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One Man's Freedom
Goldwater, King, and the Struggle over an American IdealBy Nicholas BuccolaNarrated by Bruce Lester JohnsonLength14h 37m
About this audiobook
This audiobook narrated by Bruce Lester Johnson tells the dramatic story of Barry Goldwater and Martin Luther King Jr.'s decade-long clash over the meaning of freedom—and how their conflicting visions still divide American politics
In the mid-1950s, Barry Goldwater and Martin Luther King Jr. emerged as the leaders of two diametrically opposed freedom movements that changed the course of American history—and still divide American politics. King mobilized civil rights activists under the banner of "freedom now," insisting that true freedom would not be realized until all people—regardless of race—were empowered politically, economically, and socially. Goldwater rallied conservatives to the cause of "extremism in defense of liberty," advocating radical individualism. In
One Man's Freedom, Nicholas Buccola tells the compelling story of Goldwater and King's dramatic decade-long debate over the meaning of an all-important American ideal.
Part dual biography, part history,
One Man's Freedom traces the actions and words of Goldwater and King over a crucial and eventful decade, from their dizzying rise through 1964, which ended with Goldwater's landslide defeat in the presidential election and King's Nobel Peace Prize. The book chronicles why Goldwater and King, who never met in person, came to view each other as perhaps the greatest threat to freedom in America. It explains how their ideas of freedom could be so vastly different, yet both so deeply rooted in American history and their times. And it shows how their disagreement continues to shape and explain politics today, when the bitter divisions between Republicans and Democrats often come down to the question of what kind of freedom Americans want—the one defined by Goldwater or by King?
Audiobook details
GenreHistory
Length14 hrs 37 mins
Narrated byBruce Lester Johnson
FormatAudiobook
Publish dateOct 7, 2025
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Opening Credit
11Chapter 4 Continued - Americans Lost and Found, 1961–1962
2Preface
12Chapter 5 - Crucible, 1963
3Prologue - Two Concepts of Freedom
13Chapter 5 Continued - Crucible, 1963
4Chapter 1 - Prophets Rising, 1955–1956
14Chapter 6 - Men of the Year, 1964—I
5Chapter 1 Continued - Prophets Rising, 1955–1956
15Chapter 6 Continued - Men of the Year, 1964—I
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6Chapter 2 - Declarations of Independence, 1957–1958
16Chapter 7 - Judgments, 1964—II
7Chapter 2 Continued - Declarations of Independence, 1957–1958
17Chapter 7 Continued - Judgments, 1964—II
8Chapter 3 - Acts of Conscience, 1959–1961
18Epilogue - The Most Dangerous Men in America
9Chapter 3 Continued - Acts of Conscience, 1959–1961
19End Credit
10Chapter 4 - Americans Lost and Found, 1961–1962