The Movement Made Us

A Father, a Son, and the Legacy of a Freedom Ride

De: David J. Dennis Jr., David J. Dennis Sr.

Narrado por: Cary Hite, Leon Nixon

“The Movement Made Us takes literature to a momentous Southern Black space to which I honestly never thought a book could take us. This is literally the Movement that made us and both Davids love us whole here with a creation that is as ingenious as it is soulfully sincere. Stunning.”—Kiese Laymon, author of Heavy

A dynamic family exchange that pivots between the voices of a father and son, The Movement Made Us is a unique work of oral history and memoir, chronicling the extraordinary story of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s and its living legacy embodied in Black Lives Matter. David Dennis Sr, a core architect of the movement, speaks out for the first time, swapping recollections both harrowing and joyful with David Jr, a journalist working on the front lines of change today.

Taken together, their stories paint a critical portrait of America, casting one nation’s image through the lens of two individual Black men and their unique relationship. Playful and searching, anxious and restorative, fearless and driving, this intimate memoir features scenes from across David Sr’s life, as he becomes involved in the movement, tries to move beyond it, and ultimately returns to it to find final solace and new sense of self—revealing a survivor who travels eternally with a cabal of ghosts.

A crucial addition to Civil Rights history, The Movement Made Us is the story of a nation reckoning with change and the hopes, struggles, setbacks, and triumphs of modern Black life. This is it: the extant chronicle of why we live, why we move, and for what we are made.

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Felt Everything. At Time I Thought I Was There. The Pain Stays With Me. Peace

Probably the best audio book I've listened to

excellent memoir, well-narrated! The history, well-recounted, was engrossing. I put it down only once or twice to absorb and remember the depth of what happened. Highly recommended!!

Beautifully written

I truly appreciate this book. As a history professor I’ve been exposed to so much, and it is difficult at times to explain to students how activist, and their experiences during different movements, might’ve impacted society and their families. The stories in this book were so well told that it provided a visual, while also sparking a multitude of conversations.

A must read especially if you are doing community healing work.

The connections the Author makes from the movement to his family, to the Black Family and America ring true and profound. This work is gut wrenching, confirming, and enlightening all at the same time.
I cannot begin to imagine how difficult it must have been for the Author and his Father to relive these accounts….and yet I am sincerely grateful for the sharing of their stories.

Powerful

Amazing story about the legacy of the civil rights movement. Beautifully told, loved the point of view.