Martin Luther King Jr.’s influence on the U.S. has barely waned since his assassination on April 4, 1968. A Baptist minister, philosopher, author and among the most compelling orators of the 20th century, King, perhaps more than any other leader, best expressed the hopes of the Civil Rights Movement. His profound vision crystallized the goals of the movement when he foresaw the day his four children would “no longer be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”
The Southern Poverty Law Center celebrates the birth of this remarkable human being 97 years ago today with a list of the best books about the man and his accomplishments.
Books for adults
Why We Can’t Wait by Martin Luther King Jr.
This essential work by King details the 1963 Birmingham Campaign to fight segregation and racism, the March on Washington three months later and Black people’s historic struggle for civil rights. The book includes a slightly edited version of King’s famous “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” which he wrote in 1963 while in custody for protesting alongside fellow campaign leaders. King won the Nobel Peace Prize less than four months after the book was published.
Bearing the Cross: Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference by David J. Garrow.
This exceptional portrait focuses on the spiritual journey King made to become the leader he was born to be. Garrow drew from more than 700 interviews for this 1987 Pulitzer Prize winner for biography.
The Radical King, edited by Cornel West Jr.
West backs up his thesis that King was not appreciated for being the advocate for social and economic justice that he was with 23 curated selections of the leader’s writings.
Becoming King: Martin Luther King Jr. and the Making of a National Leader by Troy Jackson.
This is an in-depth examination of King’s development in Montgomery, Alabama, into a young spiritual leader and, later, civil rights leader on the national stage. Jackson probes the influence of his personal relationships in Montgomery on his life and ideas.
Books for young readers
I am Brave: A Little Book about Martin Luther King, Jr. by Brad Meltzer. Christopher Eliopoulos, illustrator.
A cleverly written book for ages 2 to 5, I am Brave captures the essence of the civil rights leader.
Martin’s Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by Doreen Rappaport. Bryan Collier, illustrator.
The recipient of numerous awards for story and pictures, this moving biography for ages 5 to 8 presents King’s foundational beliefs in love over hate, unity over separation and nonviolent protest against racism and segregation. The book does not shy away from the yearslong abuses King sustained during his fight for equal justice and his assassination, but it ends with King’s overriding, uplifting messages of love, courage and self-worth.
Rhonda Sonnenberg is a senior staff writer for the SPLC.
Image at top by the SPLC.
