Ideas

Martin Luther King, Jr. is the kind of hero whose story inspires Americans of all ages, 8-year-olds and 80-year-olds, generations past and generations to come.

Accordingly, authors have used his life as the subject matter for everything from picture books to general interest biographies for adults, from essay collections about his impact on race in America to academic interrogations of his rhetoric. The more one learns about MLK, the more there is to appreciate.

In honor of the civil rights leader‘s birthday, here are five books on his life and legacy for readers of all ages.

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