Martin Luther King, Jr. Books

Recorded cassette (RC) and braille (BR) copies of these books about Martin Luther King, Jr. are available from the Perkins Braille & Talking Book Library. Please contact the library to order any of these books.

Grades K-4

Martin's big words: the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr by Doreen Rappaport.
BR 14023
Print/Braille. Coretta Scott King Honor Book. An introductory biography of the American civil rights leader using his own words to protray his ideals and message to United States citizens and people all over the world. For grades K-3.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr by David A. Adler.
RC 53739
Describes the life and accomplishments of the civil rights leader and minister who died in 1968. First chapter book. For grades 2-4.

Martin Luther King by Rosemary L. Bray.
BR 10385
Born in 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia, Martin Luther King Jr. became a minister and a civil rights leader. His nonviolent opposition to racial segregation included marches, boycotts, sit-ins, and speeches. For grades 2-4.

My brother Martin: a sister remembers growing up with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr by Christin King Farris.
RCM 745
World-famous leader Martin Luther King, Jr. grew up in the segregated South. When he learned that white and black children were not supposed to play together, he decided to do something about it, and began a journey that would change history. His older sister describes how one boyhood experience inspired a movement. For grades 2-4 and all ages.

Martin Luther King Day by Linda Lowery.
RC 26069, BR 6943
Biography of the black minister who became the foremost leader of the civil rights movement. We see his early encounters with prejudice and segregation laws, his discovery of the ideas of Gandhi, the Montgomery bus boycott, the march on Washington, his Nobel Peace Prize, and his death. For grades 2-4.

Grades 3-7

Holiday ring: festival stories and poems by Adeline Corrigan.
RC 09830
Sparkling anthology of stories and poems for many United States and Canadian holidays including Earth Day, Arbor Day, American Indian Day, and the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. For grades 3-6.

I have a dream: the story of Martin Luther King by Margaret Davidson.
RC 31774
Martin Luther King was born in 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia, when black people in the South were not allowed to vote, could ride only in the back of the bus, and had to go to separate schools. He decided that when he grew up he would change segregation laws and eliminate prejudice. For grades 3-6.

Dare to dream: Coretta Scott King and the civil rights movement by Angela Shelf Medearis.
RC 41326
Medearis uses Mrs. King's autobiography as the main source for this account. She discusses Mrs. King's early childhood, school days, and ambition to be an opera singer; her marriage to Martin Luther King Jr.; their work in the civil rights movemnt; and finally Mrs. Kings's continuation of that work after Dr. King was killed. For grades 3-6.

I have a dream by Martin Luther King.
BR 11050
Print/Braille. Presents the complete text of the historic speech by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on August 28, 1963, in Washington, D.C. In it, he expresses hope for social justice and equality in the future. Includes a short biography of the civil rights leader and a foreword by his wife, Coretta Scott King. For grades 4-7.

Thank you, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.! by Eleanora Tate.
RC 37841
Companion to "The Secret of Gumbo Grove." Mary Elouise Avery has low self- esteem. She hates being African-American, her dark complexion, and is embarrassed about slavery. She is unhappy when she is chosen to narrate the black history segment at her school's play until two storytellers help make her proud of her African-American heritage. For grades 4-7.

Grades 5-8

Just like Martin by Ossie Davis.
RC 36605
In 1963 in an Alabama town, thirteen-year-old Isaac idolizes Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and his philosophy of nonviolence. Isaac's father, a Korean War veteran, declares nonviolence is "for cowards." Isaac must confront his father when he organizes a children's march following the bombing of his church. Some strong language. For grades 5-8 and older readers.

Martin Luther King, Jr by Doris Faber.
RC 25222
Biography of the Nobel Peace Prize-winner who led the civil rights struggle during the presidencies of Kennedy and Johnson. Dr. King's philosophy of non-violent confrontation paved the way for the passage of landmark civil rights legislation in the 1960s. For grades 5-8.

In search of peace; the story of four Americans by Robert Feuerlicht.
BR 1577
A brief biography of Alfred Nobel and a history of the prizes he founded introduces biographical sketches of four American recipients of the award - Theodore Roosevelt, Jane Addams, Ralph Bunche, and Martin Luther King, Jr. For grades 5-7.

Bayard Rustin: behind the scenes of the Civil Rights Movement by James Haskins.
RC 49213
Biography of the skillful political organizer of the huge March on Washington in 1963. Explains how he acquired his beliefs in nonviolent protest and how he later influenced Martin Luther King Jr., starting at the 1955 bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama. For grades 5-8.

