In addition to Dr. Tatum's book, I've also been reading April 4, 1968 by Michael Eric Dyson. Its a quite different take on Dr. King as it focuses on the role of death in Dr. Kings life. While I ahve not yet finished, I'm about halfway through, and it seems in the first to focus first on Dr. King's own awareness of death's inescapability and the fact that he would probably die at the hands of someone who hated his work against injustice. Dyson also focuses on what death means to black people and black culture as the mortality of black life. He then discusses the affect Dr. King's death had on America and how it sparked a lot of new thoughts on racism and many people became more sympathetic and open to his position as a great purveyor of justice and equality after his death. However, Dyson also writes on how Dr. King's image has been so watered down that many don't realize the depth and difficulty of the message he shared with countless people.
Mainly, the book has made me think about death, not in a morbid way, but more in way of pondering what I am willing to lay down my life for. What am I really convicted about and what would I be able to give my life striving towards?
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