The Seminarian: Martin Luther King Jr. Comes of Age

by Patrick Parr, David Garrow (Foreword)

2019 Washington State Book Award Finalist (Biography/Memoir)  * Excerpted in The Atlantic and Politico   * TIME Magazine - One of 6 Books to Read in Honor of the 50th Anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s Death
 
Martin Luther King Jr. was a cautious nineteen-year-old rookie preacher when he left Atlanta, Georgia, to attend divinity school up north. At Crozer Theological Seminary, King, or "ML" back then, immediately found himself surrounded by a white staff and white professors. Even his dorm room had once been used by wounded Confederate soldiers during the Civil War. In addition, his fellow seminarians were almost all older; some were soldiers who had fought in World War II, others pacifists who had chosen jail instead of enlisting. ML was facing challenges he'd barely dreamed of.
 
A prankster and a late-night, chain-smoking pool player, ML soon fell in love with a white woman, all the while adjusting to life in an integrated student body and facing discrimination from locals in the surrounding town of Chester,Pennsylvania. In class, ML performed well, though he demonstrated a habit of plagiarizing that continued throughout his academic career. But he was helped by friendships with fellow seminarians and the mentorship of the Reverend J.Pius Barbour. In his three years at Crozer between 1948 and 1951, King delivered dozens of sermons around the Philadelphia area, had a gun pointed at him (twice), played on the basketball team, and eventually became student body president. These experiences shaped him into a man ready to take on even greater challenges.
 
Based on dozens of revealing interviews with the men and women who knew him then, The Seminarian  is the first definitive, full-length account of King's years as a divinity student at Crozer Theological Seminary. Long passed over by biographers and historians, this period in King's life is vital to understanding the historical figure he soon became.

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, Race, Christianity, Biography Memoir, Social Justice

304 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2018

About the author

Patrick Parr's first book was The Seminarian: Martin Luther King Jr. Comes of Age, a 2019 Washington State Book Award finalist. The book was the culmination of five years of research, which included more than a dozen interviews with friends who'd known King during his years at Crozer Theological Seminary (1948-1951).

For his second book, Parr used newspaper archives and completed interviews with over twenty Notre Dame graduates to write One Week in America: The 1968 Notre Dame Literary Festival and a Changing Nation. Parr also incorporated into the story never-before-published letters from festival authors Joseph Heller (Catch-22), Ralph Ellison (Invisible Man), Kurt Vonnegut (Slaughterhouse-Five), Wright Morris (The Field of Vision) and Norman Mailer (The Naked and the Dead). The book also depicts the last week of Martin Luther King Jr.'s life, and Lyndon B. Johnson's presidency.

Parr's third book is Malcolm Before X, published by the University of Massachusetts Press.

Other work has appeared in The Atlantic, American History Magazine, Politico, History Today, The American Prospect, The New York Daily News and The Boston Globe. In 2014 he was awarded an Artist Trust Fellowship for his literary career. He lives with his wife near Tokyo and teaches writing at Lakeland University Japan.

Reviews

[Raymond · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a phenomenal book. It chronicles King's three years as a seminary student at Crozer Theological Seminary in the late 1940s/early 1950s. This is a period of King's life that is seldom covered in other biographies. This well researched, quick read is divided into three sections (the three years he was in seminary) and each chapter covers a term within each year. Each chapter includes a replica of his course schedule. It gives an overview of the courses, what he learned from the courses, and the grades he received. I like that Parr gives the reader an idea of what it would have been like to be a fellow seminarian with King.

The book also covers his life outside of seminary: episodes of discrimination, covers his relationship with his family at the time, his development as a preacher, his introduction to Gandhi's teachings, and even his romantic relationships (Parr gives special attention to King's girlfriend Betty Moitz, a white woman from Pennsylvania).

This book does a good job showing how the experiences of this school made the young man who was in his late teens/early 20s into the minister and civil rights leader that he would become just a few short years later in Montgomery, Alabama and then to the rest of the country in the 1960s.

[Adam Shields · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short Thoughts: This is a book about King's three years at Crozier Seminary (starting when he was 19). This is an area I had not really read about previously and I believe it is the only book directly looking at this time period. The broader look at the curriculum and his life and development was helpful.

