King: A Life

by Jonathan Eig

In those schools named for King, and in almost every school in America, King’s life and lessons are often smoothed and polished beyond recognition. Young people hear his dream of brotherhood and his wish for children to be judged by the content of their character, but not his call for fundamental change in the nation’s character, not his cry for an end to the triple evils of materialism, militarism, and racism. As King’s friend Harry Belafonte told me, “In none of the history books of this country do you read about radical heroes.”