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A Memoir of Resistance, Agitation, and Love
by Reverend James Lawson Jr, Emily Yellin
The posthumous memoir of Rev. James Lawson Jr., peer of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., mentor to Congressman John Lewis and the Freedom Riders, and a principal architect of a nonviolent resistance movement that changed the world.
Rev. Lawson was one of the most influential yet unheralded heroes of the civil rights era. He rose as a strategist, teacher, and organizer in pivotal campaigns on the national stage against racial and economic injustice.
Lawson's memoir spans 95 years, but it begins far from the spotlight in a large, working-class Ohio family. The son and grandson of Methodist ministers, he receives his license to preach before graduating from high school.
Lawson goes on to serve time in prison for refusing the Korean War draft, and learns from independence movements during three years in India and Africa. He then fortifies the principles of a new American Revolution when he teaches nonviolent direct action centered in love and moral clarity to the Little Rock Nine, the Mississippi Freedom Summer volunteers, and countless others. He also becomes a leader in the 1960 Nashville sit-ins, the 1963 Birmingham campaign, the 1966 Meredith March Against Fear, and the 1968 Memphis sanitation workers' strike.
Nonviolent delivers an intimate self-portrait of Lawson as a man who recognized the inherent dignity of everyone, and challenged all forms of violence, including police brutality, enforced poverty, and what he called plantation capitalism. It shows his quest for justice continuing in Los Angeles well into the 21st century, as he helped foster a more inclusive labor movement and an enduring immigrant rights movement.
Nonviolent is a riveting historical narrative from a central figure in global liberation and a testament to compelling a nation to live up to its founding ideals of liberty and justice for all.
"This wonderful book is a powerful reminder that moral clarity can improve the world... . [Nonviolent] belongs in every library in the U.S. An expansive, inspiring autobiography by a crucial figure in the Civil Rights movement." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"[A]n an engrossing behind-the-scenes look ... While the memoir primarily serves as a humble, meticulous record of Lawson's leadership in the 1960s and '70s, the final act offers a fascinating glimpse of his more recent work with Los Angeles's labor and immigrant rights movements. It adds up to a soul-stirring testament to the transformative power of 'leading with love.'" —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"James Lawson Jr. is perhaps the most important American of the post–World War II period whose significance has not been sufficiently appreciated by a wide audience. This memoir should change that. In his trademark voice of compassion and reason, Lawson takes us on an illuminating journey to the heart of the freedom movements of the 1960s and beyond. Without his tutelage in nonviolence and his steadfastness amid storm, we would be living in a different, less just nation... A towering book by a giant of a man." —Jon Meacham, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of And There Was Light
"This book is a gift to be treasured, from a man who has already given so much. James Lawson Jr. was one of America's great teachers and unsung heroes. Here, in his own words, he tells a story that seems almost impossible to believe, about a group of freedom-loving nonviolent crusaders who worked to build a more just and loving society. If it happened once, it can happen again, and Reverend Lawson shows us the way in these glorious, searing, hopeful pages... An essential read, now and forever." —Jonathan Eig, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of King: A Life
This information about Nonviolent was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Rev. James Lawson Jr. was a pastor who was integral to the Civil Rights Movement and a key figure in ongoing campaigns for labor, gender, and immigrant rights. He introduced the tactical, philosophical, and spiritual facets of nonviolence to generations of activists, and inspired countless people worldwide to join in creating the beloved community.
Emily Yellin is a journalist, writer, and producer. A longtime contributor to The New York Times and author of two other books, she produced a ten-part video series, 1,300 Men: Memphis Strike '68, for The Root. She first met Rev. Lawson when she was five, while attending elementary school in Memphis with his eldest son, John.
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