There were two larger contributions I think. One was King's romance with a White woman (the daughter of the campus cook who was King's age.) King eventually broke the romance off because of concerns about how it would be received and how that would impact his life (and his ability to serve the church in the south).

The second helpful contribution is an exploration of King's plagiarism. That he plagiarized is well documented, here and other places. But I think that Parr also helps places that in context. There is no point where Parr can point to a professor either calling him on the plagiarism or on real teaching about plagiarism being taught. I think this is a weakness still in pastoral training. I never had any discussion of plagiarism in the context of preaching during seminary. That doesn't excuse King, but it was a different era. King's papers at the time where mostly handwritten and there were no tools to easily check papers for plagiarism as there is today.

The weakness, pointed out in the most critical review on Amazon was that this does not explore the Black community outside of Crozier. The book explores individual Black actors but not the broader community. King preached frequently at local black churches. The content of his sermons is discussed, the income generated is discussed, the invitations being at least partially about the respect for King's father is discussed. But the actual community is not really discussed.


My longer thoughts on are my blog at http://bookwi.se/the-seminarian/

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was great as an audiobook! Though full of facts and details at times, the book gives us a wonderful portrait of a passionate young man who went on to become a legend.

Written by an educator, it is really the story of an education -- how the student sought it, how his teachers contributed to it, and how it interacted with the context of the institution, the local setting in greater Philadelphia, and that particular point in our nation's evolution.

[Stephen Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Seminarian is an informative, engaging read, and I’m very glad that I had the opportunity to read it. I’ve always admired MLK, so to see how he grew into one of the most celebrated men in American history was really interesting, and I loved how Parr helps you understand him on a very human level.

I appreciated that way the book was structured on a term by term basis while still tying together overarching themes from King’s three years at Crozer. The writing style wasn’t overly academic, so it should be pretty accessible to anyone who’s interested in learning more about MLK.

Ultimately, I really enjoyed this book and hated putting it down when other things demanded my attention. I would highly recommend this.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I was in charge of a 100 level survey course, this book would be on the syllabus! This book was so humanizing — to see MLK as a trickster, a heartbroken lover, a quasi-plagiarist (!), a son, a friend, a student, and so much more was all so refreshing. Perfect back to school book!

[Chandler Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Already an early contender for my favorite read of the year. What an incredibly unique and grippingly written biography on Martin Luther King’s three years at Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, Pennsylvania, as he pursued his Bachelor of Divinity. This sounds like a very narrowly focused segment of King’s life, but Parr writes in such detail about King’s friendships, influences, class experiences, and personal development during his time at Crozer. According to Parr, King’s time in seminary was a very pivotal point of his life as King entered the school as a timid man trying to escape the shadow of his father and who also was an average student at best, and graduated as the student body president and valedictorian. It was also while at Crozer that King developed his philosophy of non-violence for pursuing social change. This position was ironed out through the influences of Mahatma Ghandi and Mordecai Johnson, as well as the mentorship of James Barbour. King also developed a romantic relationship with a white woman while at the school and was intent on marrying her, but the couple ultimately could not go through with the relationship due to the scandal it would create for MLK’s ambitions of social change. What is very neat is that many of the chapters of this book are divided up into the terms or semesters of King’s seminary career, and each new chapter contains MLK’s class schedule for that semester, descriptions of each course from the course catalog, and detailed discussions on King’s class experience and the professors who taught the courses. All of the students and teachers really come alive as you read this book—a major component and accomplishment in a well-written biography. One thing is for certain, though, and that is that Crozer was definitely a liberal seminary. Many of the professors were very much caught up in Walter Rauscenbush’s teaching on the Social Gospel, and many of the professors approached the Bible and the person of Jesus with the intent of demythologization. Unfortunately, King himself adopted many of these views as the author describes King’s break from his southern and fundamentalist upbringing. Most importantly, this book seeks to humanize King and show us his personality as revealed in a somewhat ignored period of his life. As Parr concludes the book,

“Perhaps it was inevitable that King's legacy would lose its edges. Father Time gets us all-even those immortalized by history. But life resists being snuffed out without a fight. In this book, I've tried to push back against the deification, and offer as nuanced a view as possible of the young man King once was. ‘My brother,’ wrote Christine King, ‘was no saint, ordained as such at birth. Instead, he was an average and ordinary man, called by a God, in whom he had deep and abiding faith, to perform extraordinary deeds ... for freedom, peace and justice. That, after all, is the best way each of us can celebrate Martin's life.’”

