Chasing King's Killer: The Hunt for Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Assassin

by James L. Swanson

Overview

In his meteoric, thirteen-year rise to fame, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. led a mass movement for Civil Rights -- with his relentless peaceful, non-violent protests, public demonstrations, and eloquent speeches. But as violent threats cast a dark shadow over Dr. King's life, Swanson hones in on James Earl Ray, a bizarre, racist, prison escapee who tragically ends King's life.

As he did in his bestselling Scholastic MG/YA books Chasing LIncoln's Killer and "THE PRESIDENT HAS BEEN SHOT!", Swanson transports readers back to one of the most shocking, sad, and terrifying events in American history.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781338227246
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	01/02/2018
Edition description:	Unabridged
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 1.50(h) x 5.00(d)
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

James L. Swanson is the award-winning author of the bestseller Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer. His other books include Chasing Lincoln's Killer, an adaptation of Manhunt for young adults, and his follow-up, "The President Has Been Shot!: The Assassination of John F. Kennedy", which was a finalist for the YALSA-ALA Excellence in Young Adult Nonfiction award. He has held a number of government and think-tank posts in Washington, D.C.

Editorial Reviews

★ 11/20/2017
As he did in Chasing Lincoln’s Killer and “The President Has Been Shot!”, Swanson offers an absorbing chronicle of the lead-up to and aftermath of the assassination of an American leader. After a concise account of King’s upbringing in a close-knit, religious Atlanta family and a childhood lived under Jim Crow, Swanson tracks his speedy ascent to becoming the “beloved living, breathing symbol” of the civil rights movement. Photographs, extensive quotations from a variety of sources (press reports, King’s writings and speeches, court records), and other documentation (including a previously unpublished letter from J. Edgar Hoover that underscores the FBI’s harassment of King) provide an immediate look at his pivotal role in the Montgomery Bus Boycott, lunch-counter sit-ins, and the 1963 March on Washington. Just as compelling is Swanson’s insight into the background of King’s enigmatic killer, escaped convict James Earl Ray. The details of Ray’s efforts to transform and disguise his appearance, the planning of the assassination, and his flight from authorities are riveting and disturbing. Ages 12–up. Agent: Richard Abate, 3 Arts Entertainment. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for Chasing King's Killer: The Hunt for Martin Luther King Jr.'s Assassin


• "….[James L. Swanson's] masterful work, akin to [his] previous success, Chasing Lincoln's Killer... takes on thriller pacing as it portrays, in alternating segments, King's ceaseless work with Ray's escape from prison and eventual plot to assassinate King…. This immersive history reveals, in gripping style, how one individual can impact history." -- Booklist, starred review


Praise for "The President Has Been Shot!": The Assasination of John F. Kennedy

A YALSA-ALA Excellence in Young Adult Nonfiction Award Finalist

"Swanson brings the same immediacy and thrillerlike tension he achieved in Chasing Lincoln’s Killer to this harrowing account of the Kennedy assassination."-- Publishers Weekly

"Swanson charms readers with mesmerizing, little-known facts, making readers the experts and inspiring them to become historians and inquirers." -- VOYA Magazine

"Reads like a thriller, with intense pacing and an engaging narrative." -- School Library Journal

"Archival photographs, explicit diagrams of the assassination scene, source notes, and a bibliography that includes conspiracy-focused literature add further value to this strong addition to Kennedy titles." -- Booklist


Praise for Chasing Lincoln's Killer

An ALA Best Book for Young Adults
Booklist Notable Children's Book
Recommended as one of the top children's books about Lincoln by American History Magazine


• "This account of Lincoln's assassination and the twelve-day search for his killer reads like a historical thriller."-- Publishers Weekly, starred review


• "The rich details and suspense are ever present . . . It is a tale of intrigue and an engrossing mystery." -- School Library Journal, starred review

