The University of Michigan Press has a new biography by Godfrey Hodgson, simply entitled Martin Luther King. Hodgson traces his life from the very beginning and gives details to remind the reader that this hero was, above all, a flesh and blood man.

It is very clear when reading this book that Hodgson, who met Martin Luther King, Jr. on occasion while a journalist, knows his history. Hodgson not only provides information and intimate details about King's life (such as grades and progress through school), but also about the culture in which he grew up.

He provides background on the politics of the South, reaching back to post-Civil War, to see how the world in which King grew up was shaped. Threads of this history are localized to the corners of Atlanta and to the Ebenezer Church.

Hodgson's attention to detail makes Martin Luther King, Jr. accessible to the reader. However, in those efforts, sometimes facts almost get in the way of the reader following the story, tripping over new pieces of information which disturb the flow of the history being laid out on the page.

Hodgson develops on the history of concrete events, such as the beginnings of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), as well as the evolving views held by King as he was influenced by his world travels.

Ultimately, what makes this biography interesting is to see how many components in life there are which shape a person into a figure of historical and cultural significance, whose works and thoughts contributed to our world are as important today as they ever were.

Julia Eussen is currently pursuing her M.A. at Eastern Michigan University in the Written Communication Program. She is also an Assistant Organizer for the Ann Arbor Classics Book Group. She can be reached at jeussen@emich.edu.