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Seminarian is the most comprehensive and intimate glimpse yet into perhaps the most formative period of ML King's life: his three years at Crozer Theological Seminary. My interest in this book is one of a person enamored not just with the crusade King led, but with the ideas that drove both man and movement. In my view, it was not only the legendary oratory, but even more importantly the penetrating insight into the heart of mankind that allowed him to touch so many. King's message is only all the more relevant in the modern day- racial prejudice is still used as a weapon to keep the poor marginalized, to maintain national and global institutions which favor the already rich and powerful, and as a sadistic end unto itself- and without him to lead the way, it is up to us to pick up the pieces left behind and continue this work which is so far from over.

To that end, one could hardly ask for a better history of King's theological education and transition from slacker student to brilliant and capable leader. Parr tackles King's life and curriculum semester-by-semester, giving insight into critical courses, the professors who taught them, and what King is likely to have taken away, assimilated into his greater philosophy. With the help of these details, one could attempt to follow in King's theoretical footsteps, gaining insight not just into King's eventual way of thinking, but to all the ideas cast aside or existing in the margins which shaped his perspective along the way. On its own, The Seminarian highlights texts and teachers who led King to some of his key ideas, such as the professor who introduced the young scholar to the full philosophy of Ghandi's nonviolent protest, and the summer he spent pouring over Marx in secret.

The book also provides never-before-documented details about King's personal life, and how they affected and were affected by his burgeoning sense of mission. Of particular interest is King's relationship with his first love, a young white woman named Betty Moitz, with whom he eventually broke things off (perhaps breaking his own heart even more than hers) out of a fear of how such a relationship would hinder his ability to minister to the South. Parr also describes the crucial role Rev. Barbour played in King's development as a source of black counsel and ideological sparring partner while at the largely white liberal Crozer.

The Seminarian is an essential text for any wishing to understand Dr. King the scholar or ML the man. The brightest light to date has been shone on this mysterious and momentous period of King's brief life.

[Michael McCue · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Seminarian:Martin Luther King Jr. Comes of Age by Patrick Parr caught my eye on the new books shelf of my local public library. I had to check it out and take it home. This book could be called a biography of a few years in Dr. King's life. Martin Luther King Jr. entered Crozer Theological Seminary at the very young age of 19 in 1948. King had skipped over one year of high school already was he was accepted at Morehouse College right after his Junior year of high school at 15. With the shortage of men due to the Second World War Morehouse was accepting young men who had only finished the third year of high school to fill their class. Martin graduated from college at 19 and went off Crozer where most of his classmates were 4 or more years his senior, many having had their educations interrupted by World War II service. In spite of his young age he became a leader of his fellow students and was elected student body president. It was at Crozer that King was first exposed to the Social Gospel ideas of Walter Raushenbusch and the realism of Reinhold Niebuhr. I too studied both of those writers.
Parr provides a lot of supplemental material in this book including Crozer's class rosters and course discriptions. King grew into adulthood while at Crozer and polished his speaking and leadership abilities there.

Crozer Seminary was in Chester, Pennsylvania. I visited the site of the campus in 2002. It was then a social service facility . The school had merged with Colgate-Rochester Divinity School in 1970 and closed the Chester campus. Colgate Rochester after that became Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School. I can't quite claim that Dr. King and I share an alma mater but I did take one graduate class in the 1990s at Colgate Rochester Crozer and I was pleased to see that there was a seminar room called the Crozer Room which had some MLK memorabilia in a display case. I am glad I found this book.

