Stride toward freedom

Readers of this book get two simultaneous lessons. At one level, the book is an account, from King's perspective, of the run-up to and execution of the Montgomery bus boycott of 1955-1956. As a leader in the movement, King is naturally in a position to give the insider's view of how the boycott came together, the challenges that it faced, and its successful resolution. Yet reading the book in 2024, one cannot help but notice that the book works at another level as well: King details his own intellectual journey towards embracing nonviolent action, discusses the many thinkers who contributed to his understanding of nonviolence, and develops a theory of what nonviolent action is and isn't (when and how it works). As a result, the modern-day reader will find tools in this book that they can use today, and a rich philosophical underpinning for their use. King's rebukes against white moderates who stand in the way of the battle against oppression should hopefully give readers some pause as they contemplate their own role in the struggle against oppression.