"It's history that reads like a tragic thriller." -- USA Today

From the Publisher

Martin Luther King Jr. spent years being a driving force in the mass movement for civil rights. His speeches empowered men and women to fight for their rights using nonviolent measures. His public demonstrations made people take notice and influenced government to pass new laws, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. King narrowly escaped death when stabbed in the chest during an author signing in 1958. He knew his fame and publicity made him a target, yet he continued to fight for people. When James Earl Ray, an amateur criminal, escaped state prison in 1967, he spent time laying low, doing things under false identities. Something made King a target for Ray in 1968. Soon, Ray was driving to Memphis, intent on shooting King. The manhunt that ensued to locate King's killer took months, as Ray was an unlikely suspect. Swanson writes a narrative that will engage students. This story gives an overview of the civil rights movement while focusing on both Martin Luther King Jr. and the mindset of assassin James Earl Ray. The story is fast-paced with anecdotal stories about the main historical figures that convey emotion, yet do not detract from historical information. The photographs go well with the action of the historical account. The way the book is broken down into sections that focus first on the history, then on King, and lastly on Ray's story sets the stage for the unfolding action. The writing is easy to understand and will appeal to reluctant readers and avid readers alike. This work is a must-purchase for library collections. Reviewer: Laura Panter; Ages 12 to 18.

VOYA, December 2017 (Vol. 40, No. 5) - Laura Panter

★ 01/01/2018
Gr 7 Up—A detailed, well-organized, and vividly illustrated history of Martin Luther King Jr.'s role in the civil rights movement and U.S. political history—and the killer who assassinated him. After introducing King, the first section of the book develops with a chapter for each year beginning with 1956 and continuing to April 23, 1967, the day that James Earl Ray escaped from prison. The second section gives a synopsis of Ray's early life and criminal history, describes his prison break, and details his wanderings before arriving in Los Angeles in November 1967. Swanson intersperses Ray's travels with a discussion of changes in King's work, specifically his opposition to the Vietnam War and his "Poor People's Campaign." The third section begins on March 17, 1968, as Ray and King both leave California. King headed to Memphis to support sanitation workers, and Ray followed and planned the murder. King's activities, private conversations, and public statements leading up to April 4, counter Ray's surveillance of King and preparations for the murder and his escape. The assassination unfolds moment-by-moment, as does Ray's flight from the scene. The final section covers responses to King's death from his friends and the public and efforts to apprehend his killer. Swanson includes a discussion of Ray's motives, theories regarding other conspirators, and analysis of Ray's claims of innocence, but his final words are a tribute to King's lasting legacy. The source notes are copious and clear enough to serve as a guide for continued study. VERDICT A top pick for YA history collections.—Kelly Kingrey-Edwards, Blinn Junior College, Brenham, TX

School Library Journal

★ 2017-12-03
Swanson, bestselling author of Chasing Lincoln's Killer (2009), here explores all aspects of the murder of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.From the foreword by Congressman John Lewis to the epilogue, this volume places Dr. King and his loss in its historical context. The story begins with a detailed look at an unsuccessful attempt on Dr. King's life, a foreshadowing of what was to come. Dr. King's life and work to gain full civil and economic rights for all Americans are presented briefly, but the crux of the narrative is directed at the assassination; the man behind it, escaped convict James Earl Ray; and the aftermath. Swanson describes the events that brought King to Memphis, Tennessee, as part of a larger push for economic justice. In addition to the real-life thriller aspects of the hunt for Ray after King was shot, Swanson's narrative adds poignant details, such as the experiences of King's heartbroken aides and their reluctance to cooperate with law enforcement as well as the nation's mourning of Dr. King. He also addresses conspiracies around the assassination as well as distrust of the FBI due to their wiretapping of King and other activists. This is page-turning nonfiction that captures the tenor of the times with meticulous research and a trove of photographs. Exhaustive, exemplary backmatter further enhances the text.An important contribution to the understanding of a complex period in United States history that still reverberates today. (Nonfiction. 12-adult)

Kirkus Reviews