Growing Up King: An Intimate Memoir [Paperback]

Dexter Scott King (Author), Ralph Wiley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2004

Dexter King's courageous efforts, amid widespread skepticism, to investigate what really happened in his father's slaying resulted in a civil jury trial proving there was a conspiracy involving governmental agencies to murder his father.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Scott King, the youngest son of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., grew up in a world that was forever changing as a direct result of his father's life and, more importantly, of his father's death. In this memoir of his own life, King attempts to illuminate the significance of growing up under the weight of his father's legacy, struggling to live up to everything his last name has come to stand for. He sadly records his failure to finish his degree at Morehouse College, a tradition for male members of the King family going back to "Great-granddaddy A.D. Williams [who] was in the Morehouse class of 1898, the second graduating class of its existence." He recounts his first attempt to serve as president of the King Center for Non-Violent Social Change, where he was elected to the position amid controversy from the board of directors, and subsequently resigned after five months. However, King fails to take the reader on any sort of coherent emotional journey through his struggle to become a "King," and the narrative is marred by clunky transitions, uninteresting digressions and a sometimes combative tone at odds with the gravity King gives his subject matter. There are terrific accounts here of the conspiracy theories surrounding his father's assassination, the famous political and entertainment figures that have always been a part of King's circle and an extended family that helped to support and shape the children of a legend, but they are mired in tedious details that detract from the story King is trying to tell.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

The author recalls his emotional struggles until he turned back to father Martin Luther King's writings.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (January 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446692379
• ISBN-13: 978-0446692373
• Product Dimensions: 5.6 x 0.9 x 8.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,299,241 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A view into the first family of civil rights, April 16, 2009

By 

James Parks "Beauvall" (Tx) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Growing Up King: An Intimate Memoir (Paperback)

I read this book a few yrs ago and can find a little of the truth behind the present day drama of the king family.
I liked Dexter's explaination of the protection of his father's intellectual property and I can get a better perspective of Dexter the man from reading this book. Dexter uses undiagnosed ADD as a reason why he couldn't complete his studies at Morehouse and why he spent years moving from occupation to occupation from Atlanta cop to Project Manager to King Center president to Actor to King Center Chair to King Estate Chair...He gives us some insight on why has yet to marry.
I came away with the view that it is tragic to allow yourself to coast off of your family's legacy without creating your own.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interested in Exploring the King Family?, January 13, 2003

By 

S. Hudson "Avid Reader" (Tucker, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Growing Up King: An Intimate Memoir (Hardcover)

Everyone has a story to tell, and Growing Up King is the life story of the third child of the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dexter King has not had a life that many of us would envy. Nor has any member of his family, most difficult I would imagine would be the tremendous burden cast on Mrs. Coretta Scott King who was thrown into single motherhood with 4 young children. It is no secret that the last name of King can be perceived as both blessing and curse. I live in Atlanta, where the majority of this story takes place and find that around town we have expectations of how the Kings are "supposed" to be. They are, maybe incorrectly elevated, to the status of royalty among the African-American community, and that can certainly prove to be difficult to handle. This is well-intentioned adoration, but non-the less made difficult to handle as children and Dexter has found that it gets no better in adulthood. It is this dilemma that somewhat serves as imputes to the writing of this book.

Make no mistake, I've learned a lot more about Dexter King and the King family in general but literarily speaking, Growing up King is poorly written. The story is chronologically told, but jumps around quite a bit in thought and expression. He jumps from his thoughts, to the thoughts of those around him to actual dialogue quite a bit which makes it hard to follow. Further, if you aren't familiar with the geography of Atlanta and some of the prominent figures in Atlanta politics or the Atlanta community you might have difficulty following the massive amount of name and location dropping that is found in the book. A case in point would be the fact that he talks about seeking privacy, protection and peace for his mother while giving out her address where she still resides today. Another interesting dichotomy is the striking resemblance in the tone and tenure of Growing up King with its predecessor, Growing up X by Ilyasah Shabazz daughter of slain Nation of Islam leader, Malcolm X. My instant impression, and my impression especially after reading the book, was that Dexter was trying to follow in someone else's footsteps, still not finding his personal way, because he thinks that is what is expected of him.

I gained greater insight to this quite, unimposing man. I learned a great deal about him personally and I appreciate the fact that he felt comfortable enough to share himself with the world. He shares a lot, and in my opinion, maybe a bit too much but everybody has a story to tell. If you are a fan of the King family, read Growing up King.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Finally their side of the story, February 17, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Growing Up King: An Intimate Memoir (Hardcover)

I read this book by Dexter King, but I have also read Growing Up X. There were some similarities between both books, but there were some differences also. I had heard some of the rumors and speculation about the King family trying to milk Dr. King's legacy in the monetary sense. However, Dexter does a good job of clearing things up about how much time and money is spent protecting his father's legacy due to the fact that some individuals and corporations believe and/or assume that Dr. Kings' speeches and papers are public property and can use them for monetary profit. I agree whole heartly with the King family in protecting their father's legacy including all of his speeches and writings. The thing that stood out the most to me pertaining to this issue was that we as blacks in America discount great black thinkers, intellectuals and people who take a stance in the black community. We have a belief that our black intellects work such Dr King, Malcolm X and Medgar Evers is not as valuable as compared to that of their white counter parts such as Nixon, Kennedy or Bush.

Dexter King also gives us some insight into how he grew up near housing projects in Vine City, attended a exclusive private school then public high school, and life at Morehouse. I had no ideal that Dexter's mother currently lives in Vine City, because gossips have always said she was living in a huge mansion in Buckhead. Next Dexter talks about his love life, but never gives any names but calls one serious girlfriend "Mon Ami." I would recommend this book to anyone trying to find out more about the King family.