He has been "lying low" in recent years; I hope he comes back out as a leading voice. (Disclosure: we attended college together at Birmingham-Southern College, that "hot-bed of liberalism.")
I've read this book a number of times and just estimated when I first read it. I also went to Birmingham for Birmingham Festival Theatre's 40th Anniversary re-production of Romulus Linney's Holy Ghosts and Randy Marsh's Last Hotel for Women both of which drew upon the civil rights era in Birmingham.
This book should be reprinted now during the 50th anniversary of so many of the events that it covers. It's sad that what is remembered about Howell Raines was his being fired as editor of the New York Times, a job he had risen to through his reporting at small newspapers, then the Atlanta Journal Constitution, and the New York Times. He was editor of the Editorial Pages prior to becoming general editor and lost his job during the brouhaha about a young black reporter who had concocted reports, filed false expense accounts, etc. Raines was accused of favoring minorities, but he also reportedly had abrasive relationships within the newsroom. He has been "lying low" in recent years; I hope he comes back out as a leading voice. (Disclosure: we attended college together at Birmingham-Southern College, that "hot-bed of liberalism.")
I've read this book a number of times and just estimated when I first read it. I also went to Birmingham for Birmingham Festival Theatre's 40th Anniversary re-production of Romulus Linney's Holy Ghosts and Randy Marsh's Last Hotel for Women both of which drew upon the civil rights era in Birmingham.
July 27, 2011
A wonderful collection of first-hand accounts of the struggles to desegregate the American South from 1957 through 1968. A couple of the interviews with segregationalists seemed strangely pertinent to today's debate about health care reform — the realization that sometimes people who distort the truth actually believe their own distortions. I felt this book should be more widely known and started a Wikipedia article about it and while doing the research for that article, learned interesting information about how some tried to keep this book out of the bookstores in the South. This oral history book came to my attention from the notes in Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr.'s Robert Kennedy and His Times.
October 3, 2008
I feel that every American high schooler should read this book. It about the heroic men and women who spoke out, and resisted racism in the segregated south. It talks about the freedom riders, and other first hand accounts of those opposing segregation. It also has accounts of those who were fighting to keep segregation. I feel that everyone should know, what people sacrificed to make our country more unified and liberated. I also think it is important to see what life was like in the South and across the country, so that we can educate our children about racism.
April 19, 2014
An interesting oral history of the Civil Rights Movement. It was a different perspective from those who were involved in the movement as opposed to the straight history books. There were different ideas of Martin Luther King and the "older" group compared to many of these interviewed who were college students at the time. Many felt that the older group commandeered the movement and was too willing to acquiesce in situations.
May 11, 2016
I am really enjoying this book. Each chapter is one person's story during the civil rights movement. Some people were involved before that nation took notice and MLK Jr. joined. Some people were involved in various aspects of the movement during the thick of it. It's so refreshing to hear what ACTUALLY happened instead of the canonized version of history. It's also nice that a few women and LGBTQ folks were included.
October 8, 2007
Powerful accounts of the lives of individual activists and organizers during the Civil Rights Movement. Title comes from a quote by an older woman who walked every day to work during the Montgomery Bus Boycott. When asked if she was tired from walking, she replied, "My feet is tired, but my soul is rested."
May 3, 2009
Absolutely stunning. Ought to be assigned in every high school and freshmen college class in the country. The stories Raines collects make clear the utter evil of racism and the courage of those who fought against segregation.
September 5, 2011
I loved this book. Although I read this almost 35 years after the interviews took place which gave me more context into some of the interviewees, this was for me a fresh look into the movement. 40 years after the freedom rides this is still a great read!
October 9, 2011
This one of the best books I've read. It consists of interviews of people involved in the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, including segregationalists, civil rights workers and people who lived in the South at the time. I appreciate the recommendation from my friend Carlo.
January 3, 2012
Really lovely oral history- gives a lot of perspective on how civil rights movements were different from state to state.
August 29, 2012
One of my alltime favorites. This collection of testimonies documents the true difficulty of enacting societal change, and the courage it requires of the participants.
February 25, 2015
It was very worthwhile reading My Soul Is Rested, it was fascinating having all the different people tell their little stories, their experiences.
July 24, 2014
Incredible oral history of the Civil Rights Movement with personal detail and depth.
February 12, 2015
Excellent oral history of the civil rights movement. Became interested after seeing the movie 'Selma'. Lots of information in this book not commonly known.
March 19, 2010
Amazingly moving account of the Civil Rights Movement from those who lived it.
September 26, 2016
Excellent telling of the civil rights movement from the perspectives of all the foot soldiers.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews