Martin Luther King: The Peaceful Warrior

by Ed Clayton, Donald Bermudez (Illustrator)

Overview

Follow the inspiring life of Martin Luther King Jr. in a moving, vital, and informative book by an author and an illustrator with close ties to Dr. King’s family.

Martin Luther King Jr. devoted his life to helping people, first as a Baptist minister and scholar and later as the foremost leader in the African-American civil rights movement. An organizer of the Montgomery bus boycott and cofounder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Dr. King won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 for combating racial inequality through nonviolent resistance. As a result of his actions, the United States Congress passed the historic Civil Rights Act of 1964. This book's powerful story and important message, originally published in 1964, remain as relevant today as they were more than fifty years ago. With a new foreword by the author’s widow, Xernona Clayton, the text has been reviewed and updated for a new generation and features striking new illustrations by Donald Bermudez.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781536222906
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	02/08/2022
Pages:	128
Sales rank:	442,320
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 8.30(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	1020L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Ed Clayton was a well-known editor, author, and reporter. He worked on special assignments for Life magazine and contributed articles to the Associated Press, United Press International, and the Associated Negro Press. He also served as an editor with Jet, Ebony, and the Negro Digest. Until his death in 1966, Ed Clayton was an associate of Dr. King at the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

Xernona Clayton, the author's widow, is a leading civil rights activist who was an associate of Dr. King and Coretta Scott King at the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. She is also the founder, president, and CEO of the Trumpet Awards Foundation, Inc., which highlights accomplishments and contributions that enhance quality of life for all.

Donald Bermudez is a multifaceted artist who has worked directly with Coretta Scott King and continues to work with public figures such as Congressman John Lewis, Ms. Xernona Clayton, and Reverend C. T. Vivian. In 2008, Congressman Lewis selected him to design the annual White House Christmas Ornaments for Georgia’s 5th Congressional District. In 2016, his “I Have a Dream” poster of Martin Luther King Jr. received an award of merit in the HOW International Design Awards competition. He lives in the Atlanta area.

Table of Contents

Foreword vii

The Hard Way Up 1

The Ghetto and the Church 10

School Days 17

Think Before You Act 25

The Dream Begins 34

The Choice 41

Getting Ready 48

The Dream Unfolds 55

The Spark Catches 60

Walking for Freedom 68

We Shall Overcome 79

I Have a Dream 87

The Prize Is Won 93

Free at Last 98

Afterword 109

"We Shall Overcome" Music and Lyrics 110

A Short Bibliography of Books on Black People and the Civil Rights Movement 112

Editorial Reviews

The book doesn’t shy away from slurs encountered by King during his youth and adulthood. Good for younger students wanting an easy-to-read introduction on Martin Luther King Jr.
—School Library Journal

From the Publisher

12/01/2017
Gr 4–7—This biography of Martin Luther King Jr. was originally published in 1964, and has undergone a textual update fitting for the events that transpired in the years after its initial publication. The life of Dr. King is told through simple, easy-to-read text and full-color illustrations of pivotal moments in his life. The biography spends a good amount of time on King's early years, with the latter half of the book focusing on key moments of the civil rights movement, such as the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the March on Washington. However, the book's short length doesn't allow for much in-depth education of the subject matter. In fact, many of the events that are included aren't mentioned by name. Since it is an updated text, events like the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the 16th Street Church Bombing are sorely missed. The book doesn't shy away from slurs encountered by King during his youth and adulthood. VERDICT Good for younger students wanting an easy-to-read introduction on Martin Luther King Jr., but older readers may wish for a more substantial work.—Paige Garrison, The Davis Academy, Sandy Springs, GA

School Library Journal