Memphis, Martin and the Mountaintop by Alice Faye Duncan, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie

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Memphis, Martin and the Mountaintop by Alice Faye Duncan, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie


                April 4th, 1968 is a day that is burned into memory of this country. It’s the day Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was murdered while standing on the balcony of the Memphis motel, Lorraine. I can recall those images clear as day even though I was born decades after the assassination happened. The man who spoke of his dream, was now dead. Memphis, Martin and the Mountaintop explains the events that led up to Dr. King’s death, the Memphis Sanitation Strike. Two Black men, Echol Cole and Robert Walker were killed while working as garbage collectors. Tired of working at poverty level, unable to be recognized as a union and afraid for their lives working in unsafe conditions the Black men working as garbage collectors in Memphis went on strike.
                This story, told through the eyes of Lorraine a woman recounting her days as child, details what it was like during those times. Lorraine remembers seeing her father come home the night of Cole and Walker’s death, the strikes, the riots and the curfew. But she also describes marching, and her father’s strength and determination, her mom’s support and hard work. And she remembers Dr. King and the impact he had on the strike.
                I really enjoyed this book. It relays the Memphis Sanitation Strike, with patience and care, relaying information in a thoughtful manner which was very emotional but not frightening. The illustrations by Christie were rather beautiful, with bright colors that contradicted the rather somber mood of the book and surreal portraits of the characters in the story. I liked that the character Lorraine was an active participant in the events, highlighting how important these events were for that generation of children who watched and were apart of these marches that transformed history. This is a book that I can read to my son and I know he’ll walk away understanding just how important this particular moment in history was. Duncan did a great job crafting this narrative and educating readers on the Memphis Sanitation Strike and the events that happened before and after the death of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I highly recommend this and give it 5 out of 5 stars.

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