The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. Paperback – January 1, 2001

This is not an autobiography in the true sense of the word. It is not even an autobiography as told to, such as the Autobiography of Malcolm X. Apparently this writer was commissioned by MLK's family to write an account of his life, based on his writings and their remembrances. The author imagines conversations that Dr. King might have, and supports that with snippets of his writing. Maybe that's okay for some, but I say this is a biography, mostly of his adult activist life, and it contains none of the critical analysis that's in David Garrow's Bearing the Cross. This "autobiography" left me hungry for the real story. The one highlight for me was reading Dr. King's Letter from a Birmingham Jail. Other than that, I could have made better use of my time. But that's just me. Buy it if you want to read an outline of his life.

Phillips has written a few leadership books - and does a masterful job in each - yet especially here.

For this book, he weaves through with a leadership lesson in each chapter - and generally places the lesson tied directly to something King did - trying to stay close to chronological order. He also supplies us with key quotes from King at the beginning and end of each chapter - for a quick summary and overview.

Phillips sets the context in which King operated. This is huge! I don't believe you can't fully understand without immersing in the history, the mindset, the goings on of the time. Phillips doesn't assume the reader is familiar with King. He doesn't assume the reader knows the circumstances of King's time. Phillips pulls the reader in; explaining the leadership trait King embodied; he explains what in King's past helped him to get here. He explains the historical context of what the culture was like, what current events caused the situation, what players were involved and a little on their mindset and background. He points out how even a great man like King made mistakes, how we evaluated his successes and failures, and how he grew and improved throughout.

King's life was short and was lived mainly before I was born - he died at age 39 - and had learned more and accomplished more than many that lived to be twice his age. Being a student of leadership, but someone who knew very little about King, I chose this book to learn about both. It inspired me to read more about King. I am amazed at how he put his principles before even fear of criticism, family threats, and even death. I think the reader will learn a lot about King, his struggles, his faith, his life, his goals, and especially his leadership style. Yet, for burgeoning leaders, it is very insightful. It will make someone think about whether they truly want to be a leader and what sacrifices they are willing to make.

Phillips makes this an easy read - but not an easy one to just race through without reflection.

This is part three of a three part series by Donald T. Phillips. Having read all three editions, it is difficult to say which book is "better" than the others. All three are FIVE-STAR and "MUST READS", however, the voluminous research that Phillips includes in MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. ON LEADERSHIP makes this OUTSTANDING!!!

After reading this book I wrote the following reflection on MLK's life and legacy. This reflection was shaped by Phillips' work but it is not a review or sample of Phillip.

Martin Luther King, Jr. saw himself as a prophet of his day and like the prophets in the Bible he guided his nation’s moral compass to make sure that it pointed true, right, and straight. What else should we have expected from someone that was named after the father of reformation, Martin Luther.
MLK was a second generation preacher and when he received his call to ministry it was a call to challenge the status quo and permanently change the course of our history. He often quoted the prophets, probably because he identified with them, and like the prophets he held the nation accountable. He identified with their message and from a Birmingham Jail he wrote a letter to white ministers who criticized his work and stated, “I am in Birmingham because injustice is here. Just as the prophets of the eighth century B.C. left their villages and carried their "thus saith the Lord" far beyond the boundaries of their home towns, and just as the Apostle Paul left his village of Tarsus and carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to the far corners of the Greco Roman world, so am I compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond my own home town. Like Paul, I must constantly respond to the Macedonian call for aid.”
When he delivered his most remarkable speech, “I have a Dream” from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., on August 28, 1963, he quoted the prophet Isaiah and Amos. In fact, the key verse of Amos’s oracle was King’s primary proof text. Citing Amos, King preached, “We will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
MLK did not just identify with the prophets of old, he also worked with the prophets of his day. Including Billy Graham. MLK spoke and prayed at Billy Graham’s crusades. Furthermore, Graham recounts a conversation where King said, you fight from the stadiums and I’ll fight from the streets.”
He also identified with Paul who wrote to the Corinthian’s listing all the torture and violence he has received as a result of his message. King probably had Paul’s words in mind when he wrote, “Due to my involvement in the struggle for the freedom of my people, I have known very few quiet days in the last few years. I have been arrested five times and put in Alabama jails. My home has been bombed twice. A day seldom passes that my family and I are not the recipients of threats of death. I have been the victim of a near-fatal stabbing.” We know that on April 4, 1968 at a motel in Memphis, TN the assassin’s bullet took his life and Martin Luther King Jr. entered the ranks of those called martyrs who gave their life to make the world a better place. As king was entered into eternal rest his life became synonymous with the lives of Lincoln, Ghandi, and Kennedy. King often urged his followers to “Meditate on the teachings and life of Jesus”, and I am certain that on the day King entered the gates of heaven he heard the words of Jesus saying, “Well Done! My good and faithful servant”.

It was unfortunate that Martin Luther King Jr. did not get a chance to write his own autobiography, but Clayborne Carson does a wonderful job piecing together Martin's life struggles, highlights and main ideas. Martin's honesty and quest for justice rings throughout. There were a few sections that were duplicative, but overall I thought it was an excellent, absorbing read. To me, the book really delivered toward the end. Discussions on the concepts of power and love and nonviolence and violence were exceptional. I also really appreciated Martin's digging down to the root cause of black thought in relation to America - why, for example, many young black people leaned toward violence as a method to gain freedom and respect. Finally, there were a number of passages that could have been written today - so many points Martin made are as fresh as ever. Martin's revelations are timeless. Everyone who wants to understand America should read this book.