Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Book Review: Chasing King’s Killer: The Hunt for Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Assassin by James L. Swanson
Chasing King’s Killer: The Hunt for Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Assassin by James L. Swanson
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Release Date: January 2, 2018
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
In his meteoric, thirteen-year rise to fame, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. led a mass movement for Civil Rights — with his relentless peaceful, non-violent protests, public demonstrations, and eloquent speeches. But as violent threats cast a dark shadow over Dr. King’s life, Swanson hones in on James Earl Ray, a bizarre, racist, prison escapee who tragically ends King’s life.
As he did in his bestselling Scholastic MG/YA books Chasing Lincoln’s Killer and “THE PRESIDENT HAS BEEN SHOT!”, Swanson transports readers back to one of the most shocking, sad, and terrifying events in American history.
With an introduction by Congressman John Lewis, and over 80 photographs, captions, bibliography, various source notes, and index included.
Chasing King’s Killer isn’t just about Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination and the search for his killer. The first part of the book is a biography of King and lays out what he did for the Civil Rights movement in more detail than kids, or even most adults, probably know. For instance, I didn’t know that he was stabbed at the book signing for his first book! I liked that the author went all the way through the period at the end of King’s life when he shifted his focus to include speaking out against the Vietnam War and started to lose public support. It’s important for kids to know that great leaders are not always appreciated like they should be in their own time.
The second part of the book focuses on the life and criminal career of James Earl Ray, the man who assassinated King. I would guess most people don’t know much about his early life. He was a master criminal and escaped from prison more than once.
Eventually, King and Ray’s life intersect. It’s never clear why Ray, who as far as anyone knows had never murdered anyone before, suddenly decided he needed to kill King. Because of this, conspiracy theories abound. This book does a good job of debunking them.
Although this book is intended for middle school and high school students, I found it very informative. I don’t feel like it’s overly simplistic or talks down to the reader. There are photographs throughout which added more to the narrative.
Chasing King’s Killer is a great book for kids (and adults) to learn about Martin Luther King, Jr.’s journey as a Civil Rights leader. It’s a quick but comprehensive read that will keep kids engaged. Highly recommended.
(I received a complimentary copy of this book for review.)
