Memphis, Martin, and the Mountaintop

Praise

★ “Duncan creates 9-year-old Lorraine Jackson to tell the full story of the Memphis sanitation strike of 1968. 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, starred review

★“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, starred review

★ “The boldly colored, vivid illustrations add to the meaning of the story. The book could be read many times and new information would be discovered with each new reading….(T)he author uses descriptive words that make this book excellent to use as a mentor text for writing. Each choice in diction conjures a specific meaning and acts as the perfect word to help the reader picture and feel what is happening in the story.” — School Library Connection, starred review

★“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, starred review

★ “The language throughout (the book) is powerful. Christie’s Acryla gouache paintings are breathtaking… The text is fully researched, with cited sources, and draws many details from interviews with a Memphis teacher who experienced this moment in history as a child. A superbly written and illustrated work. A first purchase for public and school libraries.” – School Library Journal, starred review

“Duncan writes in fervent free verse…(the) narrative is passionate and personal…Christie’s vivid, emotive gouache paintings feature a montage of powerful panoramas and portraits.” –Publishers Weekly