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King: A Life Hardcover – May 16, 2023
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WINNER OF THE 2024 PULITZER PRIZE FOR BIOGRAPHY
A finalist for the 2023 National Book Critics Circle Award | Named one of the ten best books of 2023 by The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, and Time
A New York Times bestseller and notable book of 2023 | One of Barack Obama's favorite books of 2023
One of The New Yorker's essential reads of 2023 | A Christian Science Monitor best book of the year | One of Air Mail's twelve best books of 2023
A Washington Post and National Indie Bestseller | One of Publishers Weekly's best nonfiction books of 2023 | One of Smithsonian magazine's ten best books of 2023
“Supple, penetrating, heartstring-pulling and compulsively readable . . . Eig’s book is worthy of its subject.” ―Dwight Garner, The New York Times (Editors’ Choice)
“[King is] infused with the narrative energy of a thriller . . . The most compelling account of King’s life in a generation.” ―Mark Whitaker, The Washington Post
“No book could be more timely than Jonathan Eig’s sweeping and majestic new King . . . Eig has created 2023′s most vital tome.” ―Will Bunch, The Philadelphia Inquirer
Hailed by The New York Times as “the new definitive biography,” King mixes revelatory new research with accessible storytelling to offer an MLK for our times.
Vividly written and exhaustively researched, Jonathan Eig’s King: A Life is the first major biography in decades of the civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr.―and the first to include recently declassified FBI files. In this revelatory new portrait of the preacher and activist who shook the world, the bestselling biographer gives us an intimate view of the courageous and often emotionally troubled human being who demanded peaceful protest for his movement but was rarely at peace with himself. He casts fresh light on the King family’s origins as well as MLK’s complex relationships with his wife, father, and fellow activists. King reveals a minister wrestling with his own human frailties and dark moods, a citizen hunted by his own government, and a man determined to fight for justice even if it proved to be a fight to the death. As he follows MLK from the classroom to the pulpit to the streets of Birmingham, Selma, and Memphis, Eig dramatically re-creates the journey of a man who recast American race relations and became our only modern-day founding father―as well as the nation’s most mourned martyr.
In this landmark biography, Eig gives us an MLK for our times: a deep thinker, a brilliant strategist, and a committed radical who led one of history’s greatest movements, and whose demands for racial and economic justice remain as urgent today as they were in his lifetime.
Includes 8 pages of black-and-white photographs
- Print length688 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherFarrar, Straus and Giroux
- Publication dateMay 16, 2023
- Dimensions6.5 x 2.06 x 9.56 inches
- ISBN-100374279292
- ISBN-13978-0374279295
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From the Publisher
Praise for King: A Life by Jonathan Eig
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Editorial Reviews
Review
“Supple, penetrating, heartstring-pulling and compulsively readable . . . The first comprehensive biography of King in three decades . . . and it supplants David J. Garrow’s 1986 biography Bearing the Cross as the definitive life of King, as Garrow himself deposed recently . . . [Eig’s is] a clean, clear, journalistic voice, one that employs facts the way Saul Bellow said they should be employed, each a wire that sends a current . . . Eig’s book is worthy of its subject.” ―Dwight Garner, The New York Times (Book Review Editors' Choice)
"King: A Life might be described as a deeply reported psychobiography [. . .] infused with the narrative energy of a thriller . . . Eig does a particularly nuanced job of conjuring up the mind-set of Coretta Scott King in the years before she emerged as a forceful activist in her own right . . . The most compelling account of King’s life in a generation.” ―Mark Whitaker, The Washington Post
"[Eig] is an indefatigable researcher, and King is based on a vast array of material, old and new . . . Eig offers affecting accounts of the Montgomery bus boycott, which made King a national figure; the confrontation in the streets of Birmingham between young Black demonstrators and ‘Bull’ Connor’s dogs and fire hoses; and the march for voting rights from Selma to Montgomery . . . [His] style is journalistic, with brief paragraphs driving the narrative forward . . . Eig devotes more attention to Coretta Scott King than previous biographers, emphasising that she was an anti-racist radical in her own right." ―Eric Foner, London Review of Books
"No book could be more timely than Jonathan Eig’s sweeping and majestic new King . . . The result is not mythology but a portrait of a man who was all too human―making his remarkable moral choices and struggles relatable to his fellow mortals. In repositioning King as one of America’s true Founding Fathers, Eig has created 2023′s most vital tome." ―Will Bunch, The Philadelphia Inquirer
"A sober and intimate portrait of King’s short life . . . Eig captures the ferocity of the forces that opposed King . . . He also captures King’s sense of theatre, his enormously canny ability to stage confrontations that heightened the contrast between the civil-rights movement and the people who wanted to stop it." ―Kelefa Sanneh, The New Yorker
