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After thirty years, Killing the Dream reexamines the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., based on explosive new interviews, confidential files, and previously undisclosed evidence.Killing the Dream not only uncovers the errors of previous investigations--both private and governmental--but resolves the speculation about whether the FBI, CIA, or mafia was involved in the death of Dr. King.

Killing the Dream untangles the case's leading puzzles:

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Was there a mysterious person called Raoul who directed James Earl Ray in the year leading up to the murder?

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Was the fatal shot fired from the bathroom window of a Memphis flophouse, or from a sniper's perch hidden in a densely overgrown garden across from King's hotel?

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Did the military have a covert team of snipers in Memphis on the day King was killed?

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Has the recent confession by a restaurant owner exposed a wide conspiracy leading to a New Orleans crime family?

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Was James Earl Ray a patsy, as the King family recently declared?

At the heart of this study is an in-depth profile of James Earl Ray himself, a fascinating portrait of a career criminal from one of the most forsaken parts of poor white America.By studying Ray's often bizarre life--from his hard childhood to his recent attempts to win a new trial and freedom from prison--Gerald Posner clears away years of misinformation.Killing the Dream follows Ray from his pro-Nazi leanings in the U.S. Army, through his many crimes, to King's murder and beyond, detailinghis dealing in and abuse of drugs, his desire to dabble in the porn business, and his obsession with making a quick profit, by any means.Posner re-creates the memorable dramas of the case: Dr. King's rousing "mountaintop" speech the night before he was killed; the chilling moments of the assassination; the FBI's far-ranging manhunt for the missing assassin; Ray's frantic flight across four countries as he tried to escape justice; the shock in the courtroom when Ray suddenly pled guilty and the truth in the case seemed forever lost.

Killing the Dream lays to rest three decades of conjecture and distortion--much of it spawned by Ray's frequently changing stories--to make the case for what happened in Memphis in 1968, and what most certainly did not.This groundbreaking book finally unveils the simple truth of the last great political murder mystery left from the 1960s.In this compelling account of the death of Martin Luther King, Jr., Gerald Posner thwarts James Earl Ray's determined efforts to take his secrets to the grave.Amazon.com Review
It's been 30 years since Martin Luther King Jr. was shot todeath in Memphis, an event that reverberated throughout a startledcountry still coming to terms with the assassination of President JohnF. Kennedy. Like Kennedy's, King's assassination sparked conspiracytheories about who or what faction was ultimately responsible for hisdeath. Did James Earl Ray act alone? Or was he a patsy?

In Killing the Dream, Gerald Posner, author of Case Closed,brings to light interesting new evidence, from confidential files topreviously undisclosed facts, in an attempt to discriminate rumor fromtruth. Posner looks for answers to questions about where the fatalshot was fired from, the role of elite military personnel who werepresent in the area, and what social connections drove Ray in the yearleading up to the murder.

Besides focusing on the day of the assassination and the courtroombattles that followed, Posner's book also offers a detailedexamination of Ray's life, from his years in the army to his career asa petty hood. This well-researched study of the characters and theevents preceding and following the murder makes for an honest,non-sensationalist journalistic account of events that have beendistorted and convoluted over time. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (43)

Why was, King assassinated?
IN- STEP WITH ESTABLISHMENT REVIEWERS, GERALD POSNER IS A "COMPANY MAN" AND FARCICAL LIAR "TAKING YOU FOR ANOTHER RIDE". HE WOULD HAVE YOU BELIEVE IN THE TOOTH FAIRY, THE EASTER BUNNY, SANTA CLAUSE AND THE LONE GUNMAN IN THE JFK ASSASSINATION AS WELL AS THIS LATEST FARCE. AND, AS IT RELATES TO POSNERS' CURRENT WORK OF HOCUS- POCUS, THINKING PEOPLE CAN REFER TO THE FOLLOWING YOUTUBE POSTINGS:
" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfAAl-EhzBE " (BE SURE TO CUE TIME COUNTER POSITION "01:40"), AND ALSO " http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sjHtczIKS4 "(BE SURE TO CUE TIME COUNTER POSITION "03:00") FORMORE, REALISTIC ACCOUNTS. ALSO, GO TO:
" http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/590.html "(BE SURE TO CUE TIME COUNTER POSITION "1:05:55") FORA "PERSON OF INTERESTS` "STORY OF EVENTS, OF THAT FATEFUL DAY IN AMERICAN HEGEMONY, er, HISTORY.
GET BACK @ ME.

