King: A Photobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr.

by Charles R. Johnson, Bob Adelman, Robert Phelan (Compiler)

A photographic tour of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s life, public and private, covers a wide range of scenes, from King standing before his congregation to the bus boycott in Montgomery and his incarceration in a Birmingham jail to his assassination and its aftermath. 50,000 first printing.

Genres: History, Photography, Nonfiction, Biography, Coffee Table Books

Hardcover

First published November 6, 2000

About the author

Charles R. Johnson is an American scholar and author of novels, short stories, and essays. Johnson, an African-American, has directly addressed the issues of black life in America in novels such as Middle Passage and Dreamer. Johnson first came to prominence in the 1960s as a political cartoonist, at which time he was also involved in radical politics. In 1970, he published a collection of cartoons, and this led to a television series about cartooning on PBS.

1990 National Book Award Winner.

Reviews

[Cara Meredith · Rating 5 out of 5]

A powerful book about a more than powerful man.

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every photograph, every single one, was stunning. Even though, sadly, there were many photos of the actual funeral of Martin Luther King, Jr. (even up close casket pictures). But still, a great tribute to his life and legacy.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous book. King is and always has been my hero.

[Bruce Ginn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The pictures powerfully capture the exceptional life of MLK and of U.S. society in the 1950s and 1960s and to some degree even today.

[Lorde Nock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading the legacy of Dr. King is important and understanding the moral and spiritual life of America's greatest leader has been my life's journey. I've read many other King books, but the photos in this book support the stories and bring life to a time i was too young to remember. This book links my mother's teaching and experiences with who I am and how we all as a people can understand the pain and humiliation racism has on our country. It is a book everyone should read to understand the struggle and experience its terrific triumphs in prose and in pictures.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book filled with photographs from a man who started out as a volunteer photographer of the civil rights movement. Because King was the defining moral force of my life, I treasure this book and pull it out at least twice a year--once on King's birthday and once on that awful April day which is the anniversary of his murder. The pictures are worth more than a thousand words. They are priceless.