Celebrate Martin Luther King Day
If you have the day off then you’ve got time to read Ho Che Anderson’s masterpiece King. Taking over a decade to complete and now gathered in one volume, Anderson explores Martin Luther King’s life from birth to his assassination. It is a critical biography, both realizing King as a hero and a flawed human. The dream King had is laid out in brilliant color and actual photographs. A good choice for anyone wanting to know about the man and his devotion to raise this country up.
If you’ve already read King or are wanting to know about the Civil Rights Movement, you might also like these books:
In Incognegro, Mat Johnson writes a mystery wrapped up in the true story about light skinned reporters from Harlem who would infiltrate the hostile South. These men risked their lives to tell the truth. In Johnson’s story, the reporter who calls himself “Incognegro” finds himself in the middle of a mystery with his brother accused of murdering his white girlfriend.
Sports has a funny way of bringing people together through competition. It’s not about race but about orange and blue vs. green and white. Famous African-American pitcher, Satchel Paige is the subject of Satchel Paige: Striking out Jim Crow. It’s an exciting and subtle story of hope.
Finally, as a prelude to the Civil Rights Movement, acclaimed creator Kyle Baker presents Nat Turner. The slave rebellion is unflinchingly told, using art to reveal the true horrors of the slave trade. King was not a violent man but even he could see the bravery and necessity of fighting a system that sees people as property. It was these first few steps that lead to this country struggling with and beginning to overcome a history full of nightmares and dreams.
