Memphis, Martin, and the Mountaintop: The Sanitation Strike of 1968

• Age Range: 9 - 12 years

• Grade Level: 4 - 7
  • 2018 Junior Library Guild Selection
  • 2018 Center for the Study of Multicultural Children's Literature Best Books
  • 2018 Book Links Lasting Connections

  • 2019 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book
  • 2019 ALSC Notable Children's Books
  • 2019 Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People
  • School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
  • Booklist Editors' Choice
  • Kirkus Reviews Best Children's Book
  • Booklist Top 10 Diverse Books for Middle Grade or Older Readers
  • A Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Books

  For classroom and reading resources, click here.

SUMMARY

In February 1968, two African American sanitation workers were killed by unsafe equipment in Memphis, Tennessee. Outraged at the city's refusal to recognize a labor union that would fight for higher pay and safer working conditions, sanitation workers went on strike. The strike lasted two months, during which Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was called to help with the protests. While his presence was greatly inspiring to the community, this would be his last stand for justice. He was assassinated in his Memphis hotel the day after delivering his "I've Been to the Mountaintop" sermon in Mason Temple Church.

Inspired by the memories of a teacher who participated in the strike as a child, author Alice Faye Duncan reveals the story of the Memphis sanitation strike from the perspective of a young girl with a riveting combination of poetry and prose.

REVIEWS

 “The author's choice to not focus on the singular efforts of King but on the dedicated efforts of community signals a deeply important lesson for young readers. Strong historical details back up the organizing feat…(t)he narrative is set in vignettes that jump between verse and prose, set against Christie's bold paintings… encapsulates the bravery, intrigue, and compassion that defined a generation, presenting a history that everyone should know: required and inspired.” — Kirkus Reviews

“In this impressive picture book, a character inspired by an African American family involved in the 1968 Memphis sanitation strike tells her first-person account of the experience in verse and prose. Each full-page spread functions as a chapter with…informative back matter (which)…includes a time line and source notes. The excellent gouache art is typical of Christie’s distinctive and impactful style, with impressionistic images set on pages saturated with shades of blue, yellow, or orange. Most gratifyingly, the determination of the characters and the import of this part of history are imbued with dignity throughout.” — Booklist

“With Memphis, Martin, and the Mountaintop, Alice Faye Duncan…takes as her subject Martin Luther King's last campaign, and she makes clear that, while he didn't live to see its outcome, his work was not in vain. R. Gregory Christie…displays his unmistakable style…in his ennobling art, humanity is always paramount. (A)n inspiring account in which a heroic campaign lost its leader but nevertheless marched on to victory.” — Shelf Awareness