NEW YORK, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- U.S. author Reverend Al Sharpton received many heart-felt greetings on his 66th birthday on Saturday, as well as rushing comments about his new book Rise Up, which concentrates on reflections and discussions about the United States currently at a crossroads.

"The time has come to take a hard look at our collective failures and shortcomings and reclaim our core values in order to build a clear and just path forward for America. Our nation today stands at a crossroads - and change can't wait," said Amazon in its review of this "#1 New Release."

"Beginning with a foreword by Michael Eric Dyson and closing with Rev. Al Sharpton's moving eulogy for George Floyd, Rise Up is a rousing call to action for our nation, drawing on lessons learned from Reverend Al Sharpton's unique experience as a politician, television and radio host, and civil rights leader," it added.

George Floyd was an African American man killed in late May during an arrest after a store clerk alleged he had passed a counterfeit bill of 20 U.S. dollars in Minneapolis, Minnesota. During the arrest, a white police officer named Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd's neck for a period reported to be eight minutes and 46 seconds, though he kept saying "I can't breathe." Floyd's death triggered months-long nationwide campaign entitled "Black Lives Matter" in the United States in 2020.

"In Rise Up: Confronting a Country at the Crossroads, Reverend Sharpton revisits the highlights of the Obama administration, the 2016 election and Trump's subsequent hold on the GOP, and draws on his decades-long experience with other key players in politics and activism, including Shirley Chisholm, Hillary Clinton, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and more," said the Amazon review.

It "offers timeless lessons for anyone who's stood at the crossroads of their personal or political life, weighing their choices of how to proceed," it added.

Martin Luther King III, an American advocate and the oldest son and oldest living child of American civil rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, said that "Full of history, honesty, and valuable suggestions, Rise Up should be a staple in every home, school and library as an essential primer on civil and political rights in America."

Van Jones, a Cable News Network (CNN) political contributor, said, "If you want to learn how to use your voice to change a nation, you should study closely this man - and this book."

On his Twitter account, Sharpton claimed himself as "Baptist Minister & Political, Civil Rights, and Social Justice Activist."

Sharpton is the founder of the National Action Network. In 2004, he was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. presidential election. He hosts his own radio talk show "Keepin' It Real," and he makes regular guest appearances on cable news television. Enditem

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