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Martin Luther King, Jr.

Celebrate MLK Day with these books and DVDs for adults and teens about the life of Civil Rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Learn about his accomplishments and legacy.

Martin Luther King, Jr. : a life by Marshall Frady

A biography of Martin Luther King, Jr., interweaves a history of the civil rights movement with King's rise to fame

The autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. by Martin Luther King

Drawing on King's unpublished writings and other materials, a civil rights scholar assembles a first-person narrative of King's life

The words of Martin Luther King, Jr. by Martin Luther King

Redemption : Martin Luther King Jr.'s last 31 hours by Joseph Rosenbloom

At 10:33 a. m. on April 3, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., landed in Memphis on a flight from Atlanta. A march that he had led in Memphis six days earlier to support striking garbage workers had turned into a riot, and King was returning to prove that he could lead a violence-free protest.

Breaking white supremacy : Martin Luther King Jr. and the black social gospel by Gary J Dorrien

"This magisterial follow-up to The New Abolition, a Grawemeyer Award winner, tells the crucial second chapter in the black social gospel’s history. The civil rights movement was one of the most searing developments in modern American history. It abounded with noble visions, resounded with magnificent rhetoric, and ended in nightmarish despair. It won a few legislative victories and had a profound impact on U.S. society, but failed to break white supremacy. The symbol of the movement, Martin Luther King Jr., soared so high that he tends to overwhelm anything associated with him. Yet the tradition that best describes him and other leaders of the civil rights movement has been strangely overlooked. In his latest book, Gary Dorrien continues to unearth the heyday and legacy of the black social gospel, a tradition with a shimmering history, a martyred central figure, and enduring relevance today. This part of the story centers around King and the mid-twentieth-century black church leaders who embraced the progressive, justice-oriented, internationalist social gospel from the beginning of their careers and fulfilled it, inspiring and leading America’s greatest liberation movement."--

The seminarian : Martin Luther King, Jr. comes of age by Patrick Parr

Martin Luther King Jr. was a cautious 19-year-old rookie preacher when he left Atlanta, Georgia, to attend seminary up north. Immediately at Crozer Theological Seminary, King, or "ML" back then, found that he was surrounded by a white staff and white professors. Even his dorm room had once been used by wounded Confederate soldiers during the Civil War.

Chasing King's killer : the hunt for Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassin by James L Swanson

"James Earl Ray and Martin Luther King, Jr. had two very different life journeys -- but their paths fatally collide when Ray assassinates the world-renown civil rights leader. This book provides an inside look into both of their lives, the history of thetime, and a blow-by-blow examination of the assassination and its aftermath."--Provided by publisher.

The plot to kill King : the truth behind the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. by William F Pepper

William Pepper was James Earl Ray’s lawyer in the trial for the murder of Martin Luther King Jr., and even after Ray’s conviction and death, Pepper continues to adamantly argue Ray’s innocence. This myth-shattering exposé is a revised, updated, and heavily expanded volume of Pepper’s original bestselling and critically acclaimed book Orders to Kill, with twenty-six years of additional research included.

Letter from a Birmingham Jail : Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by Simon Starr

Death of a king : the real story of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s final year by Tavis Smiley

Presents a revealing chronicle of the twelve months leading up to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination, discussing how he rose above denunciations by the press and assaults on his character to address racism, poverty, and militarism.

To the mountaintop : Martin Luther King, Jr.'s sacred mission to save America, 1955-1968 by Stewart Burns

A biography of Martin Luther King, Jr., offers a look at the impact of his personal religious faith on his role in the civil rights movement, describing King's vision of a religious crusade for freedom and equality

I may not get there with you : the true Martin Luther King, Jr. by Michael Eric Dyson

A private citizen who transformed the world around him, Martin Luther King, Jr., was arguably the greatest American who ever lived. Now, after more than thirty years, few people understand how truly radical he was. In this groundbreaking examination of the man and his legacy, provocative author, lecturer, and professor Michael Eric Dyson restores King's true vitality and complexity and challenges us to embrace the very contradictions that make King relevant in today's world.

