by Tavis Smiley
First published 2014
Martin Luther King Jr. confronts a nation turning against him as 1967 unfolds. The press attacks his antiwar stance. President Johnson withdraws his support. Black militants dismiss him as outdated while the black middle class questions his methods. King watches his influence crumble as critics assault his character and tactics from every direction. Yet he pushes forward, determined to address the three evils he sees destroying America: racism, poverty, and militarism. As isolation deepens around him, King must find the strength to lead a movement that seems to be leaving him behind. The clock ticks toward April 1968, when an assassin's bullet will end his crusade. Tavis Smiley chronicles these twelve months of struggle, showing a leader stripped of allies but not conviction, fighting battles on multiple fronts while knowing his time grows short.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, biography-memoir, african-american-historical-fiction, american-history
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: historical-figure, political-activism
Setting: United States
Period: 1967, 1968
288 pages · Hardcover · Little, Brown and Company
Content warnings: racism, violence