Death of a King: The Real Story of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Final Year

by Tavis Smiley, David Ritz (With)

A revealing and dramatic chronicle of the twelve months leading up to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination.

Martin Luther King, Jr. died in one of the most shocking assassinations the world has known, but little is remembered about the life he led in his final year. New York Times bestselling author and award-winning broadcaster Tavis Smiley recounts the final 365 days of King's life, revealing the minister's trials and tribulations -- denunciations by the press, rejection from the president, dismissal by the country's black middle class and militants, assaults on his character, ideology, and political tactics, to name a few -- all of which he had to rise above in order to lead and address the racism, poverty, and militarism that threatened to destroy our democracy.

Smiley's Death of a King paints a portrait of a leader and visionary in a narrative different from all that have come before. Here is an exceptional glimpse into King's life -- one that adds both nuance and gravitas to his legacy as an American hero.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, Politics, Social Justice, American History, Race

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Tavis Smiley is an American talk show host and author. Smiley was born in Gulfport, Mississippi, and grew up in Bunker Hill, Indiana. After attending Indiana University, he worked during the late 1980s as an aide to Tom Bradley, the mayor of Los Angeles.
Smiley became a radio commentator in 1991 and, starting in 1996, he hosted the talk show BET Talk (later renamed BET Tonight with Tavis Smiley) on Black Entertainment Television (BET). After Smiley sold an exclusive interview of Sara Jane Olson to ABC News in 2001, BET declined to renew his contract that year. Smiley then began hosting The Tavis Smiley Show on National Public Radio (NPR) (2002–04) and hosted Tavis Smiley on the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) on weekdays and The Tavis Smiley Show on Public Radio International (PRI) from 2004 until 2017.
Smiley had an employment dispute with PBS in December 2017 which resulted in his suing PBS for wrongful termination. Smiley is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of SmileyAudioMedia, Inc. headquartered in Los Angeles. Since June 2021 he has served as Chief Visionary Officer for his radio station, KBLA Talk 1580.

Reviews

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Despite having read a lot about the Civil Rights Movement, including that Dr King turned his focus toward poverty and criticism of Vietnam toward the end of his life, I had no idea that his broadened focus was so unpopular, or that the final year of his life was so hard. I know that one reason Smiley said he wanted to write this book was to give people a reality check on how King was perceived during his lifetime. In death, of course, he has become a martyr. And so, it's easy to forget the amount of criticism he faced before his assassination. While a more realistic view of King can at times portray him in an unflattering light, it also makes his commitment to his causes all the more admirable. I appreciate that Smiley acknowledges some of King's flaws (such as adultery) without dwelling on them. This book really tries to put you in King's shoes across the year before his death--and it is very effective at doing so. His life was a whirlwind of nonstop travel and public events, and he ran into a seemingly unending list of frustrations and disappointments. In retrospect, it's so easy to simplify the Civil Rights era as white versus black, as Southern instead of Northern, and as something that unfolded in a vacuum. This book excels at fleshing out the larger picture, including the personal rivalries, ideological differences, and practical problems that got in the way of King as he pursued his goals. It also looks at the urban riots that happened outside the South, and frames all of these issues against the backdrop of other domestic and international issues that were unfolding at the time. At times it can start to feel a little repetitive, but that's because King kept coming up against the same kinds of obstacles. I also felt at times that it moved a little quickly--like perhaps a bit more substance would have been nice. But I'm not sure that's a fair criticism, because elaboration probably would have meant going off-topic, and I appreciate the fact that Smiley stays focused and keeps things moving. Finally, I also appreciate that the end is so succinct. After all, we already know how the story ends; focusing too much attention on it would have felt morbid, and would have seemed out of keeping with a book that sets out to make King come alive to the reader.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

The writing style was casual and easy to read. Mr. Smiley did not trash MLK in any form or fashion to try to diminish the stature and image we hold for "Doc" as Travis consistently referred to the good Doctor. We do get to see through the eyes and ideas of his closest friends and advisors during the constant comings and goings of this man who tried to serve all those who are oppressed by poverty. Then and now that represents far too many people and the majority of those so oppressed are peoples of darker pigmentation.

