Martin Luther King, Jr

Children's Literature

Author Brenda January chronicles the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. from birth to death but focuses on his humanity and concern for the rights of others. She presents King as a man of compassion but also one full of righteous indignation at the plight of his people. Young people have only heard of King and not known him, so they need this picture of the real man and what he did for all our personal freedoms. What comes as a surprise in this particular biography is the inclusion of career information for those interested in exploring a career as a protestant minister. At first, the information seems to be misplaced—coming at the end of a powerful, moving biography. Yet, at closer observation, the concept makes sense. What better way to introduce a career than by introducing a person who has succeeded at that career? The book also includes a timeline of King's life, Web links and other sources of information about King and about the ministry, an index, credits for the photographs that accompany the text, and a table of contents. The book is part of the "Ferguson Career Biographies" series.

School Library Journal

Gr 4-8-This compact biography emphasizes King's career as a Baptist minister as well as a civil-rights activist. Even the first chapter, which summarizes his early years, stresses those aspects of the subject's life that helped him become a reverend. The clearly written, chronologically organized text provides an accurate account of Dr. King's life and work. Small, darkly reproduced black-and-white photographs are interspersed throughout. A straightforward and informative section on "How to Become a Minister" is appended, along with Web sites on ministerial careers and one on materials and places to visit related to Dr. King.-Eunice Weech, M. L. King Elementary School, Urbana, IL Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.