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A review by panda_incognito
A Place to Land: Martin Luther King Jr. and the Speech That Inspired a Nation by Barry Wittenstein
5.0
This is phenomenal. The lyrical writing and collage illustrations combine beautifully, sharing the story of how MLK composed the "I Have a Dream Speech" at the last minute and improvised its most essential part. This book lives up to its inspiring content in every way, and the author's attention to both textual rhythm and content is amazing. The book reads like poetry while remaining breathtakingly accurate to the historical record, and the notes in the back of the book provide support for the smallest details, share additional historical context, and summarize information about the other Civil Rights figures who appeared throughout. This is a wonderful story and a great educational resource, and I highly recommend it.
My favorite aspect of this book, however, is how it celebrates MLK's identity and influence as a Baptist preacher. Many books about Civil Rights figures gloss over their faith commitments, obscuring their motivating beliefs and robbing them of their distinctiveness in an attempt to appeal to broad audiences. This book shatters the mold. Instead of presenting MLK as an inspiring speaker who happened to be a pastor at home, the author introduces him as a Baptist preacher first and foremost, showing how his power to inspire flowed from the concepts, language, rhythm, and enduring faith that had shaped his ideology and public discourse for years. Even though this attention to MLK's Christian faith shouldn't be unusual, this book stands out in a crowded market by celebrating the ways that his passionate preaching and deep theology changed the world.
My favorite aspect of this book, however, is how it celebrates MLK's identity and influence as a Baptist preacher. Many books about Civil Rights figures gloss over their faith commitments, obscuring their motivating beliefs and robbing them of their distinctiveness in an attempt to appeal to broad audiences. This book shatters the mold. Instead of presenting MLK as an inspiring speaker who happened to be a pastor at home, the author introduces him as a Baptist preacher first and foremost, showing how his power to inspire flowed from the concepts, language, rhythm, and enduring faith that had shaped his ideology and public discourse for years. Even though this attention to MLK's Christian faith shouldn't be unusual, this book stands out in a crowded market by celebrating the ways that his passionate preaching and deep theology changed the world.