Poverty was MLK's greatest foe. His passion did also stir when he thought about racism and United States militarism. MLK was completely against the war in Vietnam.

This book deals mainly with Doc's last year of life. Doc made a speech exactly one year before he was murdered in Memphis. In that speech he expressed his view on the war that he considered foolish. He thought it a great social injustice to spend millions for bullets and bombs while failing to fund the public schools sufficiently enough to educate all the children in our America. IMHO...nothing has changed. After that speech, Doc's life pretty much went downhill.

Persons like MLK....Doc....come to us few and far between. This book I did enjoy and I feel better about everything now that I have some of that knowledge that it contains. I recommend it for you to read too.....Michael

[James Dooley · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books to focus in on Doctor King's life, by focusing on the last year of his life. Smiley does not glance over King's flaws, but also reminds everyone of what made him an excellent leader.

This book also showed the side of King that no one has seen before, one that is more pessimistic, embattled on all sides by people he once saw as allies in the search for justice, and fighting the charge that he had become irrelevant or obsolete from the rising black power movement.

This book was also incredibly well researched and written for an accessible audience. It's definitely worth a look.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

Content: five stars.
Smiley's writing: zero stars.

[Andre(Read-A-Lot) · Rating 4 out of 5]

With so many books published about Dr. Martin Luther King, my first thought was why another book on King? But Tavis Smiley along with David Ritz do a good job in this book, with the goal of "adding nuance and gravitas to his legacy" they have definitely succeeded. The touch of David Ritz is all over this book, his biographies with musical artists are always fast paced with an informative feel, and this book is equal to other Ritz publications. Tavis is the guiding force behind the book and probably the architect of the idea and the majority of the words.

It is a look into the last year of King's life who is lovingly referred to as "Doc" throughout the book. The book literally goes from April 1967 to April 1968 and we travel with Dr. King mentally and physically. Dr. King was always trying to make America bridge the gulf between what it professed and what it actually practiced. This book clearly documents how the stress of being the prominent spokesperson for a group of people can lead to moments of depression and self-doubt to downright fear.

So along with the usual details you would expect to find, dates, speech snippets and thoughts from close associates, we get what King may have been thinking as imagined by Tavis Smiley, with the backing of hundreds of hours of research and interviews. Initially I thought this might be a distraction, but the way it is integrated into the text, it isn't really that noticeable. Is there a lot to learn about Dr. King that astute readers don't already know? Not really. The book reads like a 365 day diary along with the current news of the time and the pacing is fast enough to read in one sitting. What one may find new is the stress that Dr. King was feeling and dealing with on a continuous basis. The courage to soldier on in the face of stress, death threats, doubt, infighting, etc., is one of the attributes that made Dr. King great.

The book does a great job of delineating Dr. King's commitment to his philosophy of non-violence, along with his steadfastness when he has an idea that he believes in. His marriage to that philosophy was in my humble opinion his greatest strength and his most glaring weakness. When your goal is freedom and justice, than you have to be open and willing to use any strategy that will help you achieve your goal. The Poor People's Campaign was an idea that many in his organization did not buy in to, but King was determined to see this through, death is was stopped him. His coming out against the Vietnam war was another instance where many of his top advisers warned him not to speak about the war, but his leanings toward righteousness made him do the right thing and speak he did, often, eloquently and challengingly.

I recommend this book to all. Very good read.

[Mike K · Rating 3 out of 5]

I heard Smiley once say people know two things about MLK. One, he went to jail. And two, he had a dream. I very much count myself among that group and was looking forward to this book to learn a bit more. The book focuses on the last year of MLK's life and shows you a man most would not recognize as the person venerated in schools across the country. This is a portrait of a man struggling to retain his leadership within a movement with growing internal struggles. He is beset by depressive moods if not clinical depression (MLK refused to seek mental health care for how it would be used against him and his movement). And he is struggling to bring America along with him in his journey to recognize the Vietnam War as something that must be ended immediately.

This is not an in-depth book that will provide you a full understanding of who MLK was, but it will definitely pique your interest in him and provide you a much more well-rounded picture of who he was at the time of his assassination. He was a flawed man who recognized his flaws. To me, the most remarkable trait of his was his ability to stay focused on his goal and his willingness to work with his enemies/detractors/critics in order to achieve that goal. This book also shows a man who could recognize his own egotistical tendencies and was willing to sit and listen to those who disagreed with him.

