The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation
- Downloads：1586
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-05-08 00:31:04
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Anna Malaika Tubbs
- ISBN：125075612X
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Nancy Lilly
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Brilliant！！ The stories of the mothers behind three of the most prominent civil rights leaders。 Indeed tragic that their sons lost their lives in these horrific ways。
Nadia Hakim
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This author pieced together what she could from footnotes and other scant bits of information about these women。 I was nervous at first since she mentioned in her foreword she was completing her doctorate。 I thought that her language would maybe be really academic or hard to follow， but I was very much mistaken。 She takes all the little pieces and weaves the heartbreaking stories of these three women beautifully in a way that most people would be able to understand。 Every detail feeds into these This author pieced together what she could from footnotes and other scant bits of information about these women。 I was nervous at first since she mentioned in her foreword she was completing her doctorate。 I thought that her language would maybe be really academic or hard to follow， but I was very much mistaken。 She takes all the little pieces and weaves the heartbreaking stories of these three women beautifully in a way that most people would be able to understand。 Every detail feeds into these stories in such a powerful way， including the quotes she has at the beginning of the chapters， the story of Leapers Hill in Grenada， the similarities with Mamie Till， etc。 Bravo， Dr。 Tubbs！P。S。 A prime example of how black women’s stories are often lost: I wanted to draw attention to the fact that most people have no idea that Alberta King （MLK Jr。‘s mother） was shot and killed in her church。 I definitely didn’t know until this book。 。。。more
Lindsay Martin
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3。5 stars
Susan
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Good topic and learned a few interesting things about each mother， but lackluster writing and no source notes！ Chapters are repetitious。 That said， I was surprised to learn that each mother was an activist in her own right。 This book made me want to learn more about both the mothers and their famous sons。
Alona
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This book and it’s concept are incredibly important！ I loved learning about the lives of these mothers。 I was disappointed by the disorganization， and what felt like heavy reliance on speculation。 I learned a great deal about these women and the conditions of their lives which paved the way for James Baldwin， MLK， and Malcom X。 I definitely recommend， just was pretty disappointed in the delivery。
Shana
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Anna Malaika Tubbs uses the stories of these 3 Black mothers to tell a larger story about Black motherhood。 The individual stories were fascinating， and the overall love note to Black women made me choke up more than once。
Eric Brown
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This book reminds us that no “man” is self-invented and that the greatest among us have been indelibly shaped by persons that history often ignores。 This is also a beautiful ode to Black mothers， their love and resilience in the face of profound disrespect and attempts at dehumanization。
Kerry Beth
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I won an Advanced Reader Copy of this book in a Goodreads Giveaway。 Thank you！This book focuses on the life stories of the mothers of three men who became well known and influential Civil Rights activists， the mothers of Martin Luther King， Jr。， Malcolm X， and James Baldwin。 It’s important for us all to read accounts like this - stories that show us the circumstances that build men like the sons of these women， and why Civil Rights， equality， dialogue and visibility matter。
NIGEL PEARCE
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Here is a look at the black women we have never honored for thier great contribution to this day。 Alberta， Louise， Bertis have the resilency that gave thier sons the sense of God and sense of justice。
Michelle Marie
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Loved it。 Interesting to hear their stories。
Caitlin
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Wow， this book was incredible！ You can feel the love and care Tubbs poured into her storytelling to honor these three women。
Stephanie LeBlanc-Godfrey
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I learned so many new things about these 3 leaders that I never heard before on top of the detailed journey the author took us on to learn about their mothers。 It was incredible to see how connected they were and her ability to put together their history has inspired me to put together my own so it can be passed on to each generation。 In the face of the intentional erasure of black women in history， this book did an outstanding job in undoing some of that and I am grateful for it
Rachel Maxwell
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A Tribute to Black Mothers！ The author compares and contrasts the lives of Berdis Baldwin， Louise Little， and Alberta Martin。 I enjoyed learning more about these women and the inclusion of all black mothers in the storyline。
