Book Review of What Manner of Man

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Lerone Bennett Jr.’s What Man Manner of Man: A Biography of Martin Luther King Jr. chronicles the great civil rights leader’s life from his birth in Atlanta, Georgia, to his assassination in Memphis, Tennessee. Bennett covers many of the key points of the American civil rights movement as he tells the story of King’s own life. The author does not simply give readers a monotonous series of dates and events, however. Bennett says he took the title What Manner of Man from “a famous Biblical quotation” and that, “It is used here in a symbolic sense as an invocation of a man who moves not natural elements but social forces and millions of human beings” (Intro.). While this is a big part of what Bennett is trying to do in this biography of Martin Luther King, Jr., it is also true that he wants to show readers King on an individual level, as someone who not only faced major social issues, but also everyday life struggles. The text consists of six well-illustrated sections, and epilogue, and a record of King’s arrests, and each of those sections shows a stage in King’s life. These sections show both sides of King, and are well-rounded in coving King’s inner motivations and his external impact. He developed a person of global renown, the author says about King, “It was in relation to him or in opposition to him that men defined themselves and their racial postures” (197). He also goes into detail about the motivations of Martin Luther King, Jr., and he shows how the ups and downs of King’s experiences in the civil rights movement affected King on a personal level. Bennett discusses how activists like Gandhi shaped King’s own goals as a leader as he evolved into the leader he was over the course of his life. The biography illustrates ho... ... middle of paper ... ...rder to make himself and others one” (177). The chapter of the book called “Man” discusses his role as a father and husband, and the pictures of King spending time with his family show that he also made time to be with his wife Coretta and his four children. One heartbreaking aspect of King’s life that is discussed in “Man” is the impact King’s work had on his children. Bennett states that, “The King children were aware of their father’s weight in the world-and of his woes” (180). King grew to worldwide importance and even won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, but the details about his personal life give a more realistic image of his life (224). What Manner of Man is a fascinating look into the life and impact of Martin Luther King. Jr., and the Lerone Bennett Jr does not fail to give a respectful and factual account of the life of the man the title is referring to.

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