The Kneeling Man by Leta Mccollough Seletzky

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The Kneeling Man by Leta Mccollough Seletzky

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The Kneeling Man by Leta Mccollough Seletzky

"This untidy, honest, fascinating account compels the reader to reflect on profound questions of loyalty and race . . . All of us want to see our parents as heroes. It is to Ms. Seletsky's great credit that she explores the depths of her father's story with love, hope and critical realism." -The Wall Street Journal

The intimate and heartbreaking story of a Black undercover police officer who famously kneeled by the assassinated Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr-and a daughter's quest for the truth about her father


In the famous photograph of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. on the balcony of Memphis's Lorraine Motel, one man kneeled down beside King, trying to staunch the blood from his fatal head wound with a borrowed towel.

This kneeling man was a member of the Invaders, an activist group that was in talks with King in the days leading up to the murder. But he also had another identity- an undercover Memphis police officer reporting on the activities of this group, which was thought to be possibly dangerous and potentially violent. This kneeling man is Leta McCollough Seletzky's father.

Marrell McCollough was a Black man working secretly with the white power structure, a spy. This was so far from her understanding of what it meant to be Black in America, of everything she eventually devoted her life and career to, that she set out to learn what she could about his life, his actions and motivations. But with that decision came risk. What would she uncover about her father, who went on to a career at the CIA, and did she want to bear the weight of knowing?
SKU Unavailable
ISBN 13 9781640096417
ISBN 10 1640096418
Title The Kneeling Man
Author Leta Mccollough Seletzky
Condition Unavailable
Binding Type Paperback
Publisher Counterpoint
Year published 2024-04-09
Number of pages 304
Cover note Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.