Growing up King: An Intimate Memoir
- Book Review,
by Dexter Scott King
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.
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.
From AudioFile
The family of Martin Luther King, Jr., drew criticism for investigating a possible conspiracy in the assassination of the Civil Rights leader. Here, Dexter Scott King explains why his family opened old wounds in an effort to find answers. The truth may have died with convicted killer James Earl Ray, but Dexter King's reading brings alive the pain that fueled his family's search. Now the leader of the King Center, he was born into a family that had already felt danger because of his father's fight for equality, and he lost his father at age 7. His narration of how those early experiences shaped his life is fascinating listening. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
From Booklist
Dexter King, who bears an incredible resemblance to his famous father, was seven years old when Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. In this memoir, he recalls the weight of expectations placed on him as the son, grandson, and great-grandson of Baptist ministers, even before his father became famous as a civil rights leader. Traumatized by the death of his father, Dexter recalls the feelings of doom among all the King children, giving them a special kinship with the Kennedys. A host of surrogate fathers, including Andrew Young, provided needed male guidance, but Dexter recalls the powerful strain of living up to the particular expectations placed on King's children as they searched for their own individual identities. He recollects his own personal struggle with faith and aimless years of drifting professionally, dabbling in photography, law enforcement, and music. Dexter also details his troubled tenure as president of the King Center in Atlanta, the controversies regarding protection of intellectual property rights to his father's speeches and writings, and the family's struggle to sort through conspiracy theories surrounding King's assassination. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Book Description
Dexter Scott King's disarmingly candid memoir of growing up in the shadow of his father is now in trade paperback.Seven-year-old Dexter Scott King was in his family's den watching television when a special news bulletin announced that his father, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., had been shot in Memphis. While the nation and the world mourned the death of one of the most important and powerful figures in history, the young son began what would be a lifelong personal journey of not only learning to cope with the loss of his loving father, but of exploring how best to make sure that his message and spirit lived on. Remarkably honest and emotionally intimate, this book offers a rare and touching look into what it is like to grow up as the son of a world renowned hero.
Download Description
Dexter King, who would grow up to eerily resemble his legendary father, MLK, Jr., and display some of the same eloquence, was seven years old when an assassin's bullet took his father's life. The bond between father and son was a close one. For years afterward, Dexter was haunted by a memory of himself and his dad riding their bikes through Atlanta's streets, and by his father's full-throated laugh as he romped with the King children. Dexter tried to find courage in his father's example of selfless heroism, but as his shattered childhood ripened into adolescence, the weight of "the King legacy" pressed down ever more heavily.Kept at arms-length by schoolchildren who weren't sure what to make of the son of a secular saint, afflicted with undiagnosed ADD, and shell-shocked further by the assassination of his grandmother, Dexter stumbled warily into adulthood. Ironically, the wall that separated him from potential friends and girlfriends was sometimes comforting. In distancing himself from others, he lessened the chances of loss.Only in his early 30s did he confront "the legacy" head on, and when he did, he discovered what his father was trying to tell him-and us-about what really matters. Replete with remarkable insights into what families of "fallen heroes" must contend with, as well as surprisingly intimate moments and fresh reflections on race in America, this is a truly extraordinary book.
Buy from Amazon
Compare Prices
|
|
Home
