browse back button
Martin Luther King Jr.: Warrior for Peace
  • A Background Note about Martin Luther King Jr.

  • Narrator

    Life’s persistent and urgent question is,

    Profile Picture of Narrator in Martin Luther King Jr.: Warrior for Peace
  • Profile Picture of M. L. K in Martin Luther King Jr.: Warrior for Peace

    M. L. K

    “What are you doing for others?”

  • - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

  • Narrator

    From the time he was a young boy, Martin Luther King, Jr.’s greatest desire was to help others.

    Profile Picture of Narrator in Martin Luther King Jr.: Warrior for Peace
  • He grew up in an era when African Americans were often denied basic rights that many people take for granted— such as the right to vote, the right to eat dinner at a nice restaurant, and even the right to choose a seat on a bus.

  • King first experienced racism as a very young child, when his best friend, who was white, told him that they could no longer play together.

  • His friend’s father did not approve of his son having a black friend.

  • Narrator

    The idea that skin color could be used as a reason to destroy the bonds of friendship was astonishing and heartbreaking to the young Martin Luther King, Jr.

    Profile Picture of Narrator in Martin Luther King Jr.: Warrior for Peace
  • It was, perhaps, at that very moment that the seeds of desire to help his own race were planted in King’s heart.

  • However, the cost of selflessness was high.

  • Narrator

    During the years that he devoted nearly all his time and energy to the cause of civil rights, King was repeatedly yelled at, spit on, threatened, and thrown in jail.

    Profile Picture of Narrator in Martin Luther King Jr.: Warrior for Peace
  • Once, his home was even bombed.

  • Still, King never failed to believe two things: change for the better was always possible, and the only way to achieve that change was through peaceful protest, not through violence.

  • This is the story of the man who led a movement that changed not only the lives of many Americans, but also the hearts and minds of people around the world; a man who remembered his past and dreamed of the future when he said,

  • Profile Picture of M. L. K in Martin Luther King Jr.: Warrior for Peace

    M. L. K

    “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”

  • CHAPTER 1

  • Narrator

    In the summer of 1928, in a small crossroads town in southern Georgia, a young black man named Joshua stopped for gas.

    Profile Picture of Narrator in Martin Luther King Jr.: Warrior for Peace
  • He was on his way to visit friends in Florida during his vacation, and it had been a long drive from his home in New York.

  • He stepped out of his car to stretch as he waited for an attendant to come out and pump the gas.

Welcome to Literal!

Books on Literal are a little different, they look like a group chat. Characters have profile pictures and each sentence becomes a chat bubble.

Narrator
Speaking Character

Reading

There are 4 different ways to experience reading: Auto Play, Audio Support, Tap To Read, and Free Scroll.

Tap “Next” to learn more.

Auto Play

Auto Play is the default reading mode. With Auto Play, text message bubbles load automatically.

You can play, pause, or skip forward at any time.

control bar

Audio Reader

Turning on Audio Reader adds unique audio voices for each character. Just like with Auto Play, each bubble loads automatically.

Tap the speaker icon in the control bar to turn enable Audio Support.

control bar

Tap to Read

If you want to control when every bubble appears, simply tap the skip forward icon. Doing so will automatically pause Auto Play or Audio Reader.

control bar

Free Scroll

At any time you can scroll/swipe. We’ll automatically pause Auto Play or Audio Reader if you scroll/swipe while either are playing.