[Peter Ralston · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read the summary notes from the dust cover of this book and quickly believed it to be intended to defame Dr. King, since it refers to stereotypical late adolescent behaviors in him that seem outside the likely boundaries of Dr. King's upbringing, education at Morehouse College, and social constraints in Chester, Pennsylvania just after World War II. That it was published out of Chicago, where rival leaders among African Americans live, made me even more skeptical of its stories. Then, I learned that much of the material originated from contemporaries, whose memories may or may not have been written at that time, so the trustworthiness of the accounts may vary.

Anybody who wishes to have his eyes opened about Dr. King's capacity for fine work is well advised to look into his class essays for studies during his time at Boston University, which is admittedly a little later than the period covered in this particular book. He wrote impressively at BU in a systematic way, consistently and at length about difficult theological ideas that have to be felt with appreciable subtlety before they are thought out and written clearly, directly, and emotionally.

[Janice SHULL · Rating 4 out of 5]

Where do ideas come from? How does a person change his or her thinking? Patrick Parr has written an intriguing study of Martin Luther King Jr’s transformation from southern preacher in the black gospel tradition to an activist minister who spoke—and still speaks—across all color lines, economic divides, and religious differences. Parr carefully studies the transformative effect on King that took place at Crozer Divinity School in Chester, Pennsylvania.

King was a 19-year-old graduate of Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia when he arrived at Crozer Theological Seminary in the fall of 1948. His college performance was acceptable but not stellar. A shy and sheltered boy who had not yet found his passion in life, King brought two distinctive qualities to Crozer: his preaching style, absorbed from Daddy King’s thunderous sermons, and his rich baritone voice. He had much to learn and master in the days ahead.

Crozer had earned a reputation as a liberal and scholarly seminary which produced well-trained ministers for the Baptist denomination. The campus was situated just outside Philadelphia, with its centerpiece a beautiful building constructed before the Civil War called Old Main. It was there that King encountered northern attitudes for the first time, although Crozer, with its policy of a racially integrated school, was not exactly typical of 1940s attitudes even in the north. The school had begun to admit a few black students a decade earlier but the class that entered in the fall of 1948—Martin Luther King Jr’s class—would produce the largest percentage of black graduates in Crozer’s history. From the strict segregation produced by Jim Crow laws, King and his colleagues now learned to adapt to white maids who did their laundry, free access to drinking fountains and elevators, and classes with white students and professors.

Parr’s prodigious research gives the reader more than a glimpse into King’s life at Crozer. Each school term is covered in depth in its own chapter, starting with an overview of what was happening on campus. The author lists King’s class schedule and then discusses the professor and the content of each course taken. We see the progression that King made from introductory level required courses to more specific subjects. Notably, his grades improved as he progressed through the curriculum and honed his learning skills and focus. One thing becomes clear to the reader, that King sought out philosophy courses to broaden his thinking and approach to the ministry. From his exposure to the social gospel of Walter Rauschenbusch and the realism of Reinhold Niebuhr, King began to craft his own ideas about taking action to correct injustice in the segregated south. At the same time, through his preaching professor he was learning how to deliver his message to white people in a way that they would hear. They must hear it in order for anything to change. Parr writes, “To ML, the church’s passivity on slavery was its greatest sin, and he was determined to foster his own version of Christianity that served as a model for change.” ( p. 110) Another professor focused on Christianity and present-day social issues. He recalled that King “was interested in the strategies of the past only as they provided insights for the development of a Christian social ethic adequate to meet the needs of contemporary society.” (p. 199)

Surprisingly, King found romantic love—his first real taste of it—at the all male Crozer seminary. He met Betty Moitz, the daughter of Miss Hannah, the dietitian and cook, in his first year and their friendship deepened into love. But this was still a time of disapproval by society of interracial marriage. By his final year at Crozer, MLK and Betty had agreed to go their separate ways. Betty remembered years later that “one thing ML knew at age nineteen was that he could change the world.” (p. 64)

Perhaps the professor who influenced King most greatly was Kenneth L. Smith. After King’s assassination, Smith emphasized in a speech at Colgate Rochester Crozer Seminary that King must be remembered for his humanity. He warned against the two-dimensional image of King with his feet frozen to the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1963. There was much greater depth to the man. This study of King’s first strides toward freedom in the northern rarefied atmosphere of Crozer sheds light on his human side—his push for independence from his father, his theological curiosity, his budding notions of philosophy that could help solve society’s problems, his first taste of romantic love, his friendships around the pool table, his first stand for civil rights.

