Medgar and Myrlie

Medgar Evers and the Love Story That Awakened America

De: Joy-Ann Reid

Narrado por: Joy-Ann Reid

Duración: 10 h y 52 m

Resumen del Editor

#1 New York Times Bestseller

“Medgar Evers deserves a place alongside Malcolm X and Dr. King in our historical memory. Evers, with Myrlie as his partner in activism and in life, was doing civil rights work in the single most hostile and dangerous environment in America.”—from Medgar and Myrlie

By MSNBC's Joy-Ann Reid, a triumphant work of biography that repositions slain Civil Rights pioneer Medgar Evers at the heart of America's struggle for freedom, and celebrates Myrlie Evers's extraordinary activism after her husband's assassination in the driveway of their Mississippi home.

"I love this book. The empathic, brilliant, and wise Joy Reid has brought us the poignant, fascinating inside story of Medgar and Myrlie Evers, transformational leaders who confronted pure evil and risked their lives to ensure that all American children might grow up in a United States that was more just. As Reid shows us, that painful task is now more urgent than ever.” — Michael Beschloss

Myrlie Louise Beasley met Medgar Evers on her first day of college. They fell in love at first sight, married just one year later, and Myrlie left school to focus on their growing family.

Medgar became the field secretary for the Mississippi branch of the NAACP, charged with beating back the most intractable and violent resistance to black voting rights in the country. Myrlie served as Medgar’s secretary and confidant, working hand in hand with him as they struggled against public accommodations and school segregation, lynching, violence, and sheer despair within their state’s “black belt.” They fought to desegregate the intractable University of Mississippi, organized picket lines and boycotts, despite repeated terroristic threats, including the 1962 firebombing of their home, where they lived with their three young children.

On June 12, 1963, Medgar Evers became the highest profile victim of Klan-related assassination of a black civil rights leader at that time; gunned down in the couple’s driveway in Jackson. In the wake of his tragic death, Myrlie carried on their civil rights legacy; writing a book about Medgar’s fight, trying to win a congressional seat, and becoming a leader of the NAACP in her own right.

In this groundbreaking and thrilling account of two heroes of the civil rights movement, Joy-Ann Reid uses Medgar and Myrlie’s relationship as a lens through which to explore the on-the-ground work that went into winning basic rights for Black Americans, and the repercussions that still resonate today.

©2023 Joy-Ann Reid (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers

The courage and perseverance of black Americans during segregation.

I learned a lot about segregation struggles in America and the many unsung and celebrated heroes of the past.

Medger ✊🏾

This is a great love story about an underappreciated civil rights leader and his family. It’s beautiful, sad, inspiring, and the outcome, unfortunately, was inevitable.

Insightful

This book not only told us about Medgar Evers’ story, but of something that is often mentioned but never analyzed in civil rights stories: love. For it was love that brought change. And it was the love that Myrlie and Medgar had for each other that allowed him to keep going, to work toward making a difference. I really enjoyed listening to this book and the insightful perspective it provided.

A must read!

Thank you for telling the story that too many people know nothing about. I grew up in Mississippi in the late seventies, and didn't know who Medgar Evers was until I was in my forties. Thank you again! I loved hearing your voice on the Audible version of this book.

A beautiful story, well told

Using the thread of love to frame the story of Medgar and Myrlie’s incredible lives, loves, struggles, dreams, fierce activism, sacrifices, perseverance, and achievements, and how they shaped the world—elevating the lives of African Americans and all people, was captivating, enlightening, moving and simply phenomenal. Thank you Joy for bringing new depth and insight about the contributions of this amazing couple to humanity.

Enlightening and Beautiful!

Wonderfully written and told. The information was enlightening for me about history I thought I knew. The Evers were and are American Heroes! Joy Reid is a powerhouse.

Amazing storytelling

The author’s ability to put you in the rooms. I cried and laughed and learned so much.

What an Education

Joy-Ann, Thank you for educating us not only about this amazingly brave couple but about what it was like to be black in the American south in the 1950's and 60's. What a heartbreak and an inspiration. Beautifully told & narrated. Loved it. Sincerely, Liz Jardine

Heartbreakingly beautiful love and life story.

My Soror Joy-Ann Reid did that!!! What a beautifully woven story. So many facts I was unaware of though I “know” the story. Thank you.

Outstanding story of love and perseverance!

The outline of this book is so well written I was easily able to follow the journey and felt like I was standing next to Miss Reid as she detailed the love and life of the Evers family.