Daddy King: An Autobiography

by Martin Luther King Sr., Clayton Riley, Benjamin E. Mays (Foreword)

By the time of his son Martin Jr.’s charismatic ministry, Martin Luther King Sr. had himself long been an influential figure in the civil rights movement. As the pastor of Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church, Reverend King led voter registration drives in the mid-1930s, championed an 11-year struggle to win equal pay for black teachers, and used his influence to further the well-being of black Atlantans for decades. In Daddy King, he recounts not only his dramatic life story but that of his extraordinary family.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Autobiography, Memoir, Biography, American History, African American

437 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1980

About the author

Rev. Martin Luther King, born Michael King, was the father of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Reviews

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading Daddy King: An Autobiography gives you an understanding of what hardships and experiences of racism that Martin Luther King, Sr. went through and how he developed his methods of political dissent. That became a major influence on his son, Martin Luther King.

Daddy King, as he became later known, was the son of sharecroppers in Stockbridge, Georgia. He loved his father, James Albert King, but his father was hard to live with. He carried his anger of losing part of his hand at work in a rock quarry back when worker's compensation did not exist to the end of his life. Instead he was doomed to work as a sharecropper earning a living barely possible and sometimes not. His mother, Delia, uneducated herself, instilled in him the value of education and worked as hard as his father. Times are grim for sharecroppers who lived in the depths of poverty. The church gave comfort to people and a sense of community.. And Martin Luther Sr was a great church singer. He knew that he did not want to be a sharecropper like his father.

He tells of the experiences that formed his beliefs and convictions, what he learned from his father in Law at the Ebenezer Baptist Church and the difficult times when his son was in danger of being murdered and then was. That was not to be the end of the family's tragedies. You find some of the roots of his son's religious philosophy and methods of non violent dissent in his father's.

I want to tell you more because the experiences that he had growing up during the Depression in a highly segregated society with so many separations of the races laid down as rules and customs reinforced the idea that some humans are less than human. How do you deal with this? How do you survive and challenge it at the same time.

By reading this book, you will learn so much about the power and value of love and compassion.

I received a finished copy of this book as a win from LibraryThing from the publishers in exchange for a fair book review. My thoughts and feelings in this review are totally my own.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Growing up, I always was aware of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his fight for Civil Rights. I found it interesting how much his father did before he continued the movement. I hadn't realized the deep history of the movement and how it influenced the generations to come. A great story to tell and to have heard.

[Melodie Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

..we would not slay the dragon that it was, we would not move to the basic truth that until all of us were full citizens, none could be, and that any who.thought otherwise played on themselves a terrible deception. We could end the deception. But as a people we'd have to be stronger than we'd ever been before." Read as a palette cleanser during election drama

Speedy summary: An autobiography of Martin Luther King Sr

Thoughts: An engaging novel discussing the start of the civil rights movement, Daddy King's influence within it and what led him as a young man to become involved. We hear so much about Martin Luther King Jr, and we do in this novel as well, and it is so interesting to hear what influenced Junior and about Junior from his father's perspective. It is more fascinating to hear more about Senior who had deep roots in the movement before Junior ever did. He set a base for the movement that elevated Junior's work. It was lovely to read this during election day and see how respectful he was toward people who had different political beliefs, even when they did not return the favor. If only we could channel that now.

[Jarred Goodall · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned a lot more about "Daddy King" by reading this book than I knew before. For that, I am grateful. Although he jumped around early in the book with his thoughts, making it confusing as to which time period in his life he referred to at that time in the work, he obviously showed a lot of courage to be willing to recall some unpleasant memories in his lifetime, such as a physical altercation with his father, and, for sure, the deaths of his wife, two sons, and granddaughter. One can see how Daddy King's influence and philosophies ventured down to his more famous son, Martin Luther King, Jr.

[Kenneth L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Apple doesn’t fall far from the tree! Martin Luther King, Sr. tells the amazing story of his life overcoming abject poverty, laying the educational and religious foundation for his family, all while raising the most well-known civil rights leader during an era where advocacy of any kind could warrant one’s early demise. It is clear that MLK gets his activism from his father along with his tenacity and work ethic. I strongly recommend this book for those working in politics, ministry, civil rights, raising children, taking care of a family, and chasing your dreams.

[Pat Hollingsworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some great moments and less great moments. The first half is a solid 5 stars -- I learned so much I had not known about this man, and what is was like to grow up black in those times. Not being able to borrow a book from the library, to be denied a high school education, the list goes on and on. I loved the history of the family -- his parents, grandparents, growing up poor, his admirable but illiterate mother. The second half deals with the growth of the civil rights movement and for me drags on a bit, with quite a bit of repeat information. A very good read in all!

[Zack Viera · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first heard of this book when visiting Atlanta for the first time and taking a tour of the King family residence. On the tour I heard these wonderful stories about the family and Daddy King specifically, and I knew I wanted to learn more about him. As expected, him and his wife were incredible people who started a powerful activist family whose influence in American politics and civil rights rivals few. This book really paints a human picture of this family and their struggles and successes.

[Sheila Malone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Daddy King was a fantastic account of the family that shaped MLK, Jr.

The historical relevance of this book is seminal to understanding the march to civil rights. I highly recommend this book to all those seeking to understand the unfairness levied against African Americans during the 1900s.

