Roger O Green

A new MLK biography, King: A Life

a committed radical

I am doing a new thing. Having credits on Audible, I’m listening to the new book, King: A Life, about the late Martin Luther King, Jr. I haven’t gotten very far in it as it runs nearly 24 hours, or over 550 pages, excluding copious notes.

Still, I’ve learned that his grandfather, James Albert King, married Delia, and both were Georgia sharecroppers. James became an alcoholic, in no small part due to the stresses of Jim Crow.

James’ son Michael managed to get a high school education and attended Morehouse College to study for the ministry. He also began to woo the daughter of a minister at an Atlanta church. And not just any church. Adam Daniel Williams had been the pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church since 1894.

Adam and Jennie’s daughter Alberta began dating Michael in 1920 and married on November 25, 1926. The author suggested that Michael’s courting of Alberta was as much a function of ambition as love.

Shortly after marrying Alberta, Michael became assistant pastor of the Ebenezer church. Senior pastor Williams died in the spring of 1931 and that fall, Michael took the role.

By this time, Michael and Alberta had three children: Christine (m. Farris, 1927-2023), Michael Jr. (1929-1968), and Alfred Daniel “A. D.” (1930-1969).

Name change

This description from the Smithsonian dovetails with the book: “In 1934, [MLK Jr.’] father embarked on a religious journey around the world. The senior King traveled to Rome, Tunisia, Egypt, Jerusalem, and Bethlehem before arriving in Berlin to attend the Baptist World Alliance meeting. The trip to Germany, which occurred only one year after Adolf Hitler became chancellor, would profoundly affect him. As he toured, the senior King gained a great respect for German monk and theologian Martin Luther, whose 95 Theses challenged the Catholic Church and ultimately split Western Christianity.”

Michael Sr. changed his name to Martin Luther King in August 1934, and his elder son was soon renamed.

Publisher’s description

This description of the book was on the MacMillan Publishers website:

“Vividly written and exhaustively researched, Jonathan Eig’s King: A Life is the first major biography in decades of the civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr.―and the first to include recently declassified FBI files. In this revelatory new portrait of the preacher and activist who shook the world, the bestselling biographer gives us an intimate view of the courageous and often emotionally troubled human being who demanded peaceful protest for his movement but was rarely at peace with himself.

“He casts fresh light on the King family’s origins as well as MLK’s complex relationships with his wife, father, and fellow activists. King reveals a minister wrestling with his own human frailties and dark moods, a citizen hunted by his own government, and a man determined to fight for justice even if it proved to be a fight to the death. As he follows MLK from the classroom to the pulpit to the streets of Birmingham, Selma, and Memphis, Eig dramatically re-creates the journey of a man who recast American race relations and became our only modern-day founding father―as well as the nation’s most mourned martyr.

“In this landmark biography, Eig gives us an MLK for our times: a deep thinker, a brilliant strategist, and a committed radical who led one of history’s greatest movements and whose demands for racial and economic justice remain as urgent today as they were in his lifetime.”

And still, we rise.

Eig spent about a quarter of the book about MLK before the Montgomery Bus Boycott years. I suspect that grounding will give the reader a complete understanding of the man as more than an icon.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar recently wrote in the preview of his Substack page:

“Life is an endless series of making decisions, some easy and some difficult. But each of them causes some level of anxiety… That is why people turn to heroes and saviors to make their decisions for them. If we choose to follow someone else’s teachings, we abdicate responsibility for the outcome of following those teachings…

“I have had many heroes in my life, [including] Dr. King. However, the difference between heroes and the cult of personality is that I accept the flaws in my heroes. What made them heroes is that they were just ordinary people who were willing to risk personal comfort to make the world a better place. They didn’t have to be saints. They didn’t always have to be right.”

I thought this was a cogent analysis as I worked my way through the book. I’m looking forward to reading King: A Life in memory of the 66th anniversary of his assassination. Meanwhile, I’ll read a little Maya.

