What’s Up With the Epigraph?

To Dr. King's dream,
Which can only come true
If the very young know and understand. (Dedication)

Theodore Taylor begins his novel with a dedication to Martin Luther King, Jr., a major figure in the American Civil Rights Movement. The dedication suggests that the book will address race relationships and issues of equality, dramatizing in fiction, King's vision for a just and equal society. You can learn more about Dr. King's "dream" from his famous and awesome "I Have a Dream" speech.

For more, see our section on "Themes: Race."