Grades 6-12

Martin Luther King, Jr by Robert Jakoubek.
RC 33737
This book traces the life of Martin Luther King, Jr., a great leader of the civil rights movement, from childhood to his tragic death. The bus boycott in Montgomery, the Washington march with his famous speech, and his receipt of the Novel Peace Prize are detailed. For grades 6-9 and older readers.

A dream of freedom: the civil rights movement from 1954 to 1968 by Diane McWhorter.
RC 60128, BR 15855
Concise history of the civil rights struggle by a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer who in 1963 was a sixth-grader living in Birmingham, Alabama. The author recalls events from the Supreme Court's 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision to Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination in 1968. Some strong language. For grades 6-9.

Coretta Scott King by Lisa Renee Rhodes.
RC 53335 
A biography of Coretta Scott King, political activist and widow of Martin Luther King Jr., the slain civil rights leader. Discusses her childhood in rural Alabama, her marriage, and her crusade to keep her husband's message of peace and equality alive after his murder in 1968. For grades 6-9.

More by Martin Luther King, Jr.

The words of Martin Luther King, Jr. by Coretta Scott King.
BR 10758
Selections from King's speeches and writing arranged in seven areas of concern: the community of man, racism, civil rights, justice and freedom, faith and religion, nonviolence, and peace. Introduction by Coretta Scott  King provides personal and historical background for King's words. Also includes a chronology of his life.

A call to conscience: the landmark speeches of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by Martin Luther King, Jr.
RC 62330, LT 2562
Collection of eleven speeches made by King. Includes "The Birth of a New Nation," which helped galvanize the civil rights movement, the famous "I Have a Dream," and his final oration, "I've Been to the Mountaintop." Each speech is introduced by a well-known leader, activist, or theologian.

A knock at midnight by Martin Luther King, Jr.
RCC 41
Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., world-famous civil rights leader, was first a preacher with strong ties to African-American religious traditions. This collection of his sermons includes "Loving Your Enemies," "The American Dream," and "Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution." Each is introduced by a member of today's spiritual community.

The measure of a man by Martin Luther King, Jr.
RC 42398, BR 10575
Two meditations by the well-known American civil rights leader: "What Is  Man?" and "The Dimensions of a Complete Life," plus an excerpt from his April 3, 1968, speech. King calls upon his Christian heritage as he reflects on the nature of human existence and the moral duties of the individual.

Strength to love by Martin Luther King, Jr.
RC 44735
Fifteen sermons by the African American pastor who dedicated his life to  civil rights. Three were written in Georgia prisons, and all express Dr. King's Christian views and his application of biblical truths to intellectual uncertainties, emotional involvements, and spiritual weaknesses.

Stride toward freedom: the Montgomery story by Martin Luther King, Jr.
RCM 787
Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968), civil rights leader and Nobel Peace Prize recipient, inspired and sustained the struggle for equal rights and nonviolence in the United States during the second half of the 20th-century. He led the first large-scale nonviolent resistance in the country: the Montgomery bus boycott. This is the story of that bus strike which culminated in a Supreme Court decision, and of his nonviolent crusade.

A testament of hope: the essential writings and speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr. by Martin Luther. King, Jr.
RC 42395
Collects documents generally recognized as composed or presented by the 1960s American civil rights leader, who championed nonviolent tactics. Entries are grouped by genre: philosophy, sermons and public addresses, essays, interviews, and books. The table of contents gives the date of each entry. Editor James M. Washington provides a general introduction and notes.

The trumpet of conscience by Martin Luther King, Jr.
RC 43333, BR 10772
These five essays, delivered as radio lectures by King in November and December 1967, portray a nightmarish America of reality and the egalitarian America of his visions. They express his hopes for the future of nonviolence as a means to social revolution even in a climate of riot.

Where do we go from here: chaos or community? by Martin Luther King, Jr.
BR 1285
The Civil Rights leader discusses steps to achieve equality.  He stresses the need for a guaranteed income rather than piecemeal programs and argues for wide coalitions and continuous efforts to influence the entire political process in America.

Why we can't wait by Martin Luther King, Jr.
RC 21674
The black pastor and civil rights leader wrote this now-classic account four years before his assassination. He reviews the background of the civil right demands that culminated in the March on Washington in 1963.