[Return to Query]
The Heavens Might Crack: The Death and Legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. (Book)
Title: The Heavens Might Crack: The Death and Legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.
Author: Jason Sokol
Editor: Jason Sokol
Abstract: On April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was fatally shot as he stood on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis. At the time of his murder, King was a polarizing figure--scorned by many white Americans, worshipped by some African Americans and liberal whites, and deemed irrelevant by many black youth. In The Heavens Might Crack, historian Jason Sokol traces the diverse responses, both in America and throughout the world, to King's death. Whether celebrating or mourning, most agreed that the final flicker of hope for a multiracial America had been extinguished.
A deeply moving account of a country coming to terms with an act of shocking violence, The Heavens Might Crack is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand America's fraught racial past and present.
Year: 2018
Publisher: Basic Books
Type: Single author monograph
ISBN: 9780465055913
Copy sent to NEH?: Yes
Permalink: https://apps.neh.gov/publicquery/products.aspx?gn=FZ-231049-15