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BOOK LIST:

Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement

Updated: January 7, 2022

Explore Dr. King's life and enduring legacy, including his own writings and publications, as well as works that reflect upon the historical events of the civil rights movement.


Book cover for The 1960s
The 1960s
Call Number: 973.92 N7145-1

Book cover for 1968: The Year That Rocked the World
1968: The Year That Rocked the World
Kurlansky, Mark
Call Number: 909.9 K96

Book cover for 1968: Today’s Authors Explore a Year of Rebellion, Revolution, and Change
1968: Today’s Authors Explore a Year of Rebellion, Revolution, and Change
Call Number: 909.9 N7145-4

Book cover for A Call to Conscience: The Landmark Speeches of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
A Call to Conscience: The Landmark Speeches of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
King, Martin Luther Jr.
Call Number: 323.4092 K53-11

Book cover for Changing Laws: Politics of the Civil Rights Era
Changing Laws: Politics of the Civil Rights Era
Cummings, Judy Dodge
Call Number: 323.40973 C971

Book cover for Death of a King: The Real Story of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Final Year
Death of a King: The Real Story of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Final Year
Smiley, Tavis
Call Number: 323.4092 K53Smil

Book cover for An Easy Burden: The Civil Rights Movement and the Transformation of America
An Easy Burden: The Civil Rights Movement and the Transformation of America
Young, Andrew
Call Number: 92 Y675-1

Andrew Young has been an activist, diplomant, politician and elected official. His autobiography recounts is own life and the lives of others who were involved in the Civil Rights Movement.


Book cover for Eyes on the Prize: America’s Civil Rights Years, 1954–1965
Eyes on the Prize: America’s Civil Rights Years, 1954–1965
Williams, Juan
Call Number: 323.4 W724 2013

Book cover for A Gift of Love: Sermons From Strength To Love and Other Preachings
A Gift of Love: Sermons From Strength To Love and Other Preachings
King, Martin Luther Jr.
Call Number: 252 K53-1

As Dr. King prepared for the Birmingham Campaign in early 1963, he drafted the final sermons for Strength to Love, a volume of his most well known homilies. 


Book cover for The Heavens Might Crack: The Death and Legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.
The Heavens Might Crack: The Death and Legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.
Sokol, Jason
Call Number: 323.4092 K53So

Book cover for Kennedy and King: The President, the Pastor, and the Battle Over Civil Rights
Kennedy and King: The President, the Pastor, and the Battle Over Civil Rights
Levingston, Steven
Call Number: 323.4092 K53Lev

Book cover for The King Years: Historic Moments in the Civil Rights Movement
The King Years: Historic Moments in the Civil Rights Movement
Branch, Taylor
Call Number: 323.40973 B816-2

Book cover for King's Dream
King's Dream
Sundquist, Eric J.
Call Number: 323.4092 K53Sun

Book cover for March: Book One
March: Book One
Lewis, John
Call Number: 323.4092 L674-2

March is popping up all over the place on best graphic novel lists for 2013, and rightfully so. This is the first book in a planned trilogy that tells of the struggle of Congressman John Lewis, his first hand experience of the Jim Crow South, and his experience living through segregation and choosing to fight against it through his participation in key Civil Rights moments, such as the March on Washington and the Selma-Montgomery March. Fantastic assignment book for teachers looking for an engaging document to bring the struggle for racial equality for African Americans to light.


Book cover for Martin Luther King Jr. on Leadership: Inspiration & Wisdom for Challenging Times
Martin Luther King Jr. on Leadership: Inspiration & Wisdom for Challenging Times
Phillips, Donald T.
Call Number: 323.4092 K53Ph

Book cover for Martin Luther King Jr.: Apostle of Militant Nonviolence
Martin Luther King Jr.: Apostle of Militant Nonviolence
Colaiaco, James A.
Call Number: 323.4092 K53Col

Book cover for The Montgomery Bus Boycott and the Women Who Started It: The Memoir of JoAnn Gibson Robinson
The Montgomery Bus Boycott and the Women Who Started It: The Memoir of JoAnn Gibson Robinson
Robinson, Jo Ann Gibson
Call Number: 326.9761 R662

Book cover for The Origins of the Civil Rights Movement: Black Communities Organizing for Change
The Origins of the Civil Rights Movement: Black Communities Organizing for Change
Morris, Aldon D.
Call Number: 323.4 M875

Book cover for Parting the Waters: America in the King Years, 1954–63
Parting the Waters: America in the King Years, 1954–63
Branch, Taylor
Call Number: 973.92 B816 1989

The first in a three volume series, this Pulitzer Prize winning book recounts the life of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. during the decade preceding his emergence as a national figure.


Book cover for The Promise and the Dream: The Untold Story of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy
The Promise and the Dream: The Untold Story of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy
Margolick, David
Call Number: 323.4092 K53Mar

Book cover for The Shattering: America in the 1960s
The Shattering: America in the 1960s
Boyle, Kevin
Call Number: 973.923 B792

Book cover for Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story
Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story
King, Martin Luther Jr.
Call Number: 326.9761 K53 2010

Dr. King’s first book, he tells the story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the beginning of the Nonviolent Civil Rights Movement, as well as the strategies which made the movement a success.


Book cover for The Sword and the Shield: The Revolutionary Lives of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr.
The Sword and the Shield: The Revolutionary Lives of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr.
Joseph, Peniel E.
Call Number: 323.4092 X1Jo

Book cover for To the Promised Land: Martin Luther King and the Fight for Economic Justice
To the Promised Land: Martin Luther King and the Fight for Economic Justice
Honey, Michael K.
Call Number: 323.40973 H772

Book cover for Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?
Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?
King, Martin Luther Jr.
Call Number: 323.4092 K53-2 2010

Book cover for Why We Can’t Wait
Why We Can’t Wait
King, Martin Luther Jr.
Call Number: 323.4092 K53 2010

Martin Luther King's classic exploration of the events and forces behind the Civil Rights Movement, including his Letter from Birmingham Jail, April 16, 1963.


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