Using a vast body of documentary materials, noted scholar and editor Clayborne Carson creates a book that remarkably approximates a self-portrait of Martin Luther King, Jr. Delving into all aspects of this man's life, the work covers his boyhood, his education as a minister, and his emergence as a leader in the Civil Rights movement. From his relationships with his wife and children, to his dealings with the important political figures of the era, this book defines the history of a genuine hero.