The sword and the shield : the revolutionary lives of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. by Peniel E Joseph

"The Sword and the Shield is a dual biography of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King that transforms our understanding of the twentieth century's most iconic African American leaders. Peniel E. Joseph reveals a nuanced portrait of two men who, despite markedly different backgrounds, inspired and pushed each other throughout their adult lives. This is a strikingly revisionist biography, not only of Malcolm and Martin, but also of the movement and era they came to define"--

Waking from the dream : the struggle for civil rights in the shadow of Martin Luther King Jr. by David L Chappell

The author of A Stone of Hope, called “one of the three or four most important books on the civil rights movement” by The Atlantic Monthly, turns his attention to the years after Martin Luther King’s assassination—and provides a sweeping history of the struggle to keep the civil rights movement alive and to realize King’s vision of an equal society.

Shared dreams : Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Jewish community by Marc Schneier

Shared Dreams brings to life the impressive, surprising, and long-neglected history of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s efforts in support of the Jewish community. This is a story that sheds new light on the commitment and the relationship between the Jewish and African-American communities as they have struggled together to fight for justice and civil rights in our nation, and our lives.

Interview with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Presents a televised interview with civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., discussing a variety of topics related to the civil rights movement, civil rights legislation, and race relations

I am MLK Jr.

Following his journey across the mountaintops and valleys while capturing the Civil Rights Movement at large, the film provides intimate, firsthand insights on Dr. King, exploring moments of personal challenge and elation, and an ongoing movement that is as important today as when Dr. King first shone a light on the plight of his fellow African Americans

King in the wilderness

From award-winning director/producer Peter Kunhardt, King in the Wilderness follows Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during the volatile last three years of his life, from the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965 to his assassination in April 1968. Drawing on revelatory stories from his inner circle of friends, the film provides a clear window into the civil rights leader's character, showing him to be a man with an unshakeable commitment to peaceful protest in the face of an increasingly unstable country. Illuminating and poignant, the documentary - which is tied to the 50th anniversary of King's death - reveals a conflicted leader whose successes were punctuated in his final years by an onslaught of criticism from both sides of the political spectrum, whether the Black Power movement, who saw his nonviolence as weakness, or President Lyndon B. Johnson, who viewed his anti-Vietnam War speeches as irresponsible. With compassion and clarity, King in the Wilderness unearths a stirring new perspective into Dr. King's character, his radical doctrine of nonviolence, and his internal philosophical struggles prior to his death, inviting a sense of penetrating intimacy and insight into one of the most profound thinkers of our time

Selma

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s historical struggle to secure voting rights for all people. A dangerous and terrifying campaign that culminated with an epic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in 1964

The march : the story of the greatest march in American history

Witness the compelling and dramatic story of the 1963 March on Washington, where Dr. Martin Luther King gave his stirring "I Have a Dream" speech. This watershed event in the Civil Rights Movement helped change the face of America. Recounts the events when 250,000 people came together to form the largest demonstration the young American democracy had ever seen

Who killed Martin Luther King?

Memphis. April 4, 1968. One shot and the voice of America's most enduring symbol of non-violent struggle is silenced. A stunned nation is left to wonder why and how. Now, we confront these questions for a new generation of Americans

King : go beyond the dream to discover the man

Forty years after Martin Luther King's assassination, History takes viewers through the extraordinary life and times of America's civil rights visionary. Go beyond the legend to portray the man, the questions, the myths of Dr. Kings message of today

King : man of peace in a time of war

A fascinating and revealing look at the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. filtered through the prism of three major conflicts: the struggle between black and white America, divisiveness with the civil rights movement itself, and an undeclared war in Vietnam. A salute to a man who remains an inspiration and a force for social change nearly forty years after his death at age 39

Been to the mountaintop

Original footage highlights Martin Luther King, Jr.'s dramatic speeches and conversations spanning 1956 to 1968, including his last address on April 3, 1968, the night before his assassination

Martin Luther King Jr. : the man and the dream

Rare insight into the legendary civil rights leader's personal and public life is seen using interviews and rare footage of the Reverend

Martin Luther King, Jr. : I have a dream

This historical compilation features highlights of major speeches given by the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., and an impromptu eulogy for Dr. King, given by Robert F. Kennedy in 1968

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. : a historical perspective

Historical overview of the struggle for racial equality in America. Focuses on the extraordinary life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. using rare and largely unseen film footage and photographs

Recipient of the National Medal, the nation's highest honor for libraries.