Good books are good to read. Great books are good to read and invoke dialogue and discussions that last long after the reading of the final page.

 

Has the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. become too sacrosanct?  To many the mere mention of Dr. King that is not followed by a glowing reverent comment or phrase is fighting words. Should the man himself be revered in such a way? Is it possible to mention the man or the issues in his life aside from his involvement in the civil rights movement without being branded a race-traitor or having one’s Black card revoked?

The question arises as I have recently completed reading a work of historical fiction that focuses on the Civil Rights period. Our Man In The Dark – authored by Rashard Harrison takes place during the civil rights movement. The plot is centered around a “fictitious” book keeper that is part of Dr. King’s staff  who gets caught up in an embezzlement scheme and finds himself immersed in various plots and schemes by “government agents”, to discredit not only Dr. King but the entire  civil rights movement.

As an avid reader who usually runs into historical fiction that focuses on European history, it was an exceedingly refreshing change to luck up on a book who’s setting was the civil rights movement. It is something that I can from experience relate to more so than the lochs of Scotland or European royal families.

The book itself while fiction, is a realistic look at how individuals can and do get caught up in situations that snowball and draw in everyone around them, usually with negative results. This particular book taps into actual history in that there are known documented attempts by  the government at that time to come up with information that would portray Dr. King in a bad light, thereby discrediting the Civil Rights Movement and putting an “end to it” for those who were not interested in rights being extended to blacks.

If you partake of the mindset that Dr. King’s life and legacy are inviolate, you may very well find this book somewhat off-putting. The author – Rashard Harrison does not shy away from the issues that were brought forth in the surveillance that was placed on the leaders of the civil rights movement including Dr. King.  If however you are a fan of black history, and enjoy reading a riveting piece of fiction that is hard to put down even at the very end – then you will enjoy this book.

This is to say that the characters in the book are presented as real life. There is no censoring or editing of the issues that are faced and they are perhaps drawn with words that illustrate life not only as it was then but as many of us experience it currently irrespective of time.  This actually translates into issues that are as current now as they were back then.

I find it most helpful that books like this exist to create dialogues that go beyond the surface issues of the Civil Rights movement. What was done, what was wanted and what was accomplished are most well understood by many. Some of the issues that were dealt with including the reverence of leaders even then are issues now that we are currently dealing with and resonate on many levels.

The methods and initiatives that were put in place during the Civil Rights movement were very real and in some instances quite heinous to say the least. You can find many of the tactics used at that time finding new ways to resurface now during what is shaping up to be bloody presidential election  in 2012, where no quarter will be given.  The over-sensitivity that is thrown up whenever someone mentions the dog-whistles being used by many Tea Party and GOP members can be traced back to similar tactics utilized at this time.

As to Dr. King’s legacy – I feel that the concept of presenting all of the issues he faced aside from those directly related to the Civil Rights movement is not only in keeping with a more accurate portrayal of the man, but reflects the fact that leadership is does not automatically bestow Saintly goodness.

It reflects the fact that we are all, regardless of gender, station or position in life human beings. We are all subject to the same issues that those who have not been thrust into the spotlight are and we have varying degrees of success with dealing with those issues just as most human beings do.  No one alive is perfect. Some may be closer than others on some levels but perfection on all levels by a living human being is perhaps raising the bar too high for anyone to aspire to. Maintaining that level of expectation may keep many who have talents and abilities that would benefit society away as they chose not to live their lives under such scrutiny .