Branch’s trilogy, America in the King Years, conceived
nearly a quarter-century ago, runs to more than 2,300
pages. The author brings his subject to a close with an
ambitious, meticulously researched, sprawling tome that
follows his Pulitzer Prize–winning Parting the Waters:
America in the King Years, 1954–1963 (1989) and the well-
received Pillar of Fire: America in the King Years, 1963–
1965 (1998). Reviewers draw comparisons between Branch’s
effort and Carl Sandburg’s celebrated six-volume study of
Abraham Lincoln from the first half of the twentieth
century. At Canaan’s Edge suffers on occasion from its
desire to be a comprehensive look at King and his times
(one reviewer remarks that Branch too readily rehashes old
information). Nonetheless, it is a passionate, detailed,
and important examination of a larger-than-life figure.
© 2003-2025 off-the-edge.net
all rights reserved Privacy Policy