Martin Luther King, Sr. (1899–1984)

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.… (plus d'informations)

Review: Daddy King by Martin Luther King Sr. 4 stars

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.… (plus d'informations)