Pillar of Fire

“
Pillar of Fire
is a magisterial history of one of the most tumultuous periods in postwar America. Branch's storytelling is strong, his storytelling colorful. Reading Branch, it is easier to see why even the most remarkable revolutions are never complete.”

—Jon Meacham,
Newsweek

“Politics and personalities, ambition and imagination, triumph and tragedy.”

—Jeff Shesol,
The Washington Post

“One part biography, one part history, one part elegy…a vast panorama…powerful.”

—David M. Shribman,
The Wall Street Journal

“As he did in
Parting the Waters
, Branch brings to these events both a passion for their detail and a recognition of their larger historical significance.”

—Alan Wolfe,
The New York Times Book Review

“Magnificent…the birth of a masterwork akin to Carl Sandburg's
Lincoln
or Shelby Foote's
Civil War
.”

—Scott Ellsworth,
The Oregonian

“Branch has an uncanny ability to penetrate the most obscure nooks and crannies of the past to provide a whole new perspective on the Sixties…”

—Ray Jenkins,
The Baltimore Sun

“
Pillar of Fire
, a history of symbiosis and epiphany, records King's vision and the disparate moral currents that forced America to redefine itself in light of its failures to live up to its own principles of freedom.”

—Bill Maxwell,
St. Petersburg Times

“The strength of
Pillar of Fire
lies in Branch's unsurpassed ability to bring the reader into the moment, enabling one to almost feel the tension of the times.”

—Trevor Coleman,
Detroit Free Press

“
Pillar of Fire
is truly a great book, one that everyone should read and that every library should place on proud display.”

—Ray Rickman,
The Providence Sunday Journal

“A book of far-reaching political and cultural dimension, dense and comprehensive, riveting despite its length, and recounting the fits and starts of the battle for equality for all Americans regardless of color.”

—William W. Starr,
The State
(Columbia, S.C.)

“
Pillar of Fire
is truly an epic.”

—William McKeen,
The Orlando Sentinel

“
Pillar of Fire
's great strengths are Branch's mastery of detail and his powerful insights, gained from so many years of research and almost 2,000 interviews. The result is a familiar story made fresh—and one that Americans of all races and colors would do well to know and understand.”

—Harry Merrit,
Lexington Herald-Leader

“This is epic history, and the events chronicled herein still resonate today.”

—Patrick Beach,
Austin American-Statesman

“Branch wonderfully brings alive the times and the tensions.
Pillar of Fire
is an important detailed work of history that describes one of the most crucial periods of American history since the Civil War. Branch movingly captures a time when people felt compelled to take risks and take action. It is a book that should be read.”

—Deirdre Donahue,
USA Today

“Branch's narrative is rich in historical ironies. At all levels Branch's scholarship reveals a nation whose unexamined ideals are about to collide with unanticipated realities. In his upcoming final installation of America in the King Years, Branch faces the challenge of resolving dissonances with a unifying fugue. Until then, be grateful for two-thirds of a monument.”

—R. Z. Sheppard,
Time

Parting the Waters: America in the King Years 1954-63

Labyrinth
(with Eugene M. Propper)

The Empire Blues

Second Wind
(with Bill Russell)

Blowing the Whistle: Dissent in the Public Interest

(with Charles Peters)

Copyright © 1998 by Taylor Branch
All rights reserved,
including the right of reproduction
in whole or in part in any form.

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IMON
& S
CHUSTER
and colophon are
registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

The Library of Congress has cataloged the hardcover edition as follows:

Branch, Taylor.
Pillar of fire: America in the King years, 1963-65/
Taylor Branch.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Afro-Americans—Civil rights.   2. Civil rights
movements—United States—History—20th century.
  3. King, Martin Luther, Jr., 1929-1968.   4. United States—
History—1961-1969.   I. Title.
E185.61.B7915   1998
323.1'196073—dc21   97-46076   CIP
ISBN-13: 978-1-4165-5870-5
ISBN-10: 1-4165-5870-5

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OR
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HRISTY