Megan
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Fascinating book about the lives the three women had and how their experiences shaped who they were。
Sara
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Tubbs brings life three impressive and influential black mothers from our nation's history。 Moms that are not household names or honored like their sons。 Their life stories are filled with resilience， love， and unfortunately， hate。 All three were born within a decade of each other and buried their sons。 I appreciated how Tubbs provided a historical framework so the reader could grasp the racial climate and understand how much they endured as young black mothers。 It's remarkable how Tubbs crafted Tubbs brings life three impressive and influential black mothers from our nation's history。 Moms that are not household names or honored like their sons。 Their life stories are filled with resilience， love， and unfortunately， hate。 All three were born within a decade of each other and buried their sons。 I appreciated how Tubbs provided a historical framework so the reader could grasp the racial climate and understand how much they endured as young black mothers。 It's remarkable how Tubbs crafted their stories given the little historical data she had to work with， all in the context of the disregard， violence， and neglect black moms braved。 I would had loved to know more about Louise Little， whose story I knew nothing of prior to reading this。 Hers really gutted me。 Their brilliance， devotion， and undying love is beautifully captured。 Cheers to Tubbs' celebration of black moms and the vital role they play in their children's lives。 。。。more
vanessa
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Thanks LibroFM for an ALC of this highly anticipated book。 The idea for this book is really cool: the fact that these women were mostly all born around the same time and had sons about the same ages。 It was fascinating how their lives connected though they did not know each other and how the work of their sons connected （all involved in civil rights and two who died around the same time period）。 I especially found fascinating how the mothers' own upbringings shaped how they raised their sons， li Thanks LibroFM for an ALC of this highly anticipated book。 The idea for this book is really cool: the fact that these women were mostly all born around the same time and had sons about the same ages。 It was fascinating how their lives connected though they did not know each other and how the work of their sons connected （all involved in civil rights and two who died around the same time period）。 I especially found fascinating how the mothers' own upbringings shaped how they raised their sons， like being an immigrant， or religiously-affiliated， or dealing with mental illness/domestic issues。 The writing， though， didn't live up to the message and topic。 It felt simplistic， repetitive， and a little half-baked。 I liked parts where the author injected her own take/story of being a black mother， but I also felt like generally that the introduction and conclusion from her POV was the main reason she wrote this book and there wasn't enough information on Berdis， Louise， and Alberta to write a whole book。 A big pet peeve of mine in history books is when authors write that their subjects "would've seen，" "would've heard about，" "would've felt this" without legit evidence supporting those statements。 This book also did that very often。 。。。more
Jbondandrews
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Three incredible women。 I hope Anna Malaika Tubbs writes more。
Rachel
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I was so excited to read this book。 Motherhood is a topic in which there really is a dearth of stories。 What I loved was the honor and respect she gave each woman in her individual circumstances and characteristics。 I appreciated her recognizing the role faith in God had in giving each woman a sense of hope and worth; and how they each instilled a deep sense of worth and faith in their children。 Look what that faith in God enabled their children to do！Yet， there was something so divisive about t I was so excited to read this book。 Motherhood is a topic in which there really is a dearth of stories。 What I loved was the honor and respect she gave each woman in her individual circumstances and characteristics。 I appreciated her recognizing the role faith in God had in giving each woman a sense of hope and worth; and how they each instilled a deep sense of worth and faith in their children。 Look what that faith in God enabled their children to do！Yet， there was something so divisive about this book。 Everytime I connected deeply with the journey of motherhood from the lives of Alberta， Berdis， and Louise this connection was severed by pontification。 This was unnecessary， their stories speak for themselves。The stories of Alberta， Berdis， and Louise prove that suffering is inevitable。 They show us that the strength we seek， to overcome it and to be self-directed， comes from faith in God and an inclusive love for family and neighbor。 Suffering cannot be eliminated through policy。 Only when we as a people feel accountable to God for how we， "。。。love God and our neighbor as ourself" will we be able to lift the burdens of those who suffer。 。。。more
Candice