Outstanding - and I'm pro-conspiracy!
Having read several books on MLK's assassination, and well over 100 on JFK's, I am not what you would call anti-conspiracy.When you mix in the fact that I found Posner's "Case Closed" to be absolutely horrible, well, you can understand why I expected to hate this one as well.Boy, was I wrong.

Posner's study of James Earl Ray and the MLK is far more reasoned - and reasonable - than "Case Closed" ever hoped to be.He does a terrific job of painting a portrait of Ray as a potential killer.And, while debunking most of the existing conspiracy theories, Posner does not dismiss conspiracy entirely.In fact, he implies that Ray conspired with his brothers to commit the crime in order to collect the bounty on MLK placed by a St. Louis man.

Read with an open mind and you just might be surprised!

An Excellent Read, But No "Case Closed"
Posner's book is an exhaustive and compelling study of the assassination of MLK, focussing almost entirely on James Earl Ray, the barely-bright loser who decided to kill him.The level of detail is really staggering-- Posner deserves praise for following up every smidgen of info about this cretinous character.The book is worth reading-- but I would recommend reading Posner's supremely accomplished "Case Closed" first, if you haven't.The JFK murder offers thousands of fascinating sideroads to explore, and Posner digs into each."Case Closed" is a masterstroke, so this book, covering a crime with a less compelling mystery, pales next to it.

James Earl Ray's Story
This book outlines the events leading up to the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., together with the subsequent investigations and controversies.Posner, trained in law, has hunted down the details of the case used as evidence in the various legal hearings over the years.He explains why King happened to be in Memphis that fateful day, and describes who King had been with and what they had been discussing in the minutes before the assassination.He also provides an extensive profile of James Earl Ray, from his parents' stormy marriage, to Ray's first arrests and incarcerations, to his jail break and attempts to flee the country prior to murdering King.Posner traces Ray's movements, both those substantiated through independent records and witnesses, as well as Ray's own accounts, written to fulfill media contracts to pay for his legal defense.Posner goes on to describe the various legal proceedings concerning Ray and the King case, and the development of conspiracy theories regarding the King assassination. He makes it clear, however, that any reasonable examination of the evidence points to Ray as the sole assassin.

A particularly disturbing aspect of King's assassination is that from the time of Ray's first detention in England following the murder, Ray's defense lawyers were to receive their compensation from the sale of Ray's story.Thus, Ray and his lawyers had every motivation to develop a sensational story to explain the damning evidence.Indeed, the more sensational, the better, since increased sales of the story would mean higher fees for the defense team.Posner describes here how the lawyers who agreed to defend Ray on these terms also had little motivation to provide a strong defense once the matter of the fees had been settled, and how this led to the decision to push for a plea bargain instead of a jury trial.From Posner's telling, it's unclear whether Ray was a schizophrenic who believed in his own tales, or a pathological liar who was especially skilled at weaseling out of crimes with preposterous stories.What is clear, though, is that Ray was extremely racist, so full of hate for Blacks, that while serving a prison term prior to shooting King, he wouldn't accept a transfer from a high security prison to the lower security prison farm because it would mean having to live and work with Blacks for the first time in his life.With this in mind, it is unfathomable that Ray was able, through construction of his stories, to convince members of the King family and other prominent African Americans of his innocence.Aside from the King assassination itself, that's the real tragedy of this story.

Posner does a remarkable job of uncovering what really happened in the case and pointing out the inconsistencies with Ray's claims.Posner details some of the more recent claims of conspiracy theorists, showing how they are completely unsubstantiated by military records and interviews with supposed witnesses.In some cases, Posner overstates himself, declaring that certain of Ray's actions are "clear evidence" when, at best, they might "strongly suggest" his motivations.Nevertheless, the story is well told and provides an informative account of this important episode in American history.

