Waiting 'Til the Midnight Hour
Jerome Carlos Johnson
SOCI 3345: Sociology of the 1960’s
Five Page Book Review: Waiting ‘Til the Midnight Hour by Peniel Joseph
February 28, 2013
Waiting ‘Til the Midnight Hour by Peniel Joseph
Within the eleven chapters that comprise Waiting 'Til the Midnight Hour lays a treasure chest of information for anyone interested in Black or African American history, particularly the civil rights movement that took place during the 1950’s and 1960’s. I am a self-professed scholar of African American history and I found an amazing amount of information that I was not aware of. Like most who claim to be Black History experts, I was aware of the roles of Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Rosa Parks, W.E.B. Du Bois and Marcus Garvey. However, I was not aware of the impact that so many lesser known figures had in the civil rights movement. It was refreshing to learn of the roles played by Harold Cruse, Arturo Schomburg, Richard Wright, Ella Baker and Robert F. Williams. Reading this book definitely gave me a new perspective on the civil rights movement and the legacies of its leaders. Waiting ‘Til the Midnight Hour took me on a journey through the tumultuous events of the civil rights movement, as well as introducing me to key players in the movement of which I was previously unaware. In addition, the book served as an avenue of connecting the various segments and factions of the civil rights movement. The book also did a great job of presenting the nationwide struggle of African Americans rather than focusing on one specific geographical area. It was a daunting task, but the author did a great job of accurately placing all the pieces of the puzzle together that comprised the struggle for freedom.
Through his writings in Waiting ‘Til the Midnight Hour, Peniel Joseph did a great job of contrasting the stark difference between integrationists like Martin Luther King and nationalists (or separatists) like Malcolm X. Peniel Joseph was able to paint the stark contrast
SOCI 3345: Sociology of the 1960’s
Five Page Book Review: Waiting ‘Til the Midnight Hour by Peniel Joseph
February 28, 2013
Waiting ‘Til the Midnight Hour by Peniel Joseph
Within the eleven chapters that comprise Waiting 'Til the Midnight Hour lays a treasure chest of information for anyone interested in Black or African American history, particularly the civil rights movement that took place during the 1950’s and 1960’s. I am a self-professed scholar of African American history and I found an amazing amount of information that I was not aware of. Like most who claim to be Black History experts, I was aware of the roles of Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Rosa Parks, W.E.B. Du Bois and Marcus Garvey. However, I was not aware of the impact that so many lesser known figures had in the civil rights movement. It was refreshing to learn of the roles played by Harold Cruse, Arturo Schomburg, Richard Wright, Ella Baker and Robert F. Williams. Reading this book definitely gave me a new perspective on the civil rights movement and the legacies of its leaders. Waiting ‘Til the Midnight Hour took me on a journey through the tumultuous events of the civil rights movement, as well as introducing me to key players in the movement of which I was previously unaware. In addition, the book served as an avenue of connecting the various segments and factions of the civil rights movement. The book also did a great job of presenting the nationwide struggle of African Americans rather than focusing on one specific geographical area. It was a daunting task, but the author did a great job of accurately placing all the pieces of the puzzle together that comprised the struggle for freedom.
Through his writings in Waiting ‘Til the Midnight Hour, Peniel Joseph did a great job of contrasting the stark difference between integrationists like Martin Luther King and nationalists (or separatists) like Malcolm X. Peniel Joseph was able to paint the stark contrast