Behind the Dream: The Making of the Speech that Transformed a Nation

Clarence B. Jones · Stuart Connelly

Mar 2012 · Sold by St. Martin's Press

About this ebook

"I have a dream." When those words were spoken on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963, the crowd stood, electrified, as Martin Luther King, Jr. brought the plight of African Americans to the public consciousness and firmly established himself as one of the greatest orators of all time. Behind the Dream is a thrilling, behind-the-scenes account of the weeks leading up to the great event, as told by Clarence Jones, co-writer of the speech and close confidant to King. Jones was there, on the road, collaborating with the great minds of the time, and hammering out the ideas and the speech that would shape the civil rights movement and inspire Americans for years to come.

About the author

Clarence B. Jones served as speechwriter and counsel to Martin Luther King, Jr. and is currently a scholar-in-residence and visiting professor at Stanford University's Martin Luther King, Jr. Institute. Selected by Time magazine in 1972 as one of "The 100 Future Leaders of America," and twice recognized in Fortune magazine as "A Businessman of the Month," Jones has received numerous state and national awards recognizing his significant contributions to American society. He lives in Palo Alto, CA.
Stuart Connelly is an author and filmmaker. He is a recent National Educational Press Association Award winner and blogs for The Huffington Post. He divides his time between rural Pennsylvania and New York.