In lieu of analysis, [Kix] opts for character development and edge-of-your-seat drama ... His conceit works magnificently; the story is a gripping reminder that organizing is difficult work, that it requires faith and discipline, and that the best-laid plans can lead simultaneously to the worst and most successful outcomes ... Like many event histories, Kix’s suffers from a bit of structural myopia. Everything is filtered through a single moment and place.
Kix’s vivid and often maddening account of police brutality, ignorant racism, and the power of misguided ideas makes for sobering reading ... An eloquent contribution to the literature of civil rights and the ceaseless struggle to attain them.
A gripping, novelistic account ... Eschewing rose-colored reminiscences in favor of knotty reckonings with the SCLC’s internal rivalries, supercharged egos, and "'endless' deliberation," Kix makes a persuasive case that Birmingham saved a floundering organization and galvanized the Kennedy administration to commit to civil rights.