I value this book for its insights into King’s developing character and thinking, but I also found the description of Crozer’s approach to theological education in the late 1940s to be utterly fascinating. I was five years old in 1950 and just becoming aware of church and ministers. We had a new pastor at my church in 1950, a man who influenced me greatly. Although he graduated from Bethany Seminary, not Crozer, I could imagine that he might have had similar courses and asked similar questions of his faith. This book gives a more nuanced picture of what it is like to attend a seminary, even today, for students of any race.

As Parr wrapped up his research he decided to invite Jimmy Beshai, a student from Egypt who was a contemporary of MLK’s at Crozer, to accompany him on a visit to Old Main. Even at 90 years of age, Jimmy Beshai could remember clearly where things were. After Crozer merged with Colgate Rochester Seminary in 1970, the building was adapted for several different purposes. It still stands today but is boarded up and empty. Parr speculates on its use as a social justice center which would offer classes and lectures on social activism and nonviolent methods. The room where MLK lived could be restored to reflect his era. Parr concludes that “the more we can learn about the institution where King began to develop his philosophy, the easier it is to understand that philosophy and put it into practice ourselves.”

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thorough but easy to read examination of young Martin Luther King's term (he was just 19 when he enrolled) at Crozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania. The author, Patrick Parr, introduces the reader to the world of ideas as Martin would have encountered them. He argues that these years were pivotal in the development of Martin's philosophy, as he moved from a young, uncertain first-year student to a confident graduate who would be elected student body president before he left Crozer. Martin, as Parr demonstrates, developed a world view at Crozer that included a quest for racial equality as well as a determination that social justice required economic equality. It was at Crozer also that Martin was first introduced to the nonviolent philosophy of Mahatmas Gandhi. An excellent place to start if you want to learn about Martin Luther King, "an average and ordinary man, called by a God, in whom he had deep and abiding faith, to perform extraordinary deeds . . . for freedom, peace and justice."

[Elliot Ratzman · Rating 3 out of 5]

After graduating from Morehouse, young MLK attends Crozer Theological Seminary near Chester, PA. MLK spent three years not far from Swarthmore College where I first taught my own course on MLK’s intellectual life. This is a comprehensive study based on interviews, his papers, and biographical details only a King enthusiast can love. While rich in the term-to-term tidbits—schedules, grades, speaking engagements, friends, mentors and accomplishments—the author doesn’t have a good grasp of the theology and philosophy King is studying. MLK commuted to UPenn to take a class on Ethics (lots of Hegel) and another on Kant. Though we have (some?) of MLK’s notes, there’s not much analysis here. This study does zoom in on King’s social life, and his falling in love with a white woman, the daughter of the head dietician at Crozer. Neat details: King did research for a Haverford Sociology prof; he heard a pivotal lecture about Gandhi at Broad and Girard; he graduated with honors as class president.

[Jarad · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished The Seminarian by Patrick Parr. Apart from the many other titles on Martin Luther King, Jr., this book focuses on Kong’s three year matriculation through Crozer Theological Seminary. I thought it to be a fascinating dive and journey from who King was as a boy from the South into the man he evolved to at this northern, liberal seminary. Parr is nuanced in his critique of King. He articulates the noteworthiness of King’s intellect and keen sense of learning, but he also provides some insight into King’s propensity to lift the words of other philosophers and theologians (not necessarily breaking news to those who are familiar with MLK).

Ultimately, I really enjoyed this work that delves into the philosophical and theological formation of a man that we really only recognize on a superficial level. This book gave me a chance to know more about King, the human being, what he loved and even more insight into who he loved (before Coretta).

[Richard Wolff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rather an interesting project, to survey the formative seminary years of so important of an American, religious figure and civil right leader. The book provides some interesting insights into King's development, strengths and challenges, and relationships during the years of his pastoral training. One shortcoming of the approach is that in its effort to even-handedly cover details - for example, it considers each and every course King took - the result is something of a flattening effect, where more mundane details are given equal weight with what are more truly impactful moments. The epilogue, reviewing the significance of King's seminary years in retrospect from the perspective of those most influential to him, is interesting.