I didn't love this book, but it's such a quick read about an important man in an important time that I have a hard time not recommending it.

[John Kaufmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book about Martin Luther King Jr.'s last year, borderline 5-stars. I could hardly put it down, and couldn't wait to get back to it. What makes this book stand out is it's focus on King's internal state of mind during this period - the doubts and struggles he had with the changing civil rights environment, the criticism of his tactics, and the factioning of his own group, the Southern Christian Leadership Council (SCLC). It covers his coming out against the war in Vietnam (and hence LBJ, who was instrumental in civil rights legislation), and his eventual move to support for a broader anti-poverty agenda. These positions drew heavy criticism within the civil rights movement. In addition, there was growing frustration with King's non-violent tactics - some of his actions were perceived as being ineffective, leading to the rise of the Black Power movement. The splintering of the movement greatly depressed King.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book as I have a high opinion of Tavis Smiley and, of course, Dr. King. However, after reading half of it I just stopped. It's not a long book either, it just got repetitive for me. And after a while the fictional account of it got to me. Who knows what Dr. King was really thinking? I know that Tavis is a scholar and probably knows as much about Dr. King as anyone. But I just couldn't get through it. I hated putting it down but it was time to move on. (Note: I read this due to his appearance on The Daily Show).

[Public Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant. Smiley gives a completely fresh portrait of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as a human being, not the marble, pantheonic hero. I had no idea how down-on-his-luck King was during the final year of his life. This was an eye-opening and sympathetic portrayal of a man we all know and love when he was feeling especially unloved and misunderstood. This humanizing look at MLK makes him seem even more wonderful and impressive because it gives us a crystal clear up-close view of his tenacity and his character. I have a whole new appreciation for MLK after reading this.

[Alisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting story and the focus of the last year of Dr. King's life is a unique focus and worth examining. I like how the author lined up the firestorm of activity during this period of time and provides insights into Dr. King's involvement including conversations with allies and foes. The book presents an unvarnished view of the disagreements inside the various factions of the Civil Rights movement of the mid-late '60's, how Dr. King was affected by these disagreements, and what he tried to do about it. Dr. King had his personal struggles to be sure, emotionally, physically, and intellectually, and the perspective on how he soldiered through those times was revealing. Smiley dissects the pieces and puts them out there for the reader to examine in the light that only hindsight can offer. If there is any shortfall, I wished for a wrap up at the end.

I really like Tavis Smiley, attended a Town Hall talk where he spoke of this book and related topics, was predisposed to like this book and given those experiences what might otherwise be a 3.5 star review gets rounded up to 4 stars. Still, a very worthy read.

[Mark Copithorne · Rating 5 out of 5]

It makes me chuckle that the best person this country ever produced still had to sneak around to smoke his Salems.

This book reviews the last year of Martin's life from April 4, '67 when he denounced the Vietnam War in the Riverside Church and called America the greatest purveyor of violence in the world to April 4, '68 when he was shot at the Lorraine Motel. In this year he was unpopular not just with the racists who hated him and the liberal establishment that thought he had lost his way, but also the black radicals who saw non-violence as passé and passive.

One reaction I had was how natural it was for Martin to speak in public using the vocabulary of Christian faith and Christian holiness and Christian responsibility. Today, it seems harder to presume everyone shares that vocabulary. But Martin used it powerfully to demand accountability to respond to poverty and create economic justice and we sure need more ways to talk about that,

[Carrie]

A biography written as an autobiography in the third person, and in the historical present. Though at first slightly annoying, I ended up really liking the way Smiley says that Doc "feels" or "thinks" so-and-so. Seems like it was sometimes off-putting to others, but for me, it seemed more like a kind of cool, new experimental form of critical analysis, or critical biography, or analytical biography. It may not be entirely the real story, but it is a version of the real story that we wouldn't get anywhere else, and it also makes everything so much more visceral and present than your standard biographical style. Also impressed that it was the liberals vs the radicals even way back then, and wonder why there is not a tactic of nonviolence being espoused nowadays?

