Book Review: Where Do We Go From Here — Chaos or Community? by MLK
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Here’s my first book review for 2021 Black History Month: Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community written by Martin Luther King, Jr in 1967.
Quick Facts
- This was Dr. King’s fourth and final book before his 1968 assassination.
- Dr. King sequestered himself in Jamaica to finalize the manuscript.
- This book is refreshing and will change your mind for the rest of your life.
3 Key Themes
- Themes on economic justice and civil rights.
- Themes on moral agency and universal law.
- Themes on civic duty and public service.
Personal Takeaways
MLK continues to further etch his place in the annals of history as one of America’s greatest orators, especially one such as the 20th century. Many times I caught myself putting the book down just to ponder on the philosophies and arguments he methodically lays out.
At great lengths, MLK goes out of his way to use great hyperboles or phrasings with great juxtaposition to coagulate the meaning of his argument. This litany of analogous expedients does the job well in crystalizing words from the former pastor.
He makes the argument for what most folks know today as a universal basic income or a guaranteed income (as he calls it) as a solution to for solving poverty. The crimes against Black Americans accrue to a series of economic injustices which MLK does his due diligence in referencing some fundamental economic data to elucidate for income and wages, affordable housing, healthcare, retirement savings, etc.
I would strongly recommend this book be taught in schools. There are plenty of moral arguments worth discussing, especially in a virtual climate we live in today. There’s a greater chance of moral hazard with the opportunity to generate latent level of anonymity online . Nevertheless, the logic behind the words are well worth the time spent to ruminate on the call to action. The concurrent theme is that the best time for action is to act now.