Movie review: Cabrini

Angel Studios

My wife took a too-rare weekday off, and we decided to go to the cinema. A good friend of hers had recommended the movie Cabrini, so we went to the Regal Cinema at Northway Mall.

Sister Francesca Cabrini (Cristiana Dell’Anna) from Italy wanted to set up an orphanage in China. After she rangled with the local cardinal, Pope Leo XIII (Giancarlo Giannini) acceded to her desire to expand her mission. But instead of her going east, he said she and her fellow nuns should go west to the United States.

Specifically, she and five other nuns headed to New York City in 1889, to the Five Points section of lower Manhattan, which “gained international notoriety as a densely populated, disease-ridden, crime-infested slum.” It was a ghetto of Italian orphans and the adults who would exploit them.

Yet, Cabrini, who was often quite ill, and her colleagues managed to win over the kids, even the wounded Vittoria (Romana Maggiora Vergano.)

But there were headwinds. The local archbishop Corrigan (David Morse) was cautious, not wanting to undo the church’s balance with the powerful and unsympathetic Mayor Gould (John Lithgow).

What Cabrini ultimately managed to accomplish was comparable with Carnegie or Rockefeller.

Critics

In general, I agree with all the critics, who were 91% positive on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s solid, sincere, believable, and highlights a powerful and impressive woman. Cristiana Dell’Anna was very good. Steven D. Greydanus wrote: “As single-minded as its protagonist, Cabrini drives home in every scene its themes of human dignity—particularly the dignity of women and marginalized groups including immigrants and the poor—and solidarity in the face of prejudice and social injustice.” It’s mostly true.

It’s also a bit staged and affected, often looking drab. The dialogue is too modern; at 142 minutes, the film is at least 15 minutes too long. But still, it’s a thumbs up.

Once again, I must mention how much I hate seeing films at the Regal. The ads started at 11:53 for a purported noon start, but between the legit previews and the straight-out ads, the movie didn’t begin until 12:20.

Angel Studios

Two of the coming attractions were interesting. Like Cabrini, they were developed by Angel Studios, the makers of Cabrini. The filmmakers seem to use a more robust version of crowdsourcing/membership.

One preview was for Sight (May), “starring Greg Kinnear and Terry Chen, [which] follows the true story of Dr. Ming Wang, a Chinese immigrant who defies all odds to become a world-renowned eye surgeon. Drawing upon the grit and determination he gained from a turbulent uprising in his youth, Dr. Wang sets out to restore the sight of a blind orphan.

Also, Possum Trot (July 4) is “the true story of Bishop and First Lady Donna Martin, and their tiny Bennett Chapel church, in the town of Possum Trot in the woods of East Texas. Twenty-two families linked arms and courageously adopted seventy-seven of the most difficult-to-place children in the local foster care system, igniting a national movement for vulnerable children that continues today.” One of the executive directors is Letitia Wright, one of the stars of The Black Panther movies.

More Angel

Future films include Homestead -“Amid chaos, ex-Green Beret joins prepper compound; love grows, truths arise, and a community unites;” Bonhoeffer – “When a pacifist is called to a political act that could change the course of history, how will a man of honor respond?” and David – This animated musical is based on the biblical story of a giant slayer that inspired a nation.”

A previous movie, Sound of Freedom, is “based on the gripping true story of a man’s mission to rescue children from the world’s darkest corners. This action-packed drama shines a light on the harrowing reality of sex trafficking and the valiant efforts of those who work tirelessly to combat it.” The critics were lukewarm (57% positive), but the audience was 99% favorable. It played at Regal in August of 2023, but I did not see it.

Watching people work

Fargo?

Here’s another day in the life post: Tuesday, March 26. For some reason, many of these are on Tuesdays. Reflecting on it, I spent a lot of time watching people work. The ones I watched for the longest time were the half-dozen people taking down that tree across the street from my house, especially looking out my middle bay window. It was better than television.

