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Sociology Professor Jonathan Rieder Examines
the "Talk" of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
updated
04.09.08
Forty years ago this week, on April 4, 1968, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was fatally shot outside his room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. The news brought shock, sorrow and outrage to millions across America. While King's body lies buried in his hometown of Atlanta, Georgia, his spirit and rhetoric are regularly invoked from both preachers' pulpits and politicians' podiums around the world. Prolific prophet, visionary leader, and bridge-builder across racial divides—these are only a few of the mantles King wore in his lifetime. This month, Jonathan Rieder, sociology professor at Barnard College and author of Canarsie: The Jews and Italians of Brooklyn Against Liberalism, uncovers some of the lesser-known aspects of King in his book, The Word of the Lord is Upon Me: The Righteous Performance of Martin Luther King, Jr. (Harvard University Press 2008). Rieder's powerful work investigates the tangle of race, talk and identity in the life of one of America's greatest leaders.
For coverage of the book and Professor Rieder, visit:
Newsweek Review
Harper's Magazine
First Things
The Washington Post Sunday Book World
Interview with PiNE Magazine: "The Word of the Lord is Upon Us"
Washington Post Op-Ed: "Another Angry Black Preacher"
NPR Tell Me More
Washington Post Guest Voices column
LA Times Book Review
For information from the publisher of the book, click here. |