More Political Propaganda
This book, like Posner's book on The Kennedy Assassination, is one that claims (but fails to) solve the case. Posner's ego aside, this book also mimics the book He did on the Kennedy Assassination becausethis book, like the Kennedy one, is a book that is long on speculation, long on twisting things to suit his own opinion, but short on facts and short on truths.
This does not serve the readers of his books well, at all.
Then again, Posner cares so little about history that he doesnt even care enough to study the facts of history, so why should we be surprised when he cares less about his readers, and more about getting his name in the "spotlight"?
This book, like Posner's "Case closed" book, fails to close the case....in fact on its absurdity alone, it strengthens the notion that we the people have not been told the truth about the political assassinations that have killed our most talented leaders.
This book, true to Posner's writing style, is all one sided.
It does not consider other possibilities. It just tries to debunk alternative theories, but fails miserably, thus actually giving credence to the alternative theories.
Is this surprising? No. After all does anyone truly believe that this guy, this ONE man has actually solved two of the most mysterious murder cases in U.S. History, while thousands of others have failed? Posner wants us to believe that he has solved the cases that NOBODY else has been able to solve for decades. That alone should make him suspect.
Posner's books are propaganda for the government's "version" of these events (I.E. The version they WANT us to believe). The fact that one of the people who helped Posner to publish his books was once married to the Secretary of James Angleton, the CIA Counterintelligence chief (I.E. Disinformation Chief) should be a signal for people to not be suckered in by this man's books. But, by all means, enjoy them.


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Martin Luther King Jr.'s"Letter from Birmingham Jail" is arguably the most important written document of the civil rights protest era and a widely read modern literary classic.Personally addressed to eight white Birmingham clergymen who sought to avoid violence by publicly discouraging King's civil rights demonstrations in Birmingham, the nationally published "Letter" captured the essence of the struggle for racial equality and provided a blistering critique of the gradualist approach to racial justice.It soon became part of American folklore, and the image of King penning his epistle from a prison cell remains among the most moving of the era.Yet as S. Jonathan Bass explains in the first comprehensive history of King's "Letter," this image and the piece's literary appeal conceal a much more complex tale. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Birmingham
This story of the 8 pastors who rec'd Martin Luther King Jr's "Letter from the Birmingham Jail" is not only accurate and complete, but is written with sensitivity, skill and passion.The events of those days give Birmingham fair claim to being the City that Changed the World.But it did not come easy. An important book, and an engaging read.

One MLK Jr. Holiday, ISee More Need for Peacemakers!
All who lived during those momentous years of Southern turmoil of 1960's were greatly impacted by the laws of desegregation of the white churches and schools. As one renews his/her commitment to religious and social justice, it brings into focus our recent tragedies of Ruwanda, Iraq, Thailand, and Indonesia! Upon my own return to Professor Bass's BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS, I easily conjure up my perennial pictures of his accounts of eight white Ministers, their churches and families being turned inside/out or upside/down by Southern racial injustice.

In Bass's easy reading, documented, and dramatically illustrated account of eight white ministers' appeal for law, order, common sense, before and after the reception of MLK Jr's, "Letter From Birmingham Jail," I was transported back to 1963; Into mid-1965 when Earl Stallings became both my Pastor and my Good Friend! In spite of persistent segregationist pressure, not once did Earl consider turning black vsitors away from First Baptist Church of Birmingham. "If the people came to worship," Stallings wrote days after the incident "we had no Christian justification for closing our doors...if they came to provoke an incident, we were determined to have no part in this action."

Since 1954 the FBC maintained an open-door policy for any black visitors. From an early distinguished Pastor J T Ford, followed by Guy Sloan and Grady Cothen and Earl Stallings they reaffirmed that policy! Yet on the morning after they welcomed the first black visitors, newspapers all over the country printed large photographs of a cheerful Earl Stallings shaking hands with the black visitors. They included both the NEW YORK TIMES and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution!

From my perspective or from Prof. Jonathan Bass's perpspective, it appears that he gave a deeper account of the introspective thoughts or words of Earl Stallings, than from the other white ministers! Since MLK's Letter referred to outstanding persons' writing: Ralph McGill, Harry Golden, James McBride Dobbs, Ann Braden, Lillian Smith, and Sarah Patten Boyle, it seems that the author added deserving comments beside the eight pictures of those Ministers. Next to Earl Stallings picture he quoted his recent sermon: "We hear the call of truth, of righteousness, of justice, but we are not men enough to heed its challenge!"