[Mobeme53 Branson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a sincere effort to explain the events of the last year of MLK's life. I am sure that it was well researched and the historical perspective was not one that I had really understood. I was 11 when he was killed and didn't realize that the movement he had founded was almost terminal by the time of his assassination. What I did not like was his constant references to how King felt and thought. I don't have a problem with hyperbole when it is presented as such; however, this was represented as fact without substantiation or attribution. The shame is that this could have been a very good book. He is obviously a talented writer.

[Bryan Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fascinating read as MLK is challenged by other black leaders in his last year of life. A must read to get a fuller picture of MLK.

[Carol Storm · Rating 4 out of 5]

A powerful and moving look at the man behind the legend, this short but eventful book covers the last year in the life of Martin Luther King Jr.

Some of the revelations are shocking. It's difficult to read at times because it seems as if just about everyone turned against Dr. King in his final year. Not only the young black radicals, but many of his long time friends and older black leaders told him that he was no longer relevant, that his message had failed, that he needed to step back and disappear into the background. The picture of Adam Clayton Powell makes him sound almost sinister! At the same time, of course, Dr. King had well known enemies like J. Edgar Hoover, who was continuing to spy on Dr. King and spread false rumors about his activities right up until the day he died.

Tavis Smiley doesn't just tell the facts, however. He captures what really feels like a saint's earthly torments, his season in hell. Everywhere "Doc" looks, he sees bitterness, betrayal, and rage. Old friends turn their backs, the younger generation chooses pointless destruction over change. But what's really extraordinary is the feverish energy and determination of Dr. King, as he flies from city to city, goes days on end without seeing his wife and family, desperately trying to save a nation from itself. Always on display are the great man's courage and compassion, of course, but there's also his astonishing education, his love for the great poetry and literature of all races, and his open enjoyment of the simple pleasures of life and the company of old friends. The towering figure becomes a living man in these pages, and then the man becomes a voice of divine truth. Some of Dr. King's speeches still have the power not just to shock, but to inspire. At one point he dares to ask the question, "Is America going to hell?" (Very relevant to the year 2017!)

The only reason I give this book four stars instead of five is because it lacks focus. It's the kind of work that falls in between two or three different goals. It's not really an intimate memoir of Dr. King's last year as told by friends and family. It's not really a history of the turbulent Sixties. And it's not a collection of his last great speeches. Ultimately it's a rewarding but frustrating book because each of these elements are present but they don't really blend into one unified work. In the end it leaves you wanting more, which is good, but it also leaves you feeling that the author was never quite sure what kind of book he wanted to write. But it's an important story and Tavis Smiley tells it with both reverence and understanding.

[Jessica Biggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

I get interested in this book when I saw Tavis Smiley on Jon Stewart many years ago. He explained that it’s often not mentioned anymore how reviled King became in his later years—liberals thought he was too moderate and conservatives thought he was too much of a socialist.
This book was really interesting, and sad, how depressed King became in his last year. And it seemed as though he knew he was going to come to an untimely death. The book did help understand King on a deeper level, but I think a full bio is what I needed, as tbis only covered his last year. The worst part was Smiley’s writing skills

[Ashish Vyas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vivid account of last year of MLK, his struggles and persistence in face of mounting criticism. He was revolutionary, radical, visionary. Over last year, not only he had criticism from opponents, but growing divide in his own ranks. All his work and legacy was about to ruin and constant attacks, and threats on his integrity, character, work , family and life.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good meditation leading up to the Dr. King holiday - it filled in many knowledge gaps, focusing only on Dr. King's last year when he took his very unpopular anti-war stance and as his popularity was waning among Black Americans (largely in favor of more militant reactions). From what I knew from past history courses I admired Dr. King of course, but had some doubts as to his beliefs and practices regarding women. I would say that this book is unflinchingly honest (even as that has become a cliche of first-person history) - Tavis Smiley is very fair in the way he portrays King as a three-dimensional, flawed human. The detail he provides about King's personality, struggles, beliefs and work ethic more than explain his behavior (also, King doesn't try to rationalize it - I definitely came away with the impression that he truly believed it when he called himself a sinner). His accomplishments are all the more remarkable considering what he was up against. For such a short audio book (only five discs) this is a very important book and I highly recommend it.

