WV PICKS – Black History
Black History Month 2006 is here at last and this year marks the 80th anniversary of this special celebration about the accomplishments of African Americans in United States History. With the passing of Coretta Scott King on January 31, 2006, just 14 days after our national Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration, the personal and self-less sacrifices that Martin and Coretta have made through the years on the side of justice and social change are the reasons I�ve chosen to focus on their lives this month. So read on and be inspired by the lives of our First Family of the Civil Rights Movement, the Kings!
An Unforgettable King Legacy . . .
One of the greatest of American stories has found its great chronicler in Taylor Branch. Beginning with Parting the Waters in 1988, followed 10 years later by Pillar of Fire, and closing now (January 10, 2006) with At Canaan’s Edge, Branch has given the short life of Martin Luther King Jr. and the nonviolent revolution he led the epic treatment they deserve. The three books of Branch’s America in the King Years trilogy are lyrical and dramatic, social history as much as biography.
Parting the Waters: America in the King Years 1954-63
by Taylor Branch
Simon & Schuster
0671687425
$22.00, Paperback
The first book of a formidable three-volume social history, Parting the Waters is more than just a biography of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. during the decade preceding his emergence as a national figure. Branch’s thousand-page effort, which won the Pulitzer Prize as well as the National Book Critics Circle Award for General Nonfiction, profiles the key players and events that helped shape the American social landscape following World War II but before the civil-rights movement of the 1960s reached its climax.
Pillar of Fire: America in the King Years 1963-65
by Taylor Branch
Simon & Schuster
0684848090
$17.00, Paperback
Pillar of Fire is the second volume of Taylor Branch’s magisterial three-volume history of America during the life of the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. Branch’s thesis, as he explains in the introduction, is that “King’s life is the best and most important metaphor for American history in the watershed postwar years,” but his is not just a biography. Instead it is a work of history, with King at its focal point.
At Canaan’s Edge: America in the King Years, 1965-68
by Taylor Branch
Simon & Schuster
068485712X
$35.00, Hardcover
At Canaan’s Edge portrays King at the height of his moral power even as his worldly power is waning. It shows why his fidelity to freedom and nonviolence makes him a defining figure long beyond his brilliant life and violent end.
The King Legacy Lives On . . . .
Growing Up King: An Intimate Memoir
by Dexter Scott King, Ralph Wiley, Contributor
Warner Books
0446692379
$14.95, Paperback
Dexter Scott King’s disarmingly candid memoir of growing up in the shadow of his father is now in trade paperback. Seven-year-old Dexter Scott King was in his family’s den watching television when a special news bulletin announced that his father, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., had been shot in Memphis. While the nation and the world mourned the death of one of the most important and powerful figures in history, the young son began what would be a lifelong personal journey of not only learning to cope with the loss of his loving father, but of exploring how best to make sure that his message and spirit lived on. Remarkably honest and emotionally intimate, this book offers a rare and touching look into what it is like to grow up as the son of a world renowned hero.
Hard Questions, Heart Answers
by Bernice King
Broadway
0767900375
$12.95, Paperback
Bernice King, the youngest daughter of Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, gave her first speech at seventeen, and everyone present immediately recognized that she had inherited her father’s remarkable gift for oratory. In the sixteen years since that first public appearance, Bernice King–an ordained minister as well as an attorney–has become one of the country’s most admired speakers and has touched the hearts of thousands. Now, in Hard Questions, Heart Answers, she has collected the best of her inspiring sermons and speeches; in words ringing with wisdom and compassion, she addresses the pressing problems facing America in the 1990s.
Open My Eyes, Open My Soul: Celebrating Our Common Humanity
by Yolanda King & Elodia Tate, Editors
McGraw-Hill
0071438866
$14.95, Paperback
Open My Eyes, Open My Soul is a poignant collection of stories and poems about the human family and the challenges and triumphs of overcoming racism and strengthening our connections. With contributions from human rights advocates, celebrities, and writers from all walks of life. Yolanda King, the first child of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King, has performed or lectured throughout the United States and around the world.
The King Legacy for Children . . .
A Picture Book of Martin Luther King, Jr.
by David A. Adler, Robert Casilla, Illustrator
Holiday House
0823408477
$6.95, Paperback
This beautifully illustrated and easy to read biography highlights King’s life with detailed emphasis on his childhood and family. Children will immediately relate to his painful early experiences of racism and understand the genesis of his lifelong struggle for racial equality. The book portrays the hatred King endured, the horror of his assassination and the intense power of his message. A single-page list of important dates closes the book. Its most striking aspect is Casilla’s evocative watercolor paintings, which expand the text while celebrating the man.
My Brother Martin: A Sister Remembers Growing Up with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
by Christine King Farris, Chris Soentpiet, Illustrator
Simon & Schuster Children�s Publishing
0689843879
$17.95, Hardcover
Long before he became a world-famous dreamer, Martin Luther King Jr. was a little boy who played jokes and practiced the piano and made friends without considering race. But growing up in the segregated South of the 1920s forced a very young Martin to learn a bitter lesson — little white children and little black children were not to play with one another. Martin decided then and there that something had to be done. Renowned educator Christine King Farris, older sister of the late Dr. King, joins with celebrated illustrator Chris Soentpiet to tell this inspirational story of how one boyhood experience inspired a movement. It’s a tale that will touch the hearts of all people, and remind us all that if you believe hard enough, dreams can become reality.
Dare to Dream: Coretta Scott King and the Civil Rights Movement
by Angela Shelf Medearis, Anna Rich, Illustrator
Puffin
014130202X
$4.99, Paperback
From her childhood encounters with discrimination or her activism as an adult, Coretta Scott King dreamed of finding a place where people were treated equally. This compelling biography tells how she joined her husband, the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. to lead protest marches and stand up to prejudice and violence. “This biography shows her to be a courageous woman who can stand on her own merit, and not just as the wife of one of the world’s most well-known men.” � School Library Journal
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