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Howard Thurman's Great Hope (Lee Low)

Author: Kai Jackson Issa
Illustrator: Arthur L. Dawson
Publisher: Lee & Low Books, September 2008
Reading Level: 9-12 (32 pages)

At the White House Rose Garden on November 2, 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed a bill creating a federal holiday to honor Martin Luther King, Jr., but it's been said that, "I don't believe you'd get a Martin Luther King, Jr. without a Howard Thurman." Howard Thurman's Great Hope is a wonderful read any day of the year, but especially to help celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. In fact, civil rights leader, theologian, and educator Howard Thurman was an early influence on King. In quiet moments before a civil rights march, the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., used to read from Thurman's Jesus and the Disinherited--a book that laid much of the philosophical foundation for a nonviolent civil rights movement.

We all know the story of King, but what about Thurman? Kai Jackson Issa is the managing editor with The Howard Thurman Papers Project at Morehouse College in Atlanta, so what better source to tell the story of the man dreaming of a better life?

"From that first bell to the last, each day Howard spent at school was magical. With every new idea he learned, the world opened wider."

Howard Thurman was born in segregated Daytona, Florida. In 1899, Howard Thurman grew up dreaming of a better life- a life where his mother and grandmother would not have to cook and clean for other people; a life where he could become a college man, honoring his late father’s wishes and his own dreams. In Daytona, there was just one public school for African-Americans and the school only went up to the seventh grade, but Howard dreamed of going to college and determining his own destiny. This picture-book biography tells Thurman's story of hard work and perseverance. Howard not only graduated from Morehouse College as valedictorian, he also went on to become an ordained minister, a prolific writer, and an influential spiritual leader in the U.S. civil rights movement. I think it's a wonderful reminder of what so many of us take for granted- the power of education, the support of friends and family, and the power of faith. It illuminates a man that many of us probably don't know much about, and a man that helped lay the foundation for what will take place this Tuesday- the inauguration of the first African-American President.

Also, visit Anastasia Suen's picture book of the day blog for more great nonfiction selections at the Nonfiction Monday roundup!