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The author goes into the early lives of the three mothers as well as their sons。 There was some history of race relations in this country as well。 It was interesting to see how these three important men were shaped by their mothers' values and efforts。 Life was not always easy， but Alberta King， Berdis Baldwin， and Louise Little raised three men who continue to influence this country even after their deaths。 The author goes into the early lives of the three mothers as well as their sons。 There was some history of race relations in this country as well。 It was interesting to see how these three important men were shaped by their mothers' values and efforts。 Life was not always easy， but Alberta King， Berdis Baldwin， and Louise Little raised three men who continue to influence this country even after their deaths。 。。。more
Ann
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I loved the premise of this book， focusing on the mothers of three very prominent black leaders。 I had hoped to learn how the mothers influenced their famous sons。 But this book had a very definite agenda and I am not sure she proved her point。Alberta King， mother of Martin Luther King， was an educated black woman raised in a loving middle class home。 She raised her children to love peace， social justice and their Christian faith。 MLK may have inherited his oratorical skills from his father but I loved the premise of this book， focusing on the mothers of three very prominent black leaders。 I had hoped to learn how the mothers influenced their famous sons。 But this book had a very definite agenda and I am not sure she proved her point。Alberta King， mother of Martin Luther King， was an educated black woman raised in a loving middle class home。 She raised her children to love peace， social justice and their Christian faith。 MLK may have inherited his oratorical skills from his father but nothing in his upbringing led to his activism and courage。 His mother may have supported him but she feared for his safety。Louise Little， the mother of Malcolm X， faced every kind of abuse including poverty， domestic abuse and institutionalized racism。 After the murder of her husband， she had a nervous breakdown and spent 26 years in a mental institution。 Her 8 children were sent to foster homes。 Malcolm was starting a life of crime when he became a leader of the Nation of Islam。 He became very controversial when he espoused separatism。 He was actually killed by other members of the Nation of Islam。James Baldwin may have been most influenced by his mother Berdis' love of words。 She raised 9 children and kept them safe from an abusive husband。 James who was dealing with his sexuality spent most of his life in Europe but bought a home for his mother and other family members。 They wrote letters faithfully his entire life。I found the book confusing and the writing sophomoric。 It might have been better if she had focused on one mother at a time。 I also think she was hampered by a lack of information on these women。 I give her credit for highlighting these women before they were totally forgotten。 。。。more
Leila Mills
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This book educated and inspired me。 It made me weep。 It threw weathered logs into the fire of my soul that burns for the black cause in America and I can’t thank this author enough for the work she did to bring it to us。 Love， protect， and fight for black women！
NuevoRain
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Listened to audiobook。 Excellent analysis of the women who made the men who were leaders in the civil rights movement in America。 The author draws strong lines between the mother’s strength of conviction to equity and morality and their sons later work。 Well done， but with limited information about these women， the reader is left wanting even more
Meg E。 Evans
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Changing the narrative to center the story of Black historical figures （all men） on Black mothers and Black motherhood is a brilliant and needed lens switch。 Well researched and seamlessly tied to contemporary issues， Tubbs speaks of Black motherhood from the personal and political。 She started this research as a doc student （which is hella impressive） and turned it into this text。 The book， at times， paints with （almost） rose colored glasses， not wanting to critique the families at all。 Annndd， Changing the narrative to center the story of Black historical figures （all men） on Black mothers and Black motherhood is a brilliant and needed lens switch。 Well researched and seamlessly tied to contemporary issues， Tubbs speaks of Black motherhood from the personal and political。 She started this research as a doc student （which is hella impressive） and turned it into this text。 The book， at times， paints with （almost） rose colored glasses， not wanting to critique the families at all。 Annndd， I get it。 Black mothers are always harshly and unfairly critiqued， and this text veers from that troupe， sometimes to the effect of widening （rather than narrowing） the lens。 Thoughtful text with clear expectations for supporting and honoring Black mothers and motherhood。 。。。more
Kelsey Matthews
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A brilliantly researched book。 I learned a lot about the mothers of Martin Luther King， Jr。， Malcolm X， and James Baldwin。
janaynachel
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Thank you for this book！ 🖤
Key N。
