Bearing the Cross: A monumental account of the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., this book offers an in-depth look into the evolution of a young pastor into an iconic leader of America’s civil rights movement.

Based on extensive research and over 700 interviews, including conversations with Andrew Young, Jesse Jackson, and Coretta Scott King, this biography paints a multidimensional portrait of a charismatic figure driven by his strong moral obligation to lead.

The book details King’s spiritual development and his crucial role at the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, whose protest campaigns in Birmingham and Selma, Alabama, led to the enactment of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965.

This comprehensive yet intimate study reveals the deep sense of mission King felt to serve as an unrelenting crusader against prejudice, inequality, and violence, and his willingness to sacrifice his own life on behalf of his beliefs.