The Third Reconstruction

How a Moral Movement Is Overcoming the Politics of Division and Fear

By: Rev Dr. William J. Barber II, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove

Narrated by: Chase Bradley

Length: 5 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

A modern-day civil rights champion tells the stirring story of how he helped start a movement to bridge America's racial divide.

Over the summer of 2013, the Reverend Dr. William J. Barber II led more than a 100,000 people at rallies across North Carolina to protest restrictions to voting access and an extreme makeover of state government. These protests - the largest state government-focused civil disobedience campaign in American history - came to be known as Moral Mondays and have since blossomed in states as diverse as Florida, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Ohio, and New York.

At a time when divide-and-conquer politics are exacerbating racial strife and economic inequality, Rev. Barber offers an impassioned, historically grounded argument that Moral Mondays are hard evidence of an embryonic third Reconstruction in America.

The first Reconstruction briefly flourished after Emancipation, and the second Reconstruction ushered in meaningful progress in the civil rights era. But both were met by ferocious reactionary measures that severely curtailed, and in many cases rolled back, racial and economic progress. This Third Reconstruction is a profoundly moral awakening of justice-loving people united in a fusion coalition powerful enough to reclaim the possibility of democracy - even in the face of corporate-financed extremism.

In this memoir of how Rev. Barber and allies as diverse as progressive Christians, union members, and immigration rights activists came together to build a coalition, he offers a trenchant analysis of race-based inequality and a hopeful message for a nation grappling with persistent racial and economic injustice. Rev. Barber writes movingly - and pragmatically - about how he laid the groundwork for a state-by-state movement that unites Black, White, and Brown; rich and poor; employed and unemployed; gay and straight; documented and undocumented; religious and secular. Only such a diverse fusion movement, Rev. Barber argues, can heal our nation's wounds and produce public policy that is morally defensible, constitutionally consistent, and economically sane. The Third Reconstruction is both a blueprint for movement building and an inspiring call to action from the 21st century's most effective grassroots organizer.

©2016 Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove (P)2016 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"A battle-hardened pastor calls for a faith-based, grass-roots movement for social justice.... It's the religious component that makes his story particularly interesting. Fully aware of the suspicion Bible-speak arouses in modern progressive circles, the author still insists on viewing the justice struggle through a moral prism, one always backstopped by 'a Higher Power.'" (Kirkus Reviews)

"William Barber is the closest person we have to Martin Luther King, Jr. in our midst. His life and witness is shot through with spiritual maturity, subversive memory, and personal integrity. This book lays bare his prophetic vision, historical analysis, and courageous praxis." (Cornel West, author of Black Prophetic Fire)

"Reverend William Barber and his allies are at the forefront of a new movement for justice our nation's children and families desperately need. This book presents a blueprint for moving forward together." (Marian Wright Edelman, founder of the Children's Defense Fund)

Great book, technical problem

Excellent book-- a statement of moral imperative (with relevant historical illustrations) rooted in transformative experiences, and a clarion call.

A technical issue is preventing me from giving it a 5 star rating overall-- the text of the afterword is also randomly dropped into the middle of the last chapter, and I can't tell whether it is simply annoyingly inserted or whether it overwrites part of that chapter.

Excellent Book & Content (naration needs work!).

Would you consider the audio edition of The Third Reconstruction to be better than the print version?

I am convinced the printed edition would have been better. The narrator's accent did not feel authentic, and their egregious mispronunciations of key words such as Pharisees and Elisha made it clear that they are not an expert on the subject and clearly did not read the book prior to narration. There also appears to be a digital error when one chapter repeats a whole section, and the end of the book inserts itself in the last chapter. This is very disappointing because the content of this book is critical to progress in America. Thank you Dr. Barber for your words of wisdom and relentless pursuit of morality & justice. I can only hope my generation will carry the torch forward!

What did you like best about this story?

This is a telling story of America: Past, Present, Future. Dr. Barber details lessons that many individuals do not know. Especially compelling is the emphasis on Fusion movements and how divisive the enemy of progress can be.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Incorrect pronunciation of basic words, in addition to the inauthentic accent. It took several chapters to get used to. If it were not for the historical content and relevance of the book I would have stopped at the very beginning.

What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?

Dr. Barber's highlighting the number of African Americans participating in Congress in 1865 as compared to today. I also truly valued how he brought more light and value to Rosa Parks' story beyond her being "tired" and refusing to give up her seat. It was an intelligent and intentional act.

Any additional comments?

Please forward the feedback about the narration to the author. He deserves better, and it would be disappointing that many could miss out on this valuable information simply because the narrator clearly has no connection or authenticity with what is being read.

Inspiring, Awakening, Relevant!

This book should be read by all high school seniors. Every American should read these words and take heed. Maybe then we could move "Forward together! Not one step back!"

Deserved better narration

I’m about 2/3 through and here’s my running list of mispronunciations:
North Carolinians (the author is a well-known local so this was particularly awful)
Legislature
Septuagenarian
Immorality (come on, obviously “immortality” was wrong in context!)
Mettle
Koch
Evangelism (the author is a pastor!!)

I know mistakes happen, but this is just sloppy. What a shame. This book is important and deserved better.

Great book. Indefensibly bad audio version.

The publisher and author should have rejected this recording. It's an important book and America needs a better audio edition than this one. Riddled with pronunciation errors (North Carolinian (not North Carolinan!), legislature, half the references to HKonJ, the *last name Koch* that is essential to the book). Southern accent appears and disappears. There's also a giant editing error in the middle and several pages are re-read.

Must Read

If you are a breathing human being you need to read this book. This is for everyone. The stay at home parents. The working parents. The rich and poor. The disempowered and the empowered.

I tried to get through it

This book is too important to have the narration butchered. The affected Southern accent that disappears midway is bad, but the severe mispronunciations are worse and frequent.

Very Important Book

If you could sum up The Third Reconstruction in three words, what would they be?

A compelling, clear-minded, hopeful look at a way forward for all Americans.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Dr. Barber shines the spotlight on many heroes of the moral movement he leads. I'm grateful to know more about his own story through this book and to understand more deeply how his straight ahead theology and personal story exist in a mutual conversation.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Sadly, especially for such and important book by a wonderful leader, the narration of the book is overrun by frequent mispronunciations of commonly used biblical names, theological terms, and well-known theologians. The high number of mispronunciations was distracting and is, frankly, stunning.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The privilege of hearing the genesis of Dr. Barber's physical challenges and his journey of overcoming some of them was deeply moving. Equally stirring were the story of the injustices that beset John McNeill and the story of the community in the woods.

Any additional comments?

Dr. Barber is one of the most gifted communicators of our time. I can only imagine that narrating his own book, normally a no-brainer for such an outstanding speaker, didn't rise to his list of priorities compared with the demands of his non-stop work for justice. I get it. Yet, this is an important book and deserved diligence in the recording and narration. The mispronunciations are very unfortunate. A producer is typically more responsible for that aspect of the narration than the narrator. As both a pastor and someone with a parallel career of over 30 years in major market broadcast and audio production, I would gladly donate my time to assist with the production of any future audio recordings of Dr. Barber's books.

Great story, less than great performance

Loved the story and it’s one that needs to be heard. The narrator didn’t seem too familiar with all the language and context of the story, which distracted for those of us more familiar with the ins and outs of faith-based organizing. The audiobook seemed to jump around also and not sure if this is my app or the recording, but I suspect it may be the latter.

good story and loved the southern accent

the southern accent made the book more enjoyable. what an inspiring story. worth the listen.