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I started this book with high hopes， especially seeing that the author became a mother while writing this， and ended terribly disappointed。 The book could have been great with a clear path， editing， and pictures of the letters referenced。 I am left wondering， aside being born close to the same time and birthing sons close in age， why the author chose these three mothers—especially with Berdis Baldwin being an outlier in the company she is related to。 To me， the saving grace of this book is what I started this book with high hopes， especially seeing that the author became a mother while writing this， and ended terribly disappointed。 The book could have been great with a clear path， editing， and pictures of the letters referenced。 I am left wondering， aside being born close to the same time and birthing sons close in age， why the author chose these three mothers—especially with Berdis Baldwin being an outlier in the company she is related to。 To me， the saving grace of this book is what the reader can imagine from the information given of Louise Little。 The author relied on quotes to bolster LL’s sections of the book， and for that I am grateful in finding new books to read。 In all， I give this book to someone who knows nothing of Black history and wants a quick coffee table read to begin their journey in the depths of the history。 。。。more
Beth
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"I am tired of Black women being hidden。 I am tired us not being recognized。 I am tired of being erased。 In this book， I have tried my best to change this for three women in history whose spotlight is long overdue， for the erasure of them is the erasure of all of us。" --Anna Malaika TubbsIn this book， Anna Maliaka Tubbs weaves together the stories of three Black women who， though markedly different each other， are bound together by the fame of their sons: Malcolm X， Martin Luther King Jr， and Ja "I am tired of Black women being hidden。 I am tired us not being recognized。 I am tired of being erased。 In this book， I have tried my best to change this for three women in history whose spotlight is long overdue， for the erasure of them is the erasure of all of us。" --Anna Malaika TubbsIn this book， Anna Maliaka Tubbs weaves together the stories of three Black women who， though markedly different each other， are bound together by the fame of their sons: Malcolm X， Martin Luther King Jr， and James Baldwin。 Tubbs also places their stories in historical context and， in her conclusion， notes how many Black women of today continue to face challenging， unjust circumstances。Truthfully， I was not quite sure about this book at first: the writing was dry in places， and sometimes I felt like the author was stretching a bit to make the scant evidence fit her thesis。 But as I listened， I came to appreciate this book。 I'm in the middle of Malcolm X's autobiography right now， and I'm realizing what a narrow perspective I had of Louise Little based on just one perspective -- even if it was her own son's。 Louise's long life was punctuated by twenty years in a mental institution that defined much of Malcolm's experience with her; Tubbs argues that even her son didn't understand the influence she had on his life。 This book made me realize and remember that people are so much more than one person's perspective of them; I'm glad I got a more complete view of Louise -- as well as the other mothers in this book。I also really appreciated this book's strong conclusion。 Rather than apologizing for or shrugging off the lack of details in her research， Tubbs counters that she did her best with what she could find， arguing that telling the story of Black women -- no matter how incomplete -- gives them the honor and recognition they deserve。 She hopes that more will be written about these women， and that this book will only act as a springboard for further research。This is a book I'm glad I listened to。 I learned a lot -- both about these outstanding women and about how I might better support Black mothers today through my votes for those who will support social policies。 。。。more
Brad McKenna
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My review is here。 My review is here。 。。。more
Sofia Colon
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I highly recommend this book to help understand the importance and influence of Black women， Black motherhood， and Black families。 As a mother， I'm always curious how our leaders were raised。 However， I usually find a passage or a short story only around Mother's Day。 The Three Mothers goes far deeper than I had ever read before。 In one book， we can follow the common threads and distinct differences between Berdis， Louise， and Alberta。 I especially found interesting that we are taken a generatio I highly recommend this book to help understand the importance and influence of Black women， Black motherhood， and Black families。 As a mother， I'm always curious how our leaders were raised。 However， I usually find a passage or a short story only around Mother's Day。 The Three Mothers goes far deeper than I had ever read before。 In one book， we can follow the common threads and distinct differences between Berdis， Louise， and Alberta。 I especially found interesting that we are taken a generation earlier to learn about the mother's upbringing。 Many times， I reflected on the women in my own family history because I found connections in the timeline。 I was emotionally moved by each mother's perseverance and love while raising a family in a racist society。 I'm eager to read more。 。。。more
Megan
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