From 1965 thru 1975 in his next pastorate, I often needed Earl's commitment to equality and social justice, as when I chose music of Fred Waring's "Easter Story of Black Spirituals" over Church dissent: "It's getting much too close for those Black threats of violence in our streets of Marietta on Good Friday, April 8th of 1968!" That same evening for the Good Friday Worship we had a full house with a few black families present! Retired Chaplain Fred W Hood

A Special Delivery Letter
It was just a letter written by a man in jail, on behalf of his race, attempting to address the social injustice of the time-right?Wrong!Martin Luther King's Letter From the Birmingham Jail is much more compelling, and the circumstances surrounding its final composition more complex than the average person knows.Ostensibly written to the eight white clergymen of the embittered and embattled steel city, it was intended for a much wider audience-namely the media and the American public. Blessed Are the Peacemakers provides the reader with individual profiles of the eight and their struggles of conscience as they saw an old social order collapse. What has been taken as the almost spur-of-the-moment reflections of Martin Luther King, in jail for civil disobedience, turns out to be a document much longer in the making and more calculated in its delivery.This disclosure in no way detracts from its rightful place in American folklore or its power in fueling Civil Rights Movement. Rather, it helps us understand the care with which the deep conviction of racial rights was presented.The book is not an apology for the eight clergy, some of whom were more progressive than others, but it does provide much needed insight for the serious student of history into the complex struggles, powerful emotions, and vitrolic attacks perpetrated on even the most moderate voices of the white clergy.What it does not do, of course, is speak of the many white clergy of lesser rank who paid a much higher price for their fight for justice for their black brothers and sisters.Still, to read about these eight leaders, (Roman Catholic, Episcopalian, Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, and Jewish) and their struggles is instructive. As an Alabama-born, white clergy expatriate from that period, marginally involved in the Civil Rights Movement, I hung on every word.These are reflections that should help black and white readers alike better understand this turbulent period. Statements from the eight white clergy as well as King's Letter are included in the appendix. ... Read more

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In a new edition of this biography, the author explores the motives, movements and message of the famous Civil Rights campaigner. ... Read more

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AIDS, Sexuality, and the Black Church: Making the Wounded Whole is a revealing account of AIDS activism within Black churches in New York City. AIDS has taken a devastating toll on the Black community. Blacks make up approximately 13% of the total United States population, but almost half of all those infected with HIV in the U.S. are Black. Previous research has claimed that these high rates are due, in large part, to the lack of an immediate response by Black Church leaders and officials when AIDS first began to strike Blacks in the early 1980s. The Black Church can play a major role in providing AIDS education to its parishioners and community. However, feeling uncomfortable with addressing sexuality and homosexuality, many Black churches have simply avoided addressing AIDS believing that such conversations were inappropriate for church. As a result, The Balm in Gilead was formed in 1992 to encourage AIDS awareness among Black religious institutions. The Balm in Gilead is now the largest organization to work exclusively with the Black Church to promote AIDS education and awareness.

In AIDS, Sexuality, and the Black Church, Angelique Harris examines the formation of the Black Church AIDS movement and the organizational development of The Balm in Gilead. This research begins from the perspective that the Black Church is working to address AIDS, and details how this work is being done. Harris couches her findings within social movement theory, the sociology of health and illness, social marketing, and the social construction of knowledge. This text provides a unique lens through which to examine AIDS discourse within the Black community. AIDS, Sexuality, and the Black Church is essential reading for AIDS scholars, researchers, and community activists alike. ... Read more

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A compelling, original, and highly readable account of the landmark week between Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination and his funeral. ... Read more

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Encompasses the most moving moments in American social history with the extraordinary civil rights leader.In addition to The American Dream speech which is where Dr. King expounds on applicable sections of the Declaration of Independence, in particular that section that refers to All Men Are Created Equal, this compilation includes excerpts from a speech delivered in June of 1966 at the Zion Church.Included in these segments is the infamous We Shall Overcome speech. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent!!!
This CD contains "excerpts" of five speeches given by MLK:

1) The American Dream
2) My Little Girl
3) All, Here, Now
4) We Must Work
5) We Shall Overcome

All these speeches are excerpts, not full speeches. The "We Shall Overcome" speech is only 1/3 of the full speech given by MLK. However, the "We Shall Overcome" portion is what I was looking for anyway!!!

