A Place to Land by Barry Wittenstein and illustrated by Jerry Pinkney is a vivid and concise retelling of the events that led up to Dr. King’s momentous I Have A Dream speech. Wittenstein and Pinkney give the readers a behind the scenes look into the night before the big speech. The illustrations and time stamps on each page make you feel as if you were a part of the speech writing that would inspire a nation. At the same time, the authors subtlety introduce the peers that advised and assisted Martin- Wyatt T Walker, Andrew Young, Ralph Abernathy and more. Also, we learn about lesser known contributors like King’s speech writer – Clarence Young. Young’s words coupled with King’s preaching cadence give us all, A Place to Land.
If you are looking for a fresh and new book about Martin Luther King Jr. this is the book for you. In addition to reliving the night before the I have a Dream speech. Readers are reminded that to reach greatness you have to try hard, make mistakes, persevere and follow your heart.
“Even Dr. King needed help from his friends.”
