Letter from a Birmingham Jail
Letter from a Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King Jr.by Martin Luther King Jr.
Shares rank 37 of 60 articles by recommenders
People recommend this 1963 open letter for its lasting moral force and its lessons on changing minds through persuasion rather than authority. No critics appeared in the discussions.
People recommend this 1963 open letter for its lasting moral force and its lessons on changing minds through persuasion rather than authority. No critics appeared in the discussions.
5 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 5
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 2 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 5 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 2 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Rewards repeated reading
“I always re-read this on MLK day and learn something new each time.”
Comment from 19 Jan 2026 in “Letter from a Birmingham Jail [King, Jr.] (1963)” “I always find something new in it.”
Comment from 19 Jan 2026 in “Letter from a Birmingham Jail [King, Jr.] (1963)”
Other articles people recommend
The four most recommended other articles, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Programming as Theory Buildingby Peter Naur | 32 | 0 | 100% | 7 | — | Approved |
| Ur-Fascismby Umberto Eco | 18 | 2 | 90% | 8 | — | Approved |
| Politics and the English Languageby George Orwell | 14 | 0 | 100% | 5 | — | Approved |
| The Grug Brained Developer by Carson Gross | 13 | 1 | 93% | 9 | — | Approved |
| Letter from a Birmingham Jailby Martin Luther King Jr.This page | 5 | 0 | 100% | 2 | — | — |
What people said
All 6 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“I'm stunned by how good Dr. King's writing is.”
“It had a deep and profound effect and strengthened my commitment to racial and gender equality”
“Reading it left not a momentary effect, but a life long impression.”
“I always re-read this on MLK day and learn something new each time.”
“I always find something new in it.”
“a masterclass in effecting change through influence rather than authority”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.