[Brett Dickson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-written biography that follows MLK’s seminary class schedule, and the impact each class had on his life. Some of the conclusions extrapolated from each class may be a little far reaching, as if every single one had a profound and resounding impact on MLK’s life. This may be due to the author’s own biases and ideology, which came to the surface by the end of the book. Nonetheless, this book provides a good look at MLK’s life before national prominence, especially life events that foreshadowed his future leadership.

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

This mini-bio on MLK Jr’s seminary years at Crozier in PA shows the development of an aspiring young black preacher who was at times shy and unsure and the formation by beneficent professors and his cadre of multi-cultural friends. There are several pivotal moments detailed that mark their influence on the person who would lead a movement, from episodes of racism and arbitrary instructors to a threat at gunpoint and a relationships that would prove critical to his worldview and future practice and preaching.

[Arthur O'Keefe · Rating 5 out of 5]

In The Seminarian, Patrick Parr takes the reader through a vital and decisive phase of Martin Luther King Jr.’s life virtually unexplored by other biographers in the half-century since King’s death: the years in which King, as a young man, formed the views which would inform and define his actions as America’s most iconic and influential civil rights activist. The Seminarian is certainly a go-to book for anyone researching King’s life. It’s also a highly interesting work of non-fiction for the general reader, or anyone interested in the life of America’s most famous civil rights leader.

[Andrew's Book Club · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was needed.

The formation of a life is as crucial to know about, if not more important, as the times of triumph. This book shows us Martin Luther's moral and spiritual formation and I wish I could write here about all it explained.

MLK has been a personal hero since my teenage years. His Autobiography was the first book I ever bought. I have all his major writings. It is hard to find a fresh perspective of his life, but this book managed to supply that.

[Z · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this engaging account, Patrick Parr examines a less familiar part of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life: his young adulthood as a seminary student at Crozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania. Parr selects intriguing primary sources, some as surprising as King’s class schedule, to trace the young King’s personal development journey towards collaborative activism.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

An informative look into the early years of Martin Luther King Jr., during his time as a nineteen year old, away from home in Georgia and attending Crozer Theological Seminary. Known as ML, and how his education in the North shaped his world view that groomed him to become the icon of the Civil Rights Movement years later.

[Bryan Shepard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely well-written and full of information. While it maintains a very readable tone, I got just as much from this as I would a more scholarly text. This follows King throughout his matriculation through Crozer and examines so aspects of his life. Highly recommend to those who want a deeper understanding of how King became the man we saw change the country.

[Alana Amunrud-Sharp · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this book did a good job of reminding the reader of the full humanity of MLK. It covers some of his teens and early twenties, and while it points out his obvious gifting, it doesn't deny his occasional foolishness and foibles. It clearly addresses some of his plagarism, and suggests some reasons why his professors may not have correct it at the time.

[Phil Overeem · Rating 4 out of 5]

The MLK you never knew: late teens into early twenties, makin’ a few Cs in seminary school, eating folks out of house and home, exploring Communism and Buddhism, pursuing interesting ladies and concentrating on some interesting profs.

[Tim Rooney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting idea to examine some of Martin Luther King He’s founding years to gain perspective on how he became the man he did. While the author’s level of research is admirable, ultimately there is only so much source material available and the book read a bit dry at times as a result.

[Mark Whitaker · Rating 4 out of 5]

My review for The Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/outloo...

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not exactly the book I wanted it to be. I got the answer to the only question I had in the prologue. That said, very happy I read it. It made me see more of King than I had before, and open my mind to some new thoughts to consider.

[Nadia Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating!
I learned alot and considered the tension and pressures between growing up in the segregated south vs being educated in the north, as well as studying to become a charismatic southern Baptist preacher vs a theologian.

[Marni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as dry as it could have been. I learned new things. I thought it might build to something more.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book for those delving into the smaller details of King's life. A "must-read" for anyone studying King, and a readable book for all.

[sanner faye crook · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars

This was a great read to see how MLK started out ,even though he
went through a lot even in his young life he never gave up