The process involved a guy in the cherry picker trimming the branches of two trees and tethering the damaged section with rope so it would not fall too quickly. The guys below were putting the small branches in the wood chipper – wood chippers always remind me of the movie Fargo. The chips flew into the back of a truck like the one pictured. A guy was running a tractor-like vehicle that carried logs to the chipper. One fellow was carefully controlling passing traffic in both directions.

It fascinated me because I would have had no idea how to take down the tree without potentially damaging a house or car. And the tree is gone; there aren’t even signs of the roots. I love Men At Work.

Library

I helped facilitate the interview of author Ian Ross Singleton by educator Geri Walsh concerning his book The Two Differences, which is a lot about Detroit but especially Odessa, Ukraine.

They had invited the Ukraine Solidarity Capital District to table at the event. The group stands for the country’s “independence and territorial integrity.”

Kudos to reference librarian Susan, the new liaison with the FFAPL for Tuesday book reviews and author talks. Oddly, we went to library school simultaneously but only realized this a few months ago.

I saw the interim branch manager, Deanna, at the circulation desk. Librarians do it all.

Indian food

I agreed to order takeout from our nearby Indian restaurant. I usually order takeout to pick up around 5:30, and it’s relatively efficient. Because of my wife’s work schedule, I arranged for a slightly later slot. I called at 6 p.m. and was told it would take about 25 minutes.

When I arrived at the restaurant at 6:25, I was asked to sit at a table. People arriving after I got there were told the same thing. There was some confusion; the guy at the register was not a native speaker, I gathered, and it became incumbent for me to explain to them that we were all in the same situation.

However, an increasingly impatient couple was there before I was. He said repeatedly, “How long will this take?” with an increasing edge in his voice. She counted up: “It’s been 35 minutes!” “It’s been 40 minutes!”

When the next order came out, the guy at the register asked them, “Is this your order? Aloo gobi, chicken tikka masala, and lamb saag?” Er, no, that was mine, which made them more disgusted. I wondered, in retrospect, if they were walk-ins. I understood their frustration, but their attitude made me uncomfortable.

Still, the usual manager or owner might have diffused the situation with free mango lassis or another strategy.

And finally

Our daughter complained online that her parents hadn’t gotten her anything for her birthday. “I didn’t know what you wanted.” “I made a list online on Saturday!” That would have been useful to have known.

So, some mail-order workers will get some items to our daughter soon.

Ready, Set, Library

National Library Week Soiree April 10

From the ALA press release: “National Library Week (April 7-13, 2024) is a time to celebrate our nation’s libraries, library workers’ contributions and promote library use and support. The theme for National Library Week 2024 is ‘Ready, Set, Library,’ illustrating the idea that in our always-online world, libraries give us a green light to something truly special: a place to connect with others, learn new skills, and focus on what matters most. “

Long before there was an online world, libraries were a special place for me. So much so that when, separately, two people tried to encourage me to run for one of the three Open Seats on the Albany Public Library Board of Trustees, I had to pause a moment before saying no.

How did I find a way to resist the temptation? This was a very ego-gratifying ask. The role is important. I am well qualified. (Why am I uncomfortable writing a sentence about myself that is demonstrably true? I’ll ask my shrink as soon as I get one.)

I said no because I had to reread something I wrote three months ago, Saying NO and being OK. Just because I published it doesn’t mean I had internalized it.

I’ve looked at the markers. A pile of medical reimbursements I could have submitted three months ago is still growing. I get notifications from Ancestry about my genealogy that I haven’t checked all of 2024. The number of completed blog posts in my reserve pile is constantly shrinking.

Already doing library stuff

Some of the issues are library-related. I’m on the Friends and Foundation of the Albany Public Library board and have a project that’s become a bit of an albatross.

More pressingly, three of us have been finding speakers for the book reviews, and the author talks every Tuesday at 2 p.m. Usually, the person who books them takes care of details, such as checking their technological needs and introducing the speaker. But one of us has recently been in the hospital and is still in rehabilitation. This means more work on the engagement day and finding speakers for future talks.