[Amelia Allen-Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

When you read this book, you will have an understanding of how Martin Luther King Jr. was driven to advocate the injustices of this nation which is still reeling in our present day society.

Quoted from the words of Daddy King: " The struggle does not end. We say we want it to end, but it doesn't go away, despite what we insist are our best efforts."

[Kasey Statum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

I visited the King home and bookstore. This book was out of print. I am so glad they re-released it. It is clear to see where the Jr. -M. L. as his family called him- got his social responsibility. Daddy King was an organizer, leader and proponent of civil rights since the 30’s!

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew about the murder of Martin Luther King Jr. but didn't know his brother Alfred Daniel drowned even though he was a good swimmer and that his Mother was shot and killed at church, so I found this book quite interesting. It was nice to read about his father, called Daddy King and his family and MLK's story growing up. I highly recommend this book to any history buff.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very helpful book, in a roundabout way, for anyone interested in the life of MLK Jr. And I think this stands alone, as an interesting window into the life of a very accomplished minister. His story is amazing.

[Gwen Hight · Rating 5 out of 5]

Daddy King

This is a storry about the life of Martin Luther king Sr and the courage of his sons and family for civil rights and their suffering over the years

[Juanita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review: Daddy King by Martin Luther King Sr.

I thought this was an interesting autobiography and well written. King, Sr. writes about the struggles and pleasant times his family went through along with other Black Americans during the years of segregation. He was born in 1899 to a family of sharecroppers in Stockbridge, Georgia. As he grew he watched his family being distressed and humiliated by poverty and racism. After he was old enough he moved to Atlanta to become a preacher. However, he was burdened with the guilt of leaving his parents and seven siblings on the family farm.

In order to become an educated preacher he had to go back to school starting in the fifth grade with children way younger as he was now an adult. Some teachers kept putting him down because it took him a long time to understand what he was being taught. He did earn his high school and collage diplomas as he worked double shifts as a truck driver. At the ending of his schooling he won the heart of his future wife, Alberta “Bunch” Williams and her family. From there King Sr. engaged in some acts of political conflict and went on preaching at Ebenezer Baptist Church where he remained for more than four decades.

King Sr. and Alberta had three children, two boys, Martin King Jr. and the youngest, Alfred King and his daughter Christine. As I read I thought Martin Luther King Sr., was an honest man and not hypercritical towards anyone. He was a devoted father and husband and he never pressured his children to follow in his footsteps. He gave them time to figure out what they wanted to become. As the years went by all three of his children did actually follow in his footsteps in one way or another but all three of them had their own goals, opinions, insights to get their point across to better the living environment for Black people There was so much tragedy throughout Martin Luther King Sr. ‘s. life but he got through it all with the help of supported people. He might have felt angry at times but he never hated anyone or anything.

There is so many issues he and his family set out to change in a time when white people wanted full control. One small step at a time things did change for the Negros. He got to tell his story in a calm warming way. He held no grudges, and even stated how he felt:

“There are two men I am supposed to hate. One is a white man, the other is black, and both are serving time for having committed murder. James Earl Ray is a prisoner in Tennessee, charged with killing my son. Marcus Chenault was institutionalized as deranged after shooting my wife to death. I don’t hate either one. There is no time for that, and no reason, either. Nothing that a man does takes him lower than when he allows himself to fall so far as to hate anyone.” ---The Reverend Martin Luther King, Sr.

[Amerynth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of Martin Luther King Sr.'s autobiography "Daddy King" through LT's Early Reviewers program. It is a really well written account of the struggle that black men in the south experienced under the "separate but equal" mindset as well as the dedication and time it took to get the Civil Rights movement going.

The book particularly shines in the the story of King's early life, as King pushed himself to get an education to become a preacher, as well as become a Civil Rights leader in Atlanta. King clearly served as an inspiration to his son. The book becomes a little less focused as the years march on -- perhaps because it is difficult for King to talk about the assassination of his son and wife, and the loss of another son under odd circumstances.

I'm glad I read to have read this one.

[Juliana Robertson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised and very interested in this book when I received it for review. My initial reaction was one of curiosity. I was going to have an opportunity to read about the father of one of my heroes. MLK Jr., as a civil rights leader, had passion, a learned quality acquired from his father. It is interesting to get a glimpse of his father, a man known as Daddy King, as a child, minister, husband and father.

The Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. was born and raised in America's deep south. The time period was once of racial segregation and Jim Crow Laws. Due to this, his experiences more often than not were negative and race related. His parents, both tried their hardest to protect/defend their children from the horrible segregation and racism that existed. In response and reflection, Daddy King gave his parents a fair and honest portrayal in his writing. He struggled with his father, both physically and emotionally- yet found the good in what his father had done at times for their family. Daddy King revered his mother. He felt he should be her protector as much as she was his. These family trials combined with his reaction to racism forms his political voice. He, became in essence, everything the world would publicly see in MLK Jr.

If you want an honest account of segregated life in the beginning of the 20th century, this is an excellent first person source view. I highly recommend. There is much coverage of MLK Jr, so if you are expecting this you will be disappointed. This is primarily Daddy King's experience, in his own words. We all pass on more than just our physical characteristics to our children. MLK received his compassion, love for others, and peaceful protesting from his father, Daddy King.

[Jennifer Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book with a lot of wisdom, written from the heart. A good potential gift for people. I will share this book with others.