If you are looking for the FULL speeches, keep searching. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (3)

A Fantastic Read
The authors of this text did an excellent job in comparing and contrasting Dr. King and Malcolm X. The text used many letters from both leaders, and showed how their ideals evolved throughout their lives.

Malcolm and Martin
This book presents the differences between arguably the two most famous civil rights activists of the fifties and sixties, as well as showing the convergence between their ideas and ideals toward the end of thier respective lives. It is readable, succinct and thorough. I highly recommend this book, especially to anyone who will be teaching this period in history to middle or high school students.

Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and the Civil Rights Struggle of the 1950s and 1960s: A Brief History with Documents (The Be
This book is absoltely terrific. It gave me everything I needed to understand the differences and similarities between these two phenomenal leaders. ... Read more

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Four centuries of African American preaching has provided hope, healing, and heaven for people from every walk of life. Many notable men and women of African American lineage have contributed, through the art of preaching, to the biblical emancipation and spiritual liberation of their parishioners. In African American Preaching: The Contribution of Dr. Gardner C. Taylor, Gerald Lamont Thomas offers a historical overview of African American preaching and its effect on the cultural legacy of black people, noting the various styles and genius of pulpit orators. The book’s focus is on the life, ministry, and preaching methodology of one of this era’s most prolific voices, Dr. Gardner C. Taylor, and should be read by everyone who takes the task of preaching seriously. ... Read more

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This biography traces the young Martin to his calling as a minister, who would take on the entrenched racism of the South and North, through non-violent movements that changed the course of American history. ... Read more

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209 PAGES. ... Read more

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Civil Rights 1967
Dr. King's penultimate book provides a snapshot of where we were in 1967. Two turning points had been reached.
First, his program of nonviolent direct action was clearly winning the struggle against old fashioned southern segregation, and Dr. King was looking toward the next step. He believed that the next logical step toward setting people free was a massive government program addressing the problem of poverty.

Second, within the civil rights movement, a "black power" mentality was gaining prominence. Some argued that whites should be excluded from the civil rights movement, and that nonviolence should be abandoned. Dr. King insisted that this approach would only balkanize our country, having disastrous effect, especially on blacks.

As with his other books, the author's brilliance, his scholarship, and his Christian love all come through.

It would be best to read "Stride Toward Freedom" and "Why We Can't Wait" before reading this one.

Martin's last words to America : Is anyone listening ?
Many of those who claim to admire Dr. King and quote from his I have a dream speech seem to have never read his books. This book is the best of all the books King has written and probably the least read. In it, Dr. King critiques himself for giving the then youthful leaders of the Black Power Movement too overly optimistic views of the progress of integration. He also presents the pros and cons of Black Power. He states the need for White America to do much more to improve race relations other than declaring racism to be wrong. He calls for the teaching of African-American history, and for the nation to focus more on helping the poor over military spending. This book should be mandatory reading for high school students, college students, teachers, public officials and business leaders. ... Read more

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Combining the latest insights from King biographies and movement histories, this book provides an up-to-date analysis of the relationship between the ¿man and the movement.¿

Customer Reviews (2)

Blood, sweat and tears - Lots of tears
It's not that I disagree with a review of this book, "an excellent read for the black youth of today". I just feel that whatever useful tools and social benefits this book presents, and there is literally a truckload of them, they cannot be segregated.

AQuality comparison
The late Louis E. Lomax (1922-1970) wrote this book shortly after Dr. King's assassination. He traces the path of both leaders. He shows the forces that brought the 2 leaders together on many issues. He also show the opposition forces to these men that materialized into assassins. I recommend that you read this book. ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from The Black Collegian, published by iMinorities, Inc. on February 1, 2001. The length of the article is 1439 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: The Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Three Decades Later: How Fares the Dream.
Author: Russell L. Adams
Publication: The Black Collegian (Magazine/Journal)
Date: February 1, 2001
Publisher: iMinorities, Inc.
Volume: 31Issue: 2Page: 88

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