William J. Schneider

A depiction of one of the lesser known stories of the civil rights movement. Jonathan Myrick Daniels' story has fascinated me since almost tripping over his marker at the Abbey of Gesthemani (not his actual grave marker, but a stone sent to the Abbey to honor his life). The author researched a life short on secondary sources, and given the age of his murder, contained only a few primary sources. The connections between Daniels' life in New Hampshire, doubts experienced at VMI and in seminary, and the actions that led to his martyrdom are well tied together.

My only drawback is that more hasn't been written, if not about his life, then about his connections and influence on other leaders such as Ruby Sales and Stokely Carmichael, or the facts around his murderer, Tom Coleman. It seems there is much more to be written about this story.… (mehr)