The book’s bibliography runs nearly 80 pages long. Branch’s breakdown of his sources, both primary and secondary, is essential in crafting a narrative history that is assessable to layperson as well as analytical and thought provoking enough for the historian and student of history. Branch is eloquent and natural in his storytelling approach to this pivotal period of the American past. His narrative transports the reader to a front row seat to events like the Birmingham Bus Boycott in 1955 and the Freedom Rides of 1961.
Branch organizes his work in chronologically ordered chapters. The foundation laid in the opening chapters gives the reader a glimpse into the history of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, as well as insights into the African-American church generally. These institutions are instrumental in understanding King’s rise to prominence in the