Learn about Martin Luther King Jr. with a dozen different books, documentaries and audiobooks.
We celebrate the life of Martin Luther King Jr. today; but, frankly, any day is a good one to learn about the man.
We’ve compiled a list of 11 books, documentaries, and audiobooks about King—all of which are free to borrow, watch, or stream with your Mentor Public Library card.
1. The King Years by Taylor Branch
Branch wrote an exhaustive and definitive trio of King biographies, Parting the Waters, Pillar of Fire, and At Canaan’s Edge. The King Years condenses the trilogy to its highlights.
2. Martin Luther King Jr.: The Essential Set
The man in his own words. Here all of King’s landmark speeches—more than 15 hours’ worth—including”I Have a Dream,” “Give Us the Ballot,” “A Call to Conscience.” You start streaming them right now via Hoopla.
If 15 hours sounds overwhelming, listen to the The Concise King—three hours of King’s best-known speeches and sermons.
King’s most famous speech, illustrated by Caldecott Honor-winner Kadir Nelson. This picture book is a lovely way to introduce King’s ideals to children. You can borrow the ebook now via OverDrive.
Strength to Love compiles 15 of King’s sermons and highlights how his faith and The Bible informed his politics.
6. Remembering Martin Luther King Jr.: His Life and Crusade in Pictures by Charles Johnson and Bob Adelman
The photographers of Life magazine capture King in public and candid moments during his journeys to Montgomery, Birmingham, Selma, and more.
7. King: A Filmed Record… Montgomery to Memphis
King uses archival footage to follow King from 1955 to 1968. See film of King’s speeches, protests, and arrests, interspersed with interactions from his supporters and opponents. You can watch the documentary right now on Hoopla.
8. The Autobiography of Martin Luther King Jr.
King wrote a lot—speeches, sermons, letters, and so forth—but he never deliberately scribed an autobiography. So what you have here, instead, are King’s myriad writings edited by Clayborne Carson to tell the story of his life in his own words.
9. A Picture Book of Martin Luther King Jr. by David Adler
We have dozens of biographies about King in our collection, both for kids and adults. This brief illustrated book is one of the best introductions for children.
A Call to Conscience collects King’s best and best-known speeches in a single book.
Take the words of Martin Luther King Jr. with you anywhere. This album, which you can download or stream for free from Freegal, includes famous speeches like “The American Dream,” “The Dilemma and the Challenge,” and “We Shall Overcome.”