[Shavon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I take a long time to get through books (and movies) about Black history. (I’ve been watching the movie "Lincoln" for 30 days and have only gotten through 44 minutes of the 2 and a half hour movie.) I was expecting Death of a King to read like the "Killing" books by Bill O’Reilly, who writes history like a thriller but has stayed away from the topic of King, for whatever reason. But Death is a typical historical account with no creativity. While I breeze through the Killing books in days. The dry facts in Death took 2 months for me to trod through. Perhaps O’Reilly’s eye popping sales numbers (extending to readers like me who won’t sit through 2 minutes of his TV program) will encourage other historians to invest some time in learning how to prepare text that is more than an extended book report so that this important historical information can reach the masses in a more consumable form.

Now to the substance of the text. Death is not about King’s assassination. Rather, it highlights King’s shift in focus to the issue of income inequality and how it is the commonality that should unite the poor of all races into a multi-hued majority; how the poor need a leader to organize their efforts so that they receive their just share of the federal budget. In some ways, President Obama has been that galvanizing force inspiring the poor to vote for him and passing (and defending) the Affordable Care Act so that every man can pursue happiness in good health. In other ways, however, the task of demonstrating to the social underclass that they should be one (and in fact are treated as one by the upper class) has been too daunting for Obama. He succeeded in inspiring the masses to vote for him and to contribute money to his campaign without impressing upon them that the campaign and presidency wasn’t about him. That is why the Obama movement stopped with him rather than carrying over to others he endorses. The return of unlimited money in politics (via the Supreme Court decision in Citizens United) has been like gasoline on the fire that puts poor whites, poor blacks and poor Latinos at odds with each other and therefore keeps them at the mercy of those they outnumber. And if Tavis Smiley thinks that most readers are going to absorb all of that from a book report rather than an entertaining historical text, I fear he may be mistaken. But for those who are interested in Dr. King’s work and philosophy, please trod through and determine what enduring merit it has or lacks, in your opinion. As for me, now that I have finished Death of a King, I’m going to go even further back in history and try to finish that Lincoln movie!

[Yasmin · Rating 4 out of 5]

From page 133: Everything has changed, yet nothing has changed (10 December 1967)...speaks for now. Indeed a few years ago a young man said these words to myself, my sister and my mother "Nothing has changed." He lives here in Canada, his skin is black and it is the 21st century. This book mirrors so much of what is happening right now in the U.S. but this time the slogans are: Black Lives Matter. This time there is no Martin Luther King, no Stokely Carmicheal and Harry Belafonte and Jesse Jackson are old men and no youth to fill their places in the same way. This is also what Martin Luther King said: "The vicious racist past is alive-right here and now. Hatred has not gone into hiding." "We've committed more war crimes than almost any other nation in the world...and we won't stop it because of our pride and arrogance." Sound familiar? To date the Vietnam war was the longest in any U.S. history, however, the war on poor people, the war on black people, the war on immigrants is the longest and is on going. While reading this book and seeing the exact same causes that Martin Luther King and countless others fought against are playing out right here and now...you can't say again!? because it never really stopped. Not all of Martin Luther King's dreams have happened. Children of all skin colours can go to school together and all people of sexes, religions and colour can vote in elections and become elected president and all those are great achievements. But as MLK also said "America may be going to hell" and still it may.
A very good book in many respects by Tavis Smiley, I think he captured the last year of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. very well. It's only a pity neither the writer nor the man being written about knew the real side to Israel. The state of Israel does not and never has been the representation of the Jewish people around the world. Although the destruction of the country of Palestine and the rise of the state of Israel can go off on a diverting tangent it is important to have this distinction in your book, even in the 1960s Israel was not seen as a "homeland" by all Jews in the world. Even then Jews had serious problems with the Zionist state. Otherwise a worth while book to read.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's astounding that the words spoken by Dr. King 50 years ago describe the problems affecting our society today.

[Lianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goodness that was depressing. At the end I was almost glad when MLK was assassinated. At least he was finally free from the FBI wiretaps & smear campaigns, his closest friends hamstringing his efforts while riding his coattails, and all the doubt and naysaying from most (most!) of the country.

