Taylor Branch facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Taylor Branch
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| Born | January 14, 1947 Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Education | University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (BA) Princeton University (MPA) |
| Genre | Nonfiction |
| Notable works | America in the King Years |
| Notable awards | MacArthur Fellowship National Humanities Medal Pulitzer Prize for History |
| Spouse | Christina Macy |
| Children | 2 |
Taylor Branch (born January 14, 1947) is an American writer and historian. He is famous for writing a series of books about the life of Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil rights movement. This important time in American history was when people fought for equal rights for all.
His main work is a three-book series called America in the King Years. The last book in this series came out in 2006. A shorter version, The King Years: Historic Moments in the Civil Rights Movement, was published in 2013.
Contents
About Taylor Branch
His Early Life and School
Taylor Branch grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. He finished high school in 1964. He then went to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He earned his first degree there in 1968. Later, he got another degree from Princeton University in 1970.
His Career as a Writer
Taylor Branch started his career working for different magazines. He was an editor at The Washington Monthly and Harper's. He also wrote columns for Esquire Magazine. His articles appeared in many other well-known publications. These included The New York Times Magazine and The New Republic.
In 1972, Branch worked on a political campaign in Texas. There, he became friends with Bill Clinton, who later became a U.S. President. Branch wrote a book about his conversations with Bill Clinton. This book, The Clinton Tapes: Wrestling History With The President, was based on many recorded interviews. Most of these talks happened while Clinton was President.
Branch also taught history and politics at Goucher College. He also taught at the University of Baltimore.
Awards and Recognition
Taylor Branch has received many important awards for his work. In 1991, he received a special award called a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship. This award is sometimes called a "genius grant." In 1999, he was given the National Humanities Medal. This award honors people who have made great contributions to the humanities.
In 2008, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. This award recognized his entire body of work. In 2015, he received the BIO Award. This award is given for contributions to the art of writing biographies.
In 2013, he helped make a film called Schooled: The Price of College Sports. This film was based on his 2011 book, The Cartel.
His Family Life
Taylor Branch lives in Baltimore, Maryland. He lives there with his wife, Christina Macy. They have two children, Macy and Franklin.
His Books
The America in the King Years Series
This famous series tells the story of the Civil Rights Movement. It includes:
- Parting the Waters: America in the King Years, 1954-63 (published in 1988)
- Pillar of Fire: America in the King Years, 1963-65 (published in 1998)
- At Canaan's Edge: America in the King Years, 1965-1968 (published in 2006)
- The King Years: Historic Moments in the Civil Rights Movement (published in 2013). This is a shorter version of the three main books.
Other History Books
Taylor Branch has also written other books about history:
- Blowing the Whistle: Dissent in the Public Interest (with Charles Peters) (1972)
- Second Wind (with Bill Russell) (1979)
- Labyrinth (with Eugene M. Propper) (1982)
- The Clinton Tapes: Wrestling History with the President (2009)
- The Cartel: Inside the Rise and Imminent Fall of the NCAA (2011)
Fiction Book
Taylor Branch has also written one fiction book:
- The Empire Blues (1981)
Major Awards for His Books
His book Parting the Waters won the Pulitzer Prize for History in 1989. It also won the National Book Critics Circle Award in 1988. This book was also a finalist for the National Book Award for Nonfiction.
Pillar of Fire won the American Bar Association's Silver Gavel Award in 1999. It also received the Hillman Prize in 1998. At Canaan's Edge won the Heartland Prize for nonfiction in 2006.