"Outstanding . . . [Eig] shows who King really was behind the famous speeches and celebrity . . . Eig offers an intimate, multidimensional biography . . . Most importantly, Eig weaves Coretta Scott King’s impressions of her famous husband throughout the book in ways that free her from the traditional housewife image depicted in Time magazine portraits . . . King: A Life forces readers to view King as more than a martyr, icon, or saint ― to see him for who he was, instead of who people thought he was, or wanted him to be." ―Ousmane Power-Greene, The Boston Globe
"Jonathan Eig’s magnificent new biography is an overdue attempt to grapple with King in all his complexity. His book will inevitably draw comparisons with America in the King Years . . . [King: A Life] is a more traditional biography, and the book benefits from its narrower focus. It gives the reader more insight into the multifaceted man himself. . . . Eig makes [King's] courage and moral vision seem all the more exceptional for having come from a man with ordinary flaws." ―The Economist
"Eig’s monumental work, the first major biography of Martin Luther King Jr. in decades, challenges the image of him as a peaceful advocate of incremental change. There’s plenty of new detail, including from recently declassified F.B.I. files, allowing King to emerge as a complex, humane figure." ―J. Howard Rosier, The New York Times
"Eig brilliantly portrays the many dimensions of the civil rights leader . . . Eig’s balanced treatment of King’s manifest greatness and his human flaws, including his sexual infidelity, turns an icon back into a man and produces a biography that will be very difficult to surpass." ―Jessica T. Mathews, Foreign Affairs
"Eig is particularly effective at gently reminding readers that there are striking parallels between the way racial justice was framed in the 1950s and ’60s and the way it is framed in the 2010s and ’20s . . . Jonathan Eig has written a biography that points us to King at his best, to King convinced that words bear truth, that narrative moves us toward goodness, and that memory, well preserved, carries beauty that motivates and inspires." ―Vincent Lloyd, Commonweal
"Eig has used his sharp journalistic eye to spin a powerful story of King and the movements in which he participated . . . [King] stirs a whirlwind of exhilarating feelings . . . Essential . . . A beautiful book that requires every reader to grapple with both the contradictions and the glory of one of our leading historical protagonists for peace, freedom, economic justice, and equality." ―Michael K. Honey, Jacobin
"Drawing on recently released FBI files, telephone recordings and interviews for this first full-scale biography in decades, Eig acknowledges King's frailties and failures, as well as his radical critique of economic inequality and the war in Vietnam . . . Eig enriches [the] familiar narrative of King's activism with moving stories." ―Glenn C. Altschuler, Minneapolis Star Tribune
"King: A Life, is more than up to the challenge. It will take its place among the foremost of the many treatments of King . . . A moving, and in places beautiful, account of King’s life." ―Richard Lischer, America
"In this biography, his sixth book, Eig writes like an Olympic diver who jackknifes off the high board, slicing the water without a ripple. He performs with sheer artistry, like Picasso paints and Astaire dances." ―Kitty Kelley, Washington Independent Review of Books
“Definitive . . . Monumental . . . An extraordinary achievement and an essential life of the iconic warrior for social justice.” ―Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"[A] sweeping biography. Eig gives a rousing recap of King’s triumphs as a civil rights leader . . . [A] complex, nuanced portrait . . . Eig’s evocative prose ably conveys his bravery, charisma, and spell-binding oratory . . . An enthralling reappraisal that confirms King’s relevance to today’s debates over racial justice." ―Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“The most comprehensive MLK biography to date . . . Eig refuses to ‘defang’ King, instead pushing Americans to recognize the radical nature of his demands for justice and his resistance to not only racism but militarism and capitalism.” ―Booklist (starred review)
"Mining a trove of materials―many only recently available―augmented with voluminous archival work and hundreds of interviews for personal insights . . . [Eig] recovers the man, foibles and all, from the too often hollowed-out, sainted symbol that competing ideologies have sanitized for national observance . . . Engrossing . . . A must for readers interested in moving beyond clichéd catchphrases to see a more complete and complex King." ―Library Journal (starred review)
"Groundbreaking . . . King is such a nuanced, detailed biography, it’s like having Martin Luther King sitting in your living room." ―Neil Steinberg, Chicago Sun-Times
"Jonathan Eig's book comes at a crucial time for our country. With the gains we've made for civil rights and workers’ rights under constant threat, Eig reminds us that, in Dr. King’s own words, ‘progress never rolls in on wheels of inevitability.’" ―Sherrod Brown, United States senator from Ohio and author of Desk 88
"The first major biography of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in over a generation, King is a major achievement. With eloquence, compassion, and grace, Jonathan Eig offers a stirringly contemporary and complex portrait of a fully human―and humane―King, whose contradictions, frailties, and shortcomings worked in tandem with his brilliance, resilience, and genius to fundamentally transform American democracy and the world. King brilliantly recovers the defiantly courageous, radically democratic, and revolutionary anti-racist, anti-poverty, and anti-war activist who inspired as much hate and revulsion as he did love and compassion. A resounding triumph." ―Peniel E. Joseph, professor at the University of Texas at Austin and author of The Sword and the Shield