Amazing that he could put up with all that garbage and not quit. Whereas I'm ready to turn my back on the world and become a hermit after a recent difficult eBay transaction. Damn.

OK here's the resolution of the Memphis garbage workers' strike, from Wikipedia:
"On April 8, a completely silent march with the SCLC and Coretta Scott King attracted 42,000 participants. The strike ended on April 16, 1968, with a settlement that included union recognition and wage increases. The period was a turning point for black activism and union activity in Memphis."

And the Poor People's Campaign did end up happening, with over 3,000 people living in DC for 6 weeks. Their shanty town had its own zip code!

[Matt Lowy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr. Smiley's reverence for Dr. King shines through his writing and I am confident that Dr. King would be very proud of his work. For someone who was born in the last year of the Carter administration, I was very naive on how the country and the African American community stopped believing in Dr. King in his last year alive.

As young as was at his death (39 years old ), his accomplishments, focus, dedication and discipline are so very admirable. This book is a perspective booster and will put some pressure on you to become a better human being. Highly recommend!

[Chris Dean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book. I was hooked in the introduction when Smiley writes "he is a man whose true character has been misinterpreted, ignored or forgotten....his martyrdom has undermined his message."

Indeed this book gave me a new understanding and appreciation of what King was saying and doing, primarily during the last year of his life.

In the second half of the 20th century, few voices were more important and his focus on God and how we should treat one another is something that is sorely missed today.

[Jim Guess · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book. It should be valued for its contribution to History and for its relevance today. Dr. King was a great American, a great preacher of the Gospel, a great dreamer, and a tireless worker. Thank you Mr. Smiley for telling such an important story and for telling it so well.

[Marcy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed learning more about MLK, but realized that I don't know anything about the supposed revisionist version of MLKs final year & how this is different. I appreciated learning more about the civil rights movement and the issues close to MLK's heart.

[Darnell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid synthesis of primary sources, but very much a straight narrative instead of analysis.

[Anita Dawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an insight to King's final days. Great read and I recommend it to everyone...

[Luke Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A somewhat short book by Tavis Smiley detailing the last year of Martin Luther King Jr's life. In the opening, Smiley tells the reader he is writing the book to address what he feels is a mis-characterization of Dr King (or as Smiley calls him throughout the book, Doc). Smiley is of the opinion Dr King has become this white-washed, "idealized dreamer" I belief he calls the public's perspective, and decides instead to give readers a true account of the man. Set several years after his "I Have A Dream" speech, the book mainly portrays Dr King as a man tired and worn down by the fight for equality. Yet despite these trials, the infighting amongst his supporters, and the rise in popularity of those who advocate violent resistance, Dr King continues to fight til his last breath.

As some one born a couple decades after MLK's life I found the book rather enlightening. I would say I had a slightly above average of his life coming into this book and in it's pages were many things I was unaware of. It's short-ish length makes the book approachable. I would of appreciated a bit more information about the people surrondig Dr King. I recognized names like Jesse Jackson, Aretha Franklin and other musician, but there were many other people in King's inner circle I was unfamiliar with. I also wished that Smiley had gone into the public outcry that followed the death of Dr King but for the most part the book ends with the shooting.

[Nate C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Earlier this year on Martin Luther King Day, some uninformed person or another - Joe Walsh, I believe - tweeted that if MLK were still alive today, he would lead an All Lives Matter rally.

Just 10 or so days ago, some other similarly misguided individual responded to a tweet from Bernice King - MLK's daughter - about the man himself. Bernice spoke of the 3-pronged approach to defeating racism that Smiley's book discusses - combatting racism, poverty and the military - and Lucian Wintrich reached peak white- and man-splaining in one foolish tweet in which he attempts to correct her, and tell her what her father actually stood for...

All this is to that there is truly a need for this book today. It tells the story of the last year in King's life, wherein he began really going after the Viet Nam war. He began loosing traction with a lot of his previous supporters, in part because of this step, but also because of an increased notion of civil disobedience that would not exclude the nonviolence that had always been the hallmark of King's approach to injustice.

Please do not be one of these aforementioned people who speak about a King they know nothing about. Read this book, read others. We all owe it to ourselves and to the world at large.