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Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Reads

Read about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s legacy of racial, economic and social justice.

King County Library System

22 items

  • A tribute to the history, resilience and strength of Black Americans.
    Book, 2019Boston : Versify, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, [2019] — E811.6 ALE
  • Two Black men attend the same prestigious school, thirty years apart. One in 1968 the other in 1995. Each becomes an activist after crucial moments in history, including the death of Martin Luther King, Jr.
    Book, 2023New York, NY : Kokila, 2023. — Y ALLEN
  • The Day King Died

    Remembered Through Two Voices and a Choir

    Bausum, Ann,
    Interwoven with excerpts from 'I've Been to the Mountaintop' and 'Precious Lord, Take My Hand', The Day King Died recounts the last 24 hours of the prolific activist's life while reminding us how his teachings continue to endure.
    Book, 2024New Rochelle, NY : Reycraft Books, [2024] — J323.092 BAU
  • My Selma

    True Stories of a Southern Childhood at the Height of the Civil Rights Movement

    Brown, Willie Mae,
    A vivid, lyrical memoir about the authors experiences growing up in Selma. Brown describes how the civil rights movement effected her hometown. This includes a story about Martin Luther King, Jr. speaking at her church.
    Book, 2023New York : Farrar Straus Giroux, 2023. — Y305.896073 BRO
  • A fictional story about a child who witnessed the Memphis sanitation strike. MLK's stand for justice before his assassination.
    Book, 2018Honesdale, Pennsylvania : Calkins Creek, an imprint of Highlights, [2018] — J DUNCAN
  • Eig pens a deeply researched biography on King, including recently declassified FBI materials. A must read for anyone looking for a nuanced, complex portrait of Dr. King.
    Book, 2023New York : Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2023. — B KING
  • The Sword and the Shield

    the Revolutionary Lives of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr.

    Joseph, Peniel E.,
    Joseph presents the idea that Dr. King and Malcolm X were not in opposition. Rather, they appreciated each other's tactics.
    Book, 2020New York : Basic Books, 2020. — 323.0922 JOS
  • Coretta

    the Autobiography of Mrs. Coretta Scott King

    King, Coretta Scott, 1927-2006,
    This picture book adaptation of her memoir paints a vivid portrait of the wife of Martin Luther King, Jr., a civil and human rights activist who fought for justice against all odds, becoming an unforgettable champion of social change.
    Book, 2024New York : Godwin Books, Henry Holt and Company, 2024. — EB KING
  • This brilliant picture book combines Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech with artwork.
    Book, 2012New York : Schwartz & Wade Books, c2012. — E323.092 KIN
  • Dr. King's selected works curated and introduced by Dr. Cornel West.
    Book, 2015Boston, Massachusetts : Beacon Press, [2015] — 323.092 KIN
  • The telling of the Montgomery bus boycott. A story of nonviolent resistance in America.
    Book, 2010Boston : Beacon Press, [2010] — 323.119607 KIN
  • A Time to Break Silence

    the Essential Works of Martin Luther King, Jr. for Students

    King, Martin Luther, Jr., 1929-1968
    A selection of Dr. King's important writings. Geared toward high school students and young people.
    Book, 2013Boston, Massachusetts : Beacon Press, 2013. — Y323.092 KIN
  • A state of the movement after a decade of civil rights efforts. Dr. King provides his thoughts, plans, and dreams for America's future.
    Book, 2010Boston : Beacon Press, c2010. — 323.119607 KIN
  • Recounts the Birmingham campaign in vivid detail. Underscores why 1963 was such a crucial year for the civil rights movement.
    Book, 2010Boston, Massachusetts : Beacon Press, [2010] — 323.119607 KIN
  • Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me 'round

    My Story of the Making of Martin Luther King Day

    Kirkwood, Kathlyn J.,
    Kirkwood's memoir about her involvement in the civil rights movement. She also worked to establish Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday as a national holiday.
    Book, 2022Boston : Versify, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, [2022] — JB KIRKWOOD
  • Threads of Peace

    How Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. Changed the World

    Krishnaswami, Uma
    Celebrates the lives of activists born years apart.
    Book, 2021New York, NY : Atheneum Books for Young Readers, [2021] — J323.0922 KRI
  • A telling of the final months of Dr. King's life through metaphor, spirituality and layers of meaning.
    Book, 2018New York : Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic Inc., 2018. — J811.6 PIN
  • A great introduction Dr. King's life for young readers. Presents how the childhood dreams of a leader shaped our future.
    Book, 2020New York : Random House Children's Books, [2020] — JB KING
  • Robinson's memoir about her 13 year old self. A story about her growing awareness of the civil rights movement.
    Book, 2019New York, NY : Scholastic Press, 2019. — JB ROBINSON