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Haunting.

This book is a huge undertaking, but worth the investment. I will be continually reflecting on the reality of Martin Luther King, Jr. � the person and the legend.

On a surface level, I feel cheated by the American education system. There was no real sense in my history classes that the Montgomery Bus Boycotts lasted over a year (and that resistance was qualitatively different from the Starbucks boycott these days). And it was nearly a decade between that work and the march on Selma? The patience and resilience of the folks of this movement to endure beyond momentum and political capital and terrible violence is amazing upon reflection. And there were so many people supporting MLK Jr. with their writing and organizing and leadership� their names are on streets all around Atlanta, but I never knew of their stories and contributions, truly.

Perhaps most provocative is thinking about his isolation in the last few years of his life, the unnecessary surveillance by the government, and how his death was a clear message that the American war system will always move to suppress opposition. I’ve been consumed with his speech at Riverside Church for several years now and, in 2025, marvel at his moral courage to speak truthfully and poignantly about justice and humanity (it’s worth a read or listen!!).

Ultimately, he was not a perfect man and this book clearly informs readers about his gifts and his shortcomings. He didn’t always have clarity of mission, but nonviolence centered down in his soul and shaped him greatly. He was highly criticized by those closest to him (for good reason!) and to “whitewash� his political fervor with cherry-picked scripture quotes to put him on a pedestal of how to make change is a disservice to the radical person he really was. Eig writes, “our simplified celebration of King comes at a cost. It saps the strength of his philosophical and intellectual contributions. It undercuts his power to inspire change.�

We do well to remember prophets with fear and trembling, in hopes that we may echo their courage in our lives and our words.