This biography for younger readers depicts the life of Martin Luther King, Jr., the Nobel Peace Prize winner who dedicated himself to the struggle for equal rights for African Americans while embracing the principle of nonviolent resistance. The book presents an overview of the civil rights movement and chronicles King's role as national leader and major advocate for social change. Highlights in the life of Martin Luther King, Jr., include the following: (1) ministry in the Baptist church beginning in 1947; (2) award of doctorate in theology from Boston University in 1955; (3) election as president of the Montgomery (Alabama) Improvement Association and leadership of the bus boycott there in 1955; (4) election as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in 1957; (5) organization of Birmingham (Alabama) demonstrations and delivery of the "I Have a Dream" speech at the March on Washington in 1963; (6) award of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964; (7) organization of demonstrations in Selma (Alabama) and march to Montgomery in 1965; (8) organization of the Poor People's Campaign in 1967; and (9) assassination in Memphis (Tennessee) in 1968. The book includes a civil rights movement time line, a timetable of events in King's life, suggested reading, and a list of 16 references. (AF)