Swanson, James L. 
CHASING KING'S KILLER
New York : Scholastic, 2018
IL YA
ISBN 978-0-545-72333-6

Booktalk #1

As the nation mourned the 1968 death of civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr., an unknown assassin was on run from the F.B.I. This book explores the events leading up to King’s tragic death and meticulously details the investigation to find his killer. Author James L. Swanson’s page-turning nonfiction book is chock full of facts, timelines, and pictures; it will keep you on the edge of your seat until the end. Pennsylvania Young Reader’s Choice Award 2018-2019

Booktalk #2

In Memphis, Tennessee April 1968, a man with a dream steps out on to a balcony at the Lorraine Motel. He was leaving his room for the evening headed to dinner with friends. As he stopped to talk with them, he leaned against the balcony, and unbeknownst to him, the next series of events would change the course of history forever. The man on the balcony was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a man who is respected worldwide as a champion and leader of the Civil Rights Movement. The event that changed history was Dr. King’s assignation at the hands of James Earl Ray, a lifelong con-man and criminal. That single shot, fired from a rifle propped against a bathroom window, set off a multi-national man hunt by the FBI and countless other law enforcement agencies as they raced to uncover and bring to justice Dr. King’s killer. Who was James Earl Ray and why did he want to kill Dr. King? Read Chasing King’s Killer: The Hunt for Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Assassin to discover this and more…… ( Prepared by: Lori Willis-Richards, Union County High School, Lwillisrichards@union.k12.sc.us for South Carolina Book Award)