The Third Reconstruction

How a Moral Movement Is Overcoming the Politics of Division and Fear

By: Rev Dr. William J. Barber II, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove

Narrated by: Chase Bradley

A modern-day civil rights champion tells the stirring story of how he helped start a movement to bridge America's racial divide.

Over the summer of 2013, the Reverend Dr. William J. Barber II led more than a 100,000 people at rallies across North Carolina to protest restrictions to voting access and an extreme makeover of state government. These protests - the largest state government-focused civil disobedience campaign in American history - came to be known as Moral Mondays and have since blossomed in states as diverse as Florida, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Ohio, and New York.

At a time when divide-and-conquer politics are exacerbating racial strife and economic inequality, Rev. Barber offers an impassioned, historically grounded argument that Moral Mondays are hard evidence of an embryonic third Reconstruction in America.

The first Reconstruction briefly flourished after Emancipation, and the second Reconstruction ushered in meaningful progress in the civil rights era. But both were met by ferocious reactionary measures that severely curtailed, and in many cases rolled back, racial and economic progress. This Third Reconstruction is a profoundly moral awakening of justice-loving people united in a fusion coalition powerful enough to reclaim the possibility of democracy - even in the face of corporate-financed extremism.

In this memoir of how Rev. Barber and allies as diverse as progressive Christians, union members, and immigration rights activists came together to build a coalition, he offers a trenchant analysis of race-based inequality and a hopeful message for a nation grappling with persistent racial and economic injustice. Rev. Barber writes movingly - and pragmatically - about how he laid the groundwork for a state-by-state movement that unites Black, White, and Brown; rich and poor; employed and unemployed; gay and straight; documented and undocumented; religious and secular. Only such a diverse fusion movement, Rev. Barber argues, can heal our nation's wounds and produce public policy that is morally defensible, constitutionally consistent, and economically sane. The Third Reconstruction is both a blueprint for movement building and an inspiring call to action from the 21st century's most effective grassroots organizer.

©2016 Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove (P)2016 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"A battle-hardened pastor calls for a faith-based, grass-roots movement for social justice.... It's the religious component that makes his story particularly interesting. Fully aware of the suspicion Bible-speak arouses in modern progressive circles, the author still insists on viewing the justice struggle through a moral prism, one always backstopped by 'a Higher Power.'" (Kirkus Reviews)

"William Barber is the closest person we have to Martin Luther King, Jr. in our midst. His life and witness is shot through with spiritual maturity, subversive memory, and personal integrity. This book lays bare his prophetic vision, historical analysis, and courageous praxis." (Cornel West, author of Black Prophetic Fire)

"Reverend William Barber and his allies are at the forefront of a new movement for justice our nation's children and families desperately need. This book presents a blueprint for moving forward together." (Marian Wright Edelman, founder of the Children's Defense Fund)

Great book, technical problem

Excellent book-- a statement of moral imperative (with relevant historical illustrations) rooted in transformative experiences, and a clarion call.

A technical issue is preventing me from giving it a 5 star rating overall-- the text of the afterword is also randomly dropped into the middle of the last chapter, and I can't tell whether it is simply annoyingly inserted or whether it overwrites part of that chapter.

Inspiring, Awakening, Relevant!

This book should be read by all high school seniors. Every American should read these words and take heed. Maybe then we could move "Forward together! Not one step back!"

Deserved better narration

I’m about 2/3 through and here’s my running list of mispronunciations:
North Carolinians (the author is a well-known local so this was particularly awful)
Legislature
Septuagenarian
Immorality (come on, obviously “immortality” was wrong in context!)
Mettle
Koch
Evangelism (the author is a pastor!!)

I know mistakes happen, but this is just sloppy. What a shame. This book is important and deserved better.

Excellent Book & Content (naration needs work!).

Would you consider the audio edition of The Third Reconstruction to be better than the print version?

I am convinced the printed edition would have been better. The narrator's accent did not feel authentic, and their egregious mispronunciations of key words such as Pharisees and Elisha made it clear that they are not an expert on the subject and clearly did not read the book prior to narration. There also appears to be a digital error when one chapter repeats a whole section, and the end of the book inserts itself in the last chapter. This is very disappointing because the content of this book is critical to progress in America. Thank you Dr. Barber for your words of wisdom and relentless pursuit of morality & justice. I can only hope my generation will carry the torch forward!

What did you like best about this story?

This is a telling story of America: Past, Present, Future. Dr. Barber details lessons that many individuals do not know. Especially compelling is the emphasis on Fusion movements and how divisive the enemy of progress can be.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Incorrect pronunciation of basic words, in addition to the inauthentic accent. It took several chapters to get used to. If it were not for the historical content and relevance of the book I would have stopped at the very beginning.

What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?

Dr. Barber's highlighting the number of African Americans participating in Congress in 1865 as compared to today. I also truly valued how he brought more light and value to Rosa Parks' story beyond her being "tired" and refusing to give up her seat. It was an intelligent and intentional act.

Any additional comments?

Please forward the feedback about the narration to the author. He deserves better, and it would be disappointing that many could miss out on this valuable information simply because the narrator clearly has no connection or authenticity with what is being read.

Great book

This was a very good, eye opening, book. Barber talks about issues that I’ve noticed for a long time, but didn’t see the full implications of. This book is especially pertinent in 2024 as we build up the to next presidential election and the extremists that Barber mentions in this book—now under the banner of Christian Nationalism—campaign to put trump back into the White House to initiate Project 2025. The documentary, “Bad Faith: Christian Nationalism’s Unholy War on Democracy” (2024) is a really good companion piece to this audiobook and also features Barber and Wilson-Hartgrove. I am very much looking forward to the audiobook release of Barber’s new, “White Poverty,” in August.

Great book. Indefensibly bad audio version.

The publisher and author should have rejected this recording. It's an important book and America needs a better audio edition than this one. Riddled with pronunciation errors (North Carolinian (not North Carolinan!), legislature, half the references to HKonJ, the *last name Koch* that is essential to the book). Southern accent appears and disappears. There's also a giant editing error in the middle and several pages are re-read.

Must Read

If you are a breathing human being you need to read this book. This is for everyone. The stay at home parents. The working parents. The rich and poor. The disempowered and the empowered.

good story and loved the southern accent

the southern accent made the book more enjoyable. what an inspiring story. worth the listen.

Important Book for our immoral political times

A very important book. Particularly in this time in which organizing for political, economic and moral reasons is an imperative. I have watched Reverend Barber up close here in North Carolina and this narrative of his journey and the lessons that it provides for other people, organizations, and States is critically important. A highly recommended read.

The narrator, however, and the editing of the audio, needs much improvement. The narrator mispronounces several words. And, sections of the audio repeated itself in at least two locations. The publisher needs to do another proof listen to correct this.

Incredible Story - Big Problems with Performance

I am uplifted by Reverend William J. Barber II's story and the history of the Poor People's Campaign.
I'm sad to say that the performance was really sub-par. There were so, so many mispronounced words and terms - even some standard English words that were awkwardly handled that it distracted from the amazing story. Most embarassing, the Biblical names were almost all mangled, e.g. Pharisees, Sadducees, the prophet Elijah. These are easily avoidable errors that make Audible look bad.

Audible really needs a NEW recording that accurately pronounced well-known Biblical terms for the book of a noted Christian leader.