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The Three Mothers
The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation | Anna Malaika Tubbs
14 posts | 12 read | 18 to read
Much has been written about Berdis Baldwin's son James, about Alberta King's son Martin Luther, and Louise Little's son Malcolm. But virtually nothing has been said about the extraordinary women who raised them. In her groundbreaking and essential debut The Three Mothers, scholar Anna Malaika Tubbs celebrates Black motherhood by telling the story of the three women who raised and shaped some of America's most pivotal heroes. One of Fortune Magazine's 21 Books to Look Foward to in 2021 Badass Women's Bookclub pick for "Badass Books We Cant Wait to Read in 2021!" Berdis Baldwin, Alberta King, and Louise Little were all born at the beginning of the 20th century and forced to contend with the prejudices of Jim Crow as Black women. These three extraordinary women passed their knowledge to their children with the hope of helping them to survive in a society that would deny their humanity from the very beginningfrom Louise teaching her children about their activist roots, to Berdis encouraging James to express himself through writing, to Alberta basing all of her lessons in faith and social justice. These women used their strength and motherhood to push their children toward greatness, all with a conviction that every human being deserves dignity and respect despite the rampant discrimination they faced. These three mothers taught resistance and a fundamental belief in the worth of Black people to their sons, even when these beliefs flew in the face of Americas racist practices and led to ramifications for all three families safety. The fight for equal justice and dignity came above all else for the three mothers. These women, their similarities and differences, as individuals and as mothers, represent a piece of history left untold and a celebration of Black motherhood long overdue.
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kspenmoll
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“…black women living in a ‘“crookedroom…”‘

#NonfictionNovember #TBR #NovelNovember #readathon

TheBookHippie I enjoyed this read. 5mo
kspenmoll @TheBookHippie I wondered if you had read it! 5mo
Hooked_on_books I‘ve heard good things about this one. 5mo
Andrew65 Looks a good read. 5mo
54 likes2 stack adds4 comments
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ChaoticMissAdventures
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Mehso-so

I have read a bit about MLK, Malcolm, and Baldwin and how their lives overlapped and intersected so I was excited to pick up this book about their mother's. I feel a bit let down, and now that I look farther at the cover the fact that the women's names are not even here tells me something about the book. There didn't seem to be enough information for Tubbs to work with. Moments I felt significant get a few sentences. The focus on the boys 👇

ChaoticMissAdventures I also felt the writing was a bit disjointed, it would flip from one woman to the other so consistently I had a hard time keeping track of who we were talking about. I did learn some new things, especially about after the men's deaths, but that too felt a bit unmoored as I tried to piece together the timeline. This will be a good read for those without a good background of the men themselves. 3⭐ 5mo
24 likes1 stack add1 comment
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ChaoticMissAdventures
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#10BeforeTheEnd

A trend going around Tiktok!

What are 10 books you are hoping to get to before the end of 2023?

Suet624 Thanks for reminding me I want to read this book! 5mo
ChaoticMissAdventures @Suet624 almost done, it is a bit light on the mother's, which is odd. It feels a bit like she didn't have enough information so a good portion of the book is filler. But it is a quick read. Would be interested in what you think if you get to it. 5mo
Suet624 @ChaoticMissAdventures oh, that‘s kind of a bummer about the filler! 5mo
24 likes3 comments
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ChaoticMissAdventures
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Weekend Reads
#NFNR

Reading about MLK, Malcolm X, and James Baldwin's mothers. And a short history about Queer Canada this weekend.

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Sharpeipup
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“I imagine that one of the reasons people cling to their hates so stubbornly is because they sense, once hate is gone, that they will be forced to deal with pain.“

34 likes2 stack adds
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Sydneypaige
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Giving these important women their flowers, finally 💐💐💐 this was beautifully written, told, and researched. There is so much about the families of these three influential Black men that wasn‘t recorded or was lost or was systematically destroyed, and this helps fill in some of what isn‘t told of their lives through their mothers. Absolutely worth a read, even if non fiction isn‘t usually your jam.

5 likes2 stack adds
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Amandajoy
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Gus finally decided to let me read.

wanderinglynn Aw, what a cutie! ❤️🐶 3y
39 likes1 comment
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Amandajoy
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I have today off - in a quiet house which is my favorite thing. I was planning on settling in with my book & a cup of tea, but Gus is making it difficult. Good thing he‘s cute.

AmyG Awwww❤️ 3y
TheBookHippie 🤍🐶 3y
44 likes2 comments
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Butterfinger
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Pickpick

My heart hurts. Why did I not know about Dr. King's mother? I'm so grateful for Tubbs for researching and writing this important book. She wrote this as a product of her dissertation on Black Motherhood. Not only is MLK's mother's gift is written, but also James Baldwin's and Malcolm X's. These women have been ignored in history. Without these women, would the activists have had the confidence and bravery to fight an evil world?

Butterfinger So appropriate to finish July #AuthorAMonth. I recognized many of Baldwin's quotes from reading his works this month. This is the final #Nonfiction2021 @Riveted_Reader_Melissa 3y
Riveted_Reader_Melissa Another one I‘m going to have to read! And yes, I felt the same way when I read about Coretta Scott King (Martin Luther King‘s wife). Such powerhouses in their own right, but kind of swept away by history as just the mom or spouse of. 3y
40 likes4 stack adds2 comments
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S3V3N
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Pickpick

Very informative. If you are looking for a quick read with great information this is a great start.

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vlwelser
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Pickpick

This one was good. It's about the mothers of Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, and James Baldwin. All three men fought for equality in their own unique ways and each grew up in houses with a strong mother. The author does a great job of putting it all in context. This is my mid July IRL #bookclub pick. Because why just pick one per month?

#AuthorAMonth @Soubhiville this doesn't count but it's interesting

#BookSpinBingo square 2
@TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 3y
36 likes1 comment
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AvidReader25
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Pickpick


This is a nonfiction account of the 3 mothers behind the men who fought for civil rights in our country. Berdis Baldwin, Alberta King, and Louise Little were all incredible in their own right. The author shares their stories of strength and grief with the tenderness only a fellow mother could have. She weaves her own experience into the book and issues a call for continued change. I loved learning about their drastically different lives.

32 likes2 stack adds
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ncsufoxes
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@Butterfinger thank you for the wonderful swap package, I love it all. The Three Mother‘s was one of at the top of my to buy list when it came out (luckily I‘ve been buying too many other books 😬). Thank you again @Chelleo for organizing such a fun swap, looking forward to participating again in the future! #BHMS #BlistySwap2021

Butterfinger I'm glad you like it. ❤️❤️ 3y
ncsufoxes @Butterfinger I opened it & was like this is all so me. Thank you again 3y
Chelleo oooooh, that shirt!! nicely done!! 😍 2y
ncsufoxes Thanks everyone but this was from last year 2y
17 likes4 comments
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PNWBookseller85
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Pickpick

Tubbs does an amazing job with what little information there is available on the mothers of MLK, Malcolm X, and James Baldwin. Much of the book is a dialogue on black motherhood and womanhood and the ways in which systemic racism has stripped black women of recognition and basic humanity. It‘s an important topic that‘s handled expertly by the author.