"If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward." - Martin Luther King, Jr.

He moved us forward. It’s been 56 years since Martin Luther King, Jr.‘s assassination in 1968. Since his untimely death, we continue to strive to be a country that judges people not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. King’s powerful words have transcended decades, continuing to inspire us to keep moving forward toward racial equality.

To recognize his life and work, we celebrate King’s legacy each year on the third Monday of January. It took King’s widow, Coretta Scott King, years of hard work and setbacks to officially make the holiday nationally recognized. In 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed the holiday into law and not until 1986 was the first national Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday observed. It’s not merely a day off work or school, but an opportunity for us all to be reminded that there’s still much work to do for King’s dream to become a reality.

To celebrate and remember the significance of this holiday, explore books for children and adults in the Libby reading app written by the civil rights leader, books that inspired King himself and books that reflect on this pivotal moment in our nation’s history.

Books for kids

Why? A Conversation about Race by Taye Diggs

Why? is a question asked by children daily, and in this striking and timely story, it begins a straightforward and challenging conversation between children of color and the adults in their lives.

Taye Diggs has written a beautiful, powerful and poignant story that peers through the eyes of a child as they struggle to understand why these events are happening. Why? distills the conversations many children and adults are having about race, injustice and anger in communities throughout our country, and gives them context that young readers can connect with. Heartfelt and deeply piercing illustrations from Shane W. Evans will leave a lasting impact on readers of any age. One that will hopefully lead to more conversations, change and peace within our own communities and the world.

A Place to Land: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Speech That Inspired a Nation by Barry Wittenstein

Much has been written about Martin Luther King, Jr. and the 1963 March on Washington. But there's little on his legendary speech and how he came to write it. Martin Luther King, Jr. was once asked if the hardest part of preaching was knowing where to begin. "No," he said. "The hardest part is knowing where to end. It's terrible to be circling up there without a place to land." Finding this place to land was what Martin Luther King, Jr. struggled with in the Willard Hotel the night before the March on Washington, where he gave his historic "I Have a Dream" speech. This is the story of how, against all odds, Martin found his place to land.

I Have a Dream by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

On August 28, 1963, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington, Martin Luther King, Jr., gave one of the most powerful and memorable speeches in our nation's history. Now read and listen to his words, narrated with the audio recordings from his speech, paired with Caldecott Honor winner Kadir Nelson's magnificent paintings, in this picture book certain to be treasured by children and adults alike. The themes of equality and freedom for all are not only relevant today, but also provide young readers with an important introduction to our nation's past.

This is Your Time by Ruby Bridges

Written as a letter from civil rights activist and icon Ruby Bridges to the reader, this is both a recounting of Ruby’s experience as a child who had to be escorted to class by federal marshals when she was chosen to be one of the first black students to integrate into New Orleans’ all-white public school system and an appeal to generations to come to affect change. Ruby’s honest and impassioned words, imbued with love and grace, serve as a moving reminder that “what can inspire tomorrow often lies in our past.”

Memphis, Martin and the Mountaintop: The Sanitation Strike of 1968 by Alice Faye Duncan

This picture book tells the story of a 9-year-old girl who in 1968 witnessed the Memphis sanitation strike—Martin Luther King Jr.'s final stand for justice before his assassination. In February 1968, two African American sanitation workers were killed by unsafe equipment in Memphis, Tennessee. Outraged at the city's refusal to recognize a labor union that would fight for higher pay and safer working conditions, sanitation workers went on strike. The strike lasted two months, during which Martin Luther King Jr. was called to help with the protests.

Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial by Julie Murray

Readers will learn about Martin Luther King Jr., what he fought for, how he died and why a memorial was built in his honor. Complete with historical and modern images, bolded glossary terms, a More Facts page and a picture glossary, this provides an essential introduction to the influential civil rights leader.

Child of the Dream: A Memoir of 1963 by Sharon Robinson

In January 1963, Sharon Robinson turns 13 the night before George Wallace declares on national television "segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever" in his inauguration speech as governor of Alabama. As the daughter of baseball legend Jackie Robinson, Sharon has opportunities that most people would never dream of experiencing. But things don't always feel easy. Sharon feels isolated—struggling to find her role in the civil rights movement that is taking place across the country. This is the story of how one girl finds her voice in the fight for justice and equality.

Books for young adults

Dear Martin by Nic Stone

Justyce is a good kid, an honor student and always there to help a friend—but none of that matters to the police officer who just put him in handcuffs without cause. When faced with injustice, Justyce looks to the teachings of Martin Luther King, Jr. for answers. But do they hold up anymore? He starts a journal to Dr. King to find out. Then comes the day Justyce and a friend spark the fury of an off-duty cop. Words fly, shots are fired and the boys get caught in the crosshairs. But in the media fallout, it's Justyce who is under attack.

March, Book One by John Lewis

Congressman John Lewis is an American icon and one of the key figures of the civil rights movement. To share his remarkable story with new generations, Lewis presents this graphic novel, a vivid first-hand account of his lifelong struggle for civil and human rights, meditating in the modern age on the distance traveled since the days of Jim Crow and segregation. Rooted in Lewis' personal story, it also reflects on the highs and lows of the broader civil rights movement.

Books for adults

King: A Life by Jonathan Eig

Vividly written and exhaustively researched, Jonathan Eig's King: A Life is the first major biography in decades of the civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr.—and the first to include recently declassified FBI files. In this revelatory new portrait of the preacher and activist who shook the world, the bestselling biographer gives us an intimate view of the courageous and often emotionally troubled human being who demanded peaceful protest for his movement but was rarely at peace with himself. He casts fresh light on the King family's origins as well as MLK's complex relationships with his wife, father and fellow activists. King reveals a minister wrestling with his own human frailties and dark moods, a citizen hunted by his own government, and a man determined to fight for justice even if it proved to be a fight to the death. As he follows MLK from the classroom to the pulpit to the streets of Birmingham, Selma and Memphis, Eig dramatically re-creates the journey of a man who recast American race relations and became our only modern-day founding father—as well as the nation's most mourned martyr.

