A review by beardedbarista
Who Was Martin Luther King, Jr.? by Who HQ, Bonnie Bader

5.0

Just wanted to take in some refresher material on Martin Luther King Jr Day and this little book is packed with so much historical information! Somehow the Who Is? Group knows just when an adjacent topic is worth expanding on just when you have questions about them. Example of this would be mentioning Jim Crow laws then spending a page explaining the origins of Jim Crow. This is a much more cheerful (if possible) telling of the life and struggles of MLK Jr but I had to keep remembering it is for a younger audience. Some of the more uncomfortable racist events are still in this book and gives me hope that children won't be getting a whitewashed version of the shameful history we continue to come to terms with in America. With so many politicians pushing to ban books mentioning racism. You cant learn about powerful leaders like MLK Jr, Malcolm X, Ruby Bridges, Rosa Parks, James Baldwin, Harriet Tubman and so many others without talking about racism and the institutionalized white supremacy this country was built upon. To the point that I worried if this very book was even still allowed in my daughter's school? Isn't that a crazy thought to have? I'm glad to have this book to pass to my daughter today to look through as well.