By the early 1960’s, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. became the mostly widely recognized leader of the American Civil Rights movement.

He was only 39 years old when he was assassinated on 4 April 1968 and Americans honor his memory and works each January.

While we all know who he was, many today only know his name and that he was a Civil Rights leader, but know little else about his life.

Here are several book suggestions if you would like to learn more:

Black Theology & Black Power by James H. Cone
Martin Luther King Jr.: A Life by Marshall Frady
MLK: An American Legacy (3 book collection) by David J. Garrow
Parting the Waters: America in the King Years, 1954-1963, by Taylor Branch
The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr., by Clayborne Carson, Editor
The Heavens Might Crack: The Death and Legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., by Jason Sokol
The King Years: Historic Moments in the Civil Rights Movement by Taylor Branch
The Seminarian: Martin Luther King Jr. Comes of Age by Patrick Parr

Last, but certainly not least for a different perspective:
My Life, My Love, My Legacy by Coretta Scott King