Chasing King’s killer book
report
Book by James L. Swanson
The structure of organization
The title of this book is Chasing King’s killer.The author of this book is named
James L Swanson. The genre of Chasing King’s killer is nonfiction.
The structure of the book “Chasing kings killer” is chronological. I know this
because the book presents itself first at where King came from and his childhood,
Moving on to his first years as a activist.Then to his later years in life and his
death.
The type and purpose
The type and purpose of this book is narrative nonfiction. This is because the book
has a climax, plot and character that include Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, his
assassin James Earl Ray, among others. Its purpose is to inform people about the
life, death, and assassin of Martin.
Author's purpose
clues
The author’s purpose is to
inform readers about King’s
life, causes/beliefs, and his
James Earl Ray, his
assassin.
Key ideas
Relationship
One Key idea the author wants the reader to
remember is that Dr. King was a loving and
forgiving person.He does this when he quotes
Martin when he was asked about his would be
assassin Izola curry saying “ I have no ill will
towards her and know that thoughtful people
will make sure she gets the help she apparently
needs”.
The author uses relationship to form
logical connections between ideas
such as King’s nonviolent approach to
civil rights made him an unpopular in
the civil rights movement.Another
example is James’s family history of
criminal activity caused him to be
roped into the criminal lifestyle.
Point of view
The authors point of view is that Dr.Martin
Luther King Jr.’s work the civil rights movement
and the positive changes he made to this world
could never be erased,especially by an
assassin’s bullet.
Text structure
The author exhibits text structure by showing
that because of the unfair laws and treatment of
minorities, they began protesting, boycotting,
marching and other things until those laws
changed.
Connotation mood & tone
The author uses connotation when he
mentions that Kings would be assassin
was mentally ill, inciting a feeling of
compassion and pity for her even
though she attempted to kill Martin.
Literary elements
The author uses literary elements such
as a climax and a setting. The climax
is when James assassinates King.The
resolution of the book is when James
is caught by the F.B.I and is sentenced
to 39 years.
3 New things I Learned from Chasing King’s Killer
1.
2.
3.
I learned that the assassination attempt that killed Martin Luther King was not
his first. He in fact was almost killed by Izola Curry on September 28, 1958.
It is thought that the motive for James Earl Ray to kill Dr. King was because of
King’s involvement in the civil rights act.
The murder weapon, which was a remington gamemaster model 760,
.30-06-caliber rifle,was left at the crime scene by James after the
assassination.
The objective summary
In the book “ Chasing King’s killer”, the author informs you about Martin Luther
King Jr. Life, His involvement in the civil rights movement and the fight for equal
rights and access, His assassin, and what happened after his death.
In the chapter “ A sneeze meant death” the author speaks about King’s first
assassination attempt, and what lead up to it.It took place in a book signing of
King’s book “Stride toward freedom” which is a memoir of the montgomery bus
boycott. The book signing was behind the shoe department in a department store
named Blumstein in New York. His would be assassin was a 42 year old
African-American Woman named Izola Curry.The weapon used was a sharpended
letter opener.After the attack, He was rushed to Harlem hospital and made a full
recovery.He was released on October 3rd of the same year.
Continuation
In part one, it explains how African- Americans were treated unfairly and unequal
to caucasians.It tells about King’s upbringing.The next thing it talks about is the
birmingham bus boycott. It also talks about the early years of the civil rights
movement and how people resisted it with violence.The story also mentions about
other Leaders such as Malcolm X and more about the civil rights movement.
In part two & Part three the story talks about James Earl Ray and his escape from
prison. It also talks about how James spent his life as a criminal and what he did
after his escape. In part three it also talks about the assassination.
Objective summary
The 4th and final part of this story is about James and what he did after the
assassination. It also explains what the repercussions of King’s death were.Which
consisted of looting and rioting in Chicago, Los Angeles,and Washington,D.C.This
part also explains the F.B.I’s manhunt and how James was caught/sentenced.This
part also tells about Robert Kennedy’s assassination.