An inspiring biography of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. from Coretta Scott King Honor Award winner Tonya Bolden Most people know Martin Luther King, Jr. as a Nobel Peace Prize winner, a renowned orator, and a central and revered figure in the history of the struggle for civil rights. Tonya Bolden traces how he became this public figure, discussing the events, people, and decisions that shaped his destiny. Bolden collaborated with civil rights photographer Bob Adelman to include more than 80 images of M.L.K. preaching, leading marches, being arrested, and overcoming the violence and prejudice around him juxtaposed with images of his wife and family, of his fellow protestors, and of other leaders of the day. A wonderful tribute, M.L.K. provides readers the opportunity to see the world through King’s eyes, introducing a fresh, moving perspective to a familiar historical figure. Starred Review. Grade 5–8—Bolden looks past the public figure to bring the man, and his deeper vision of the "beloved community," into focus in this eloquent, handsomely designed profile. Familiarly calling him "M.L." (a nickname his father used) throughout, the author traces King's life from birth to death, pointing out how reluctantly he assumed the mantle of leadership, then came to espouse Gandhi's nonviolence as a guiding precept, and finally exhausted himself battling not only for civil rights, but also against the Civil Rights Movement's later tide of radicalism. Captions paired to the generous array of photos add further detail, and advanced readers will get fuller pictures of the man and his era from the appended multimedia resource list. Passing quickly over his public triumphs (the "I Have a Dream" speech, for instance, is largely relegated to a caption noting that he had used that refrain before), this portrait, rich in personal feeling and well endowed with direct, sometimes extended, quotes, will leave readers with a strong, and perhaps inspiring, sense of the passion and depth of Dr. King's commitment to peace with justice.— John Peters, New York Public Library Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Do libraries need another biography of King? Yes, if it's as good as this one, which will reach a wide audience. Bolden, whose books include the Coretta Scott King Honor Book Maritcha (2005), brings readers close to the great leader and to the civil rights movement through detailed historical analysis and extensive notes. In an author's note, Bolden says she chose not to detail King's flaws but rather to focus on the "dream." The chatty style is accessible (why, though, does Bolden call King by his personal nickname, M. L., throughout?), and the handsome book design will encourage browsers. Stirring, beautifully reproduced, well-captioned photos (at least one on every double-page spread) accompany the text, supplemented with boxed quotes. Everything is fully documented in notes, and Bolden supplies a bibliography and a very detailed time line. Pair this with Andrew Helfer's graphic-novel biography Malcolm X (reviewed below) and with other books about great civil rights leaders. Readers older than the target audience will want this, too. Hazel Rochman Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved **STARRED REVIEW** “This portrait, rich in personal feeling . . . will leave readers with a strong. . . sense of the passion and depth of Dr. King’s commitment to peace with justice."― School Library Journal, starred review “An elegant, heartfelt, thought-provoking homage to one of the greatest Americans of all time.”― Charles Johnson, National Book Award winner for Middle Passage Tonya Bolden has written more than 20 books for children and adults. Her book Tell All the Children Our Story: Memories and Mementos of Being Young and Black in America was named a Best Book of the Year by School Library Journal . Her Wake Up Our Souls: A Celebration of Black American Artists received a starred review in Booklist magazine. Maritcha: A Nineteenth-Century American Girl was named a YALSA Best Book for Young Adults, an ALSC 2006 Notable Children’s Book, a NAPPA Gold Award Winner, a CCBC Best Book of the Year, a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age, and a Coretta Scott King Honor Book. She lives in New York City. Used Book in Good Condition