On Mon., Jan. 16, the country will celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during a federal holiday meant to highlight his many accomplishments. His powerful words have not only been committed to television and film, but also to numerous books written by and about him. See below for a list of titles recommended by the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, a Georgia-based nonprofit established by King’s widow, Coretta Scott King.
Let the Trumpet Sound: A Life of Martin Luther King, Jr.
The Center calls this award-winning book by Stephen B. Oates an “extensive and well-researched biography” that “allows the reader to experience the life of Dr. King and the times in which he lived.”
My Uncle Martin's Big Heart
Anyone who wants to introduce their young child to King should consider this 2010 book written by his niece, Dr. Angela Farris Watkins, and illustrated by Eric Velasquez.
Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story
Published in 1958, King’s first book serves as a memoir of the events leading up to the Montgomery, Ala. bus boycott, a seminal event during which the Civil Rights leader and countless other Black Americans protested segregation on public transit.
What Manner of Man: A Biography of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Read this in-depth account from the late Lerone Bennett Jr., a former college classmate of King’s who also served as the editor of Ebony magazine, among other achievements.
