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(More customer reviews)Clay Risen's A Nation On Fire is a detailed account of the events leading up to, and the immediate aftermath of, the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King. Although this would seem to be a well-covered topic, Mr. Risen points out that prior to his book's release, this period has never been given an in-depth, book-length treatment, but instead has been described in brief, often as part of larger historical works on the era, the civil rights movement, or Dr. King. In discussing the need for a thorough and detailed look at these pivotal few weeks, Mr. Risen points out both the immediate impact this event had on the nation, as well as the profound and dynamic long-term impacts on domestic policy, social attitudes, and the reshaping of political fault lines - impacts that continue to be felt up to this very moment. In a larger sense, this book does an exceptional job of portraying a snapshop of the nation at a pivotal moment, and on a smaller scale, the impacts that Dr. King's assassination had on several major metro areas, with particular focus on the riots in D.C. For that reason alone, anyone who has spent some time in the District will find this book particularly interesting. The massive riots in D.C. and Baltimore have become something of an historical afterthought outside of D.C. (and some would argue in D.C. as well), but the impact of the riots was so great as to result in the unprecedented situation of the military being brought in to briefly occupy our nation's capital.
So, it's pretty obvious that anyone with an interest in the civil rights movement, the `60's, or just contemporary history and politics, will likely get a lot out of this book. However, I'd be remiss if I didn't stress just how compulsively readable this thing is - make no mistake, this is no dry history lesson or academic tracing of a timeline. Clay is an impressive writer, and the book quickly becomes an addictive page turner. The events leading up to the assassination create an air of tragic tension and the detailed coverage of the riots and the response reads like a first-rate thriller.
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