"Greatness and opacity more often than not seem to go hand in hand: the most important among us seem out of reach, inscrutable, indifferent to our entreaties for human detail beyond the sensational or salacious. But here, Eig has pulled off a kind of miracle. Here is the King we know, think we know and ought to know. Here is the leader, the preacher, the orator, the husband, the father, the martyr, the human being―not with melodramatic halo in place, but in all his heroic, tragic Glory. Hallelujah!" ―Ken Burns
“Jonathan Eig's book is the most comprehensive and original King biography to appear in over 35 years. Digitization and the web have made a slew of new documentary resources available, and Eig has mined them superbly. He is thus able to paint the first 25 years of King's life more richly than ever before, and to offer fuller portraits of three of the most important people in King's adult life: his wife Coretta and his closest male and female companions, Ralph Abernathy and Dorothy Cotton. The result is a great leap forward in our biographical understanding.” ―David J. Garrow, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Bearing the Cross: Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and Rising Star: The Making of Barack Obama
"Finally, a biography of King that takes seriously Coretta Scott King's political, intellectual and personal contributions." ―Jeanne Theoharis, author of The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks
“With the detective mind of an historian, the lyrical precision of a poet, and the techniques of a master storyteller, Jonathan Eig makes Martin Luther King, Jr. come alive as a complex personality. He retrieves King’s extraordinary gifts, incurable optimism, and amazing heroism as a leader while not ignoring his frailties, doubts, and vulnerabilities. This book is a perceptive and necessary contribution to the biography genre in King studies.” ―Lewis V. Baldwin, author of The Arc of Truth: The Thinking of Martin Luther King, Jr.
"Jonathan Eig’s King is an exemplary masterclass in biography: Eig's knowledge of the subject matter is scholarly, his discovery of new and untapped historical sources is relentless, and his prose is gripping. This is a captivating story of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: a child scarred by pervasive racism, a man haunted by racist violence and death threats, a minister hunted by his own federal government, a human being afflicted by all-too-common human frailties, and a citizen who somehow managed to have an uncommon Christian faith and the courage to speak truth to power. Eig’s King is not just a welcomed contribution to MLK biography, but also a call to confront our own humanity, and a summons to bear witness against the societal evils that plagued King’s time and persist in our own." ―Dr. Lerone A. Martin, Martin Luther King, Jr., Centennial Professor Director of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute, Stanford University
"Jonathan Eig’s biography of Martin Luther King Jr. is destined to be a classic. Eig elegantly depicts King’s life with a sensitivity and intimacy making him more than a static icon. In this biography filled with exhaustive interviews and wonderfully written vignettes, King is placed in the context of community, family, and friends, showing his powerful strengths and his all too human flaws. Most importantly, Eig depicts King’s single-minded commitment to radically transforming the United States from an unjust republic based on a hierarchy of race and wealth to one that encompasses the dreams of all God’s children. I hope it is read by everyone." ―Randal Maurice Jelks, author of Letters to Martin: Meditations on Democracy in Black America
"King is a deeply absorbing, powerful lens for examining the Civil Rights Movement. Jonathan Eig’s compelling look back reveals a complex leader, driven by his faith and an unflinching determination to stamp out racial injustice, yet dogged by personal conflicts and relentless secret government efforts to discredit him." ―Karen Gray Houston, author of Daughter of the Boycott: Carrying on a Montgomery Family’s Civil Rights Legacy
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : Farrar, Straus and Giroux (May 16, 2023)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 688 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0374279292
- ISBN-13 : 978-0374279295
- Item Weight : 2.21 pounds
- Dimensions : 6.5 x 2.06 x 9.56 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #4,960 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- Customer Reviews:
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About the author
Jonathan Eig is the author of six books, including four New York Times best sellers. His most recent book is King: A Life, which the Times called a "the definitive biography" of Martin Luther King Jr. and a book "worthy of its subject." Prior to that, Eig wrote "Ali: A Life," which has been hailed as one of the best sports biographies of all time. Ali: A Life, won a 2018 PEN America Literary Award and was a finalist for the Mark Lynton History Prize. Eig served as a senior consulting producer for the PBS series Muhammad Ali. His first book, Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig, won the Casey Award. His books have been listed among the best of the year by The New York Times, The Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal. He lives in Chicago with his wife and children.