(Maybe it was a too-subtle hint. I’m actively looking for folks who would like to do book reviews, and author talks in July or later.)

BTW, here’s the April schedule for the 2 pm Tuesday talks at the Washington Avenue branch:

April 2 | Special Program | Donna Liquori, freelance writer & editor, writes the Bibliofiles column for the Albany Times Union; she will discuss the culture of reading.

April 9 | Book Review | American Visions: The United States: 1800-1860 by Edward L. Ayers. Reviewer: John Rowen, former president, Friends of APL.

April 16 | Author Talk | Katherine Harbour, who is inspired by world mythology & folklore, discusses & reads from her Young Adult novel, The Dark Fable: Magic . . . Mayhem . . . Murder.

April 23 | Book Review | Freedom’s Dominion: A Saga of White Resistance to Federal Power by Jefferson Cowie. Reviewer: Erasmus Schneider, PhD, retired cancer researcher, interested in current affairs & history.

April 30 | Book Review | New York 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson. Reviewer: Mark Lowery, MS, assistant director, Office of Climate Change, NYS Dept of Environmental Conservation.

More NLW stuff

The FFAPL is having a National Library Week Soiree on Wednesday, April 10, at 6:30 p.m. at the Delaware Avenue branch of the Albany Public Library. The event costs $30. Here’s the NLW Kelly FFAPL flyer.

Jack Kelly, journalist, historian, and author of God Save Benedict Arnold: The True Story of America’s Most Hated Man, will give a short talk on a fresh perspective on the reasons for Arnold’s momentous change of heart.

Dinner is to be catered by Mamoun’s Falafel, including meat and vegan options. Wine, coffee, and dessert included. Tickets are available online now.

I like Easter

We can say Hallelujah! again

I like Easter. It’s much less a theological thing, though. For a brief time, I had a pastor named Matt who described himself as more of a Lenten than an Easter person. And I get that.

There was a meeting I was supposed to attend this week, but I blew it off because it was on Maundy Thursday. Someone said that he didn’t know what that was. I noted that if you’ve seen the painting of The Last Supper, not just the one by da Vinci, you have some idea. Or if you’ve listened to/seen the latter half of Jesus Christ Superstar, which ends before the resurrection.

Those Lenten songs, Requiems, and the like resonate more with me than the triumphant Easter anthems.

I like going to church on Easter Sunday. One year during the first decade of this century, my wife and I were driving to Charlotte, NC, to visit my family. But I hated not singing. Listening to church music on the radio merely made me more melancholy.

I love to see the C&E people at church. C&E refers to those folks who come only on Christmas and/or Easter. I do think about the limited theological picture they get. “They sing the Hallelujah chorus almost every time I’m there,” they might determine, but so it goes. Do people still wear Easter bonnets?

When is Easter?

I’m a fan of Lent and Easter bouncing around the calendar. It’s like jazz; ya gotta riff with it. As timeanddate.com notes: “Easter falls on the first Sunday after the Full Moon date, based on mathematical calculations, that falls on or after March 21. If the Full Moon is on a Sunday, Easter is celebrated the following Sunday.

“Although Easter is liturgically related to the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere (March equinox) and the Full Moon, its date is not based on the actual astronomical date of either event.

“March 21 is the Church’s date of the March equinox, regardless of the time zone, while the actual date of the equinox varies between March 19 and March 22, and the date depends on the time zone.” And it’s even a little more complicated than that.

The art piece was created by my daughter, who writes: “Re-coop-erations – Recuperations Project – Scale Shift. Eggs represent a very literal sense of recuperation, new color, new season, and new life. In many traditions spanning geographies and time, many cultures have used eggs in customs, especially those around the time of the Spring Equinox. During Nowruz, the Iranian and Persian New Year, families decorate eggs to bring good luck and fertility. Pre-Christian Ukraine brightly decorated eggs.”

Of course, Christianity leaned into the spring festivals, just as they positioned Christmas to coincide with the Roman holidays of the winter solstice.

Happy Easter!