In early April 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., returned to Memphis to stand again with striking sanitation workers. Fevered and tired, he wanted to skip the April 3 evening rally at Mason Temple, but went and roused the crowd with his oratory and his faith in the path of nonviolence and the promise of the future he knew he may not live to see. Late afternoon April 4, he participated in a gleeful pillow fight in his room at the Lorraine Motel before dressing for dinner. These and other moments illuminated in poems detailing King’s life, and especially his final days, his death, and the grief that followed, are full of poignancy, power, and tension. Divided into three sections—Daylight, Darkness, Dawn—the poems’ language and cadence don’t just invite but insist on being spoken aloud. Impeccably researched and documented, the poems, paired with expressive mixed-media illustrations, conclude with a brief photo essay about the Memphis strike and King’s assassination, along with a timeline, sources, and an essential author’s note. The pain of King’s loss feels immediate and shocking, the hope of his legacy lasting. (Age 9 and older)

“A powerful celebration of Martin Luther King Jr., set against the last few months of his life and written in verse” (School Library Journal).

Martin Rising is a stunning, poetic presentation of the final months of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life—told in a rich embroidery of visions, color, musical cadence, deep emotion, and multiple layers of meaning.

Against a backdrop of the sanitation workers’ strike in Memphis, Tennessee, the book builds to its rousing crescendo as King delivers his “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech—where his life’s commitment to peaceful activism and his dream of equality ascend to their highest peak.

The Pinkneys’ powerful and spiritual look at King’s legacy celebrates the courage and moral conviction of a man who changed the course of history forever. And even in the face of searing tragedy, he continues to inspire, transform, and elevate all of us who share his dream.

Praise for Martin Rising

A Washington Post Best Book of the Year

A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year

A New York Public Library Best Book of the Year

A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year

“Unique and remarkable.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Each poem trembles under the weight of the story it tells . . . Martin Rising packs an emotional wallop and, in perfect homage, soars when read aloud.” —Booklist, starred review