Brilliant treatment of a wonderful story.

If I had to sum up "Parting the Waters" in one sentence, it would be this: This book deserved the Pulitzer Prize it received.

Historical portraits of the civil rights movement of the 1960s are not hard to come by - what is difficult is to find one that can convey the poetry and power of the movement without falling into self-congratulation or maudlin melodrama. This, the first book in Taylor Branch's trilogy of "America in the King Years", understands the drama, presents it effectively, but not without close examination of how the drama came to be. This is an extremely capable approach which serves the book well.

The framework Branch adopts to tell the story of the civil rights movement is the professional career of Martin Luther King, Jr., and it is in his story that Branch's narrative shines most of all. Most civil rights histories either give King's background short shrift, a bare outline, or assume that he sprung full-grown from the brow of Necessity following the Brown v. Board of Education decision. Branch carefully delves into King's past and refers back to elements of it several times throughout the book, not only to remind the reader of his framework, but to give insight both into King and into the movement. Outside of actual King biographies, this is one of the best portraits of MLK that I have ever read.

But Branch does not neglect the secondary characters - John Doar in particular is given a long-overdue portrait, as does E. Wilson of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters.

That brings us rather neatly to another element of civil rights history that is often overlooked - the efforts of groups prior to the Brown v. Board of Education decision, and outside the NAACP. The best work on the subject, "Speak Now Against The Day" by John Egerton, explored the civil rights work in the South in the 1920s and 30s in great detail, but Branch does not skimp on the subject either. He carefully documents the conflicts between different organizations and strategies within the civil rights movement throughout its history, providing a view into a fractious, lively debate far deeper than a simple choice between segregation and integration. Only in a few places does this broad approach confuse the reader or dilute the impact of the narrative.

In the end, this is the thing that stands out most about the book, that the civil rights movement is defined as a modern political movement and in political terms. The clashes of personality and tactics within the drive to end segregation makes "Parting the Waters" a fresh approach to an exciting time in America's history. Filled with interesting anecdotes, fascinating characters and thrilling episodes, this is an excellent work either for the student of the era, or for someone who just wants to know a little more about American in the "King years."