Waging a Good War

Viac o knihe

#1 New York Times bestselling author and Pulitzer Prize winner Thomas E. Ricks presents a fresh perspective on the Civil Rights Movement, emphasizing its unexpected military strategies and their relevance for nonviolent resistance globally. Ricks immerses readers in the experiences of the courageous young men and women who risked everything to transform America. He argues that the Movement's significant victories were not solely the result of idealism but also stemmed from strategic elements like recruitment, training, discipline, and organization—key components of any successful military campaign. As an engaging storyteller, Ricks chronicles the Movement’s successes and setbacks, tracing the journeys of figures like Martin Luther King, Jr. from Montgomery to Memphis. He illustrates that Gandhian nonviolence was an active philosophy, involving bold confrontations against adversaries in both physical and public arenas. Alongside well-known leaders such as Fannie Lou Hamer and John Lewis, Ricks sheds light on lesser-known activists like James Lawson, James Bevel, Diane Nash, and Septima Clark, who were instrumental in shaping effective nonviolent strategies. He also explores the Movement's later challenges, marked by internal conflicts and white backlash. Rich with fresh insights into familiar events and overlooked elements of the civil rights struggle, this work is an essential contribution to the discourse on racial justice