The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. by Clayborne Carson

Written in his own words, this history-making autobiography is Martin Luther King, Jr.: the mild-mannered, inquisitive child and student who chafed under and eventually rebelled against segregation; the dedicated young minister who continually questioned the depths of his faith and the limits of his wisdom; the loving husband and father who sought to balance his family's needs with those of a growing, nationwide movement; and the reflective, world-famous leader who was fired by a vision of equality for people everywhere.

Let the Trumpet Sound: A Life of Martin Luther King, Jr. by Stephen B. Oates

By the acclaimed biographer of Abraham Lincoln, Nat Turner and John Brown, Stephen B. Oates's prizewinning Let the Trumpet Sound is the definitive one-volume life of Martin Luther King, Jr. This brilliant examination of the great civil rights icon and the movement he led provides a lasting portrait of a man whose dream shaped American history.

Coretta: My Life, My Love, My Legacy by Coretta Scott King

The life story of Coretta Scott King—wife of Martin Luther King Jr., founder of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change (The King Center), and singular 20th century American civil and human rights activist—as told fully for the first time, toward the end of her life, to Rev. Dr. Barbara Reynolds. Coretta's is a love story, a family saga and the memoir of an extraordinary black woman and a brave leader who, in the face of terrorism and violent hatred, stood committed, proud, forgiving and hopeful every day of her life.

Nine Days: The Race to Save Martin Luther King Jr.'s Life and Win the 1960 Election by Paul Kendrick

Less than 3 weeks before the 1960 presidential election, 31-year-old Martin Luther King, Jr. was arrested at a sit-in in Atlanta. That day would lead to the first night King had ever spent in jail and the time that King's family most feared for his life. While King's imprisonment was decried as a moral scandal in some quarters and celebrated in others, for the two presidential candidates—John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon—it was the ultimate October surprise. An emerging and controversial civil rights leader was languishing behind bars, and the two campaigns raced to decide whether, and how, to respond.

Parting the Waters: America in the King Years 1954-63 by Taylor Branch

Moving from the fiery political baptism of Martin Luther King, Jr., to the corridors of Camelot where the Kennedy brothers weighed demands for justice, here is a vivid tapestry of America, torn and finally transformed by a revolutionary struggle unequaled since the Civil War. The author provides an unsurpassed portrait of King's rise to greatness and illuminates the stunning courage and private conflict, the deals, maneuvers, betrayals and rivalries that determined history behind closed doors.

The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation by Anna Malaika Tubbs

Berdis Baldwin, Alberta King and Louise Little were all born at the beginning of the 20th century and forced to contend with the prejudices of Jim Crow as Black women. These extraordinary women passed their knowledge to their children with the hope of helping them to survive in a society that would deny their humanity from the very beginning—from Louise teaching her children about their activist roots, to Berdis encouraging James to express himself through writing, to Alberta basing all of her lessons in faith and social justice. These women used their strength and motherhood to push their children toward greatness, all with a conviction that every human being deserves dignity and respect despite the rampant discrimination they faced.

Voices in Our Blood: America's Best on the Civil Rights Movement by Jon Meacham

A literary anthology of important and artful interpretations of the civil rights movement and the fight against white supremacy, past and present—including pieces by Maya Angelou, James Baldwin, Ralph Ellison, Alice Walker, Richard Wright and John Lewis. A compelling look at the movement as it actually happened, from the days leading up to World War II to the anxieties and ambiguities of this new century. The story of race in America is a never-ending one, and Voices in Our Blood tells us how we got this far—and how far we still have to go to reach the Promised Land.

Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community? by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

In 1967, Martin Luther King, Jr., isolated himself from the demands of the civil rights movement, rented a house in Jamaica with no telephone and labored over his final manuscript. In this prophetic work, which has been unavailable for more than 10 years, he lays out his thoughts, plans and dreams for America's future, including the need for better jobs, higher wages, decent housing and quality education. With a universal message of hope that continues to resonate, King demanded an end to global suffering, asserting that humankind—for the first time—has the resources and technology to eradicate poverty.

Selected Poems of Langston Hughes by Langston Hughes

The poems Hughes wrote celebrated the experience of invisible men and women: of slaves who "rushed the boots of Washington;" of musicians on Lenox Avenue; of the poor and the lovesick; of losers in "the raffle of night." They conveyed that experience in a voice that blended the spoken with the sung, that turned poetic lines into the phrases of jazz and blues and that ripped through the curtain separating high from popular culture. They spanned the range from the lyric to the polemic, ringing out "wonder and pain and terror—and the marrow of the bone of life."

His Name Is George Floyd: One Man's Life and the Struggle for Racial Justice by Robert Samuels

On May 25, 2020, George Floyd became the latest Black person to die at the hands of the police, murdered outside of a Minneapolis convenience store by a white police officer. The video recording of his death set off a series of protests in the U.S. and around the world, awakening millions to the dire need for reimagining this country’s broken systems of policing. But behind a face that would be graffitied onto countless murals, and a name that has become synonymous with civil rights, there is the reality of one man’s stolen life: a life beset by suffocating systemic pressures that ultimately proved inescapable. Drawing upon hundreds of interviews and original reporting, the authors offer a poignant and moving exploration of George Floyd’s America, revealing how a man who simply wanted to breathe ended up touching the world.

*Title availability may vary by region.

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