Martin Luther King's public life lasted only 13 years - yet in that time, he changed the USA's attitude to civil rights forever and continues to inspire human rights movements today. He has become the epitome of courage, self-denial, compassion and reconciliation, and exemplifies the belief that sheer force of character can overcome any obstacle. But who was the real Martin Luther King? Richard Reddie provides a lively, highly informative, thought-provoking reappraisal of this famous man, showing how King was not a 'moderate' but a radical individual whose ideas on peace, war, poverty, social justice and equality were well ahead of his time. Reddie demonstrates how in the mid 1960s, King broadened his approach to include 'human rights' issues as well as civil rights, and how it was this socio-political development which most concerned his detractors and hastened his downfall.