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Eig commences the book by illuminating King’s formative years in Atlanta, Georgia, where he grew up in a middle-class family and received an education within the confines of the city’s segregated school system. Despite these adversities, King exhibited exceptional intellectual prowess and innate leadership qualities, rapidly ascending the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) ranks, the organization he spearheaded during the apex of the civil rights movement.
Throughout the narrative, Eig chronicles King’s seminal moments, encompassing the Montgomery bus boycott, the March on Washington, and the Birmingham campaign. Moreover, he delves into lesser-known accounts of King’s clandestine endeavors, such as his arduous efforts to mobilize black voters in the South and his vociferous opposition to the Vietnam War.
The author confronts King’s shortcomings head-on, acknowledging his extramarital affairs and battles with depression. But, conversely, Eig contends that these personal failings did not detract from King’s unwavering dedication to the cause of civil rights. Instead, he argues that these flaws endowed King with relatability and enhanced his leadership efficacy.
King: A Life is an exemplary biography that proffers a novel and incisive perspective on one of the most influential figures in American history. Jonathan Eig’s opus is indispensable for those seeking a comprehensive understanding of the civil rights movement and the enduring legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. Eig adeptly interweaves King’s personal life and public activism, deftly demonstrating how his faith, family, and friendships contributed to his unwavering commitment to the cause of civil rights. He conscientiously situates King within the broader historical context, elucidating the profound impact of other civil rights luminaries, such as Rosa Parks and Malcolm X, on King’s trajectory while underscoring his reciprocal influence on the civil rights movement.
Despite its considerable length, King: A Life remains captivating throughout, as Eig narrates King’s story with both eloquence and fervor. The book is enriched by a wealth of meticulously researched details that will engage scholars and general readers alike. King: A Life is a masterful biography poised to attain classic status. It is an essential read for those seeking profound insights into the civil rights movement and the lasting imprint of Martin Luther King Jr.
Jonathan Eig’s presentation of evidence is meticulous and compelling. Drawing from FBI files, he illuminates the extensive surveillance endured by King under the auspices of the federal government. Moreover, he substantiates King’s struggles with infidelity and depression through direct quotations from King’s papers. Moreover, Eig supplements his research with interviews of King’s acquaintances, kin, and colleagues, providing a comprehensive panorama of King’s life and accomplishments.
Jonathan Eig’s comprehensive research and articulate presentation of his findings attest to his expertise in the subject matter. He deftly identifies the pivotal themes in King’s life and work, offering nuanced interpretations of his enduring legacy. Consequently, King: A Life serves as a valuable resource for those desiring a more profound understanding, constituting a thought-provoking and intellectually stimulating read.
There is something more here, of course. Jonathan Eig has written a remembrance and reminder of how democracy in America is ever evolving into a more perfect union. And that our history matters in this evolution. Our nation’s past impacts who we are today and tomorrow.
Contemporary America is currently witnessing the emerging presence of radicalized conservative political forces endeavoring to redefine our historical narrative and reconstruct our national identity. The emergence of anti-woke, anti-intellectual, illiberal, autocratic, authoritarian, and anti-democratic movements and trends within American society poses significant threats to the nation's progress and our national security.
These radicalized movements impede our ability to reach our utmost human potential and undermine the exceptionalism of the United States and its global leadership. To counteract this trajectory, it is imperative that we retain a collective understanding of our identity as a people and acknowledge the immense strides we have made throughout our history. Drawing inspiration from John Winthrop's vision, we must strive to become the beacon of hope, a metaphorical “shining city upon a hill” that other nations aspire to emulate.
A SAINT JULIAN PRESS, Inc. – Book Review © 2023
Written by Publisher/CEO/Executive Editor – Ron Starbuck
Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2023
Eig commences the book by illuminating King’s formative years in Atlanta, Georgia, where he grew up in a middle-class family and received an education within the confines of the city’s segregated school system. Despite these adversities, King exhibited exceptional intellectual prowess and innate leadership qualities, rapidly ascending the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) ranks, the organization he spearheaded during the apex of the civil rights movement.
Throughout the narrative, Eig chronicles King’s seminal moments, encompassing the Montgomery bus boycott, the March on Washington, and the Birmingham campaign. Moreover, he delves into lesser-known accounts of King’s clandestine endeavors, such as his arduous efforts to mobilize black voters in the South and his vociferous opposition to the Vietnam War.
The author confronts King’s shortcomings head-on, acknowledging his extramarital affairs and battles with depression. But, conversely, Eig contends that these personal failings did not detract from King’s unwavering dedication to the cause of civil rights. Instead, he argues that these flaws endowed King with relatability and enhanced his leadership efficacy.
King: A Life is an exemplary biography that proffers a novel and incisive perspective on one of the most influential figures in American history. Jonathan Eig’s opus is indispensable for those seeking a comprehensive understanding of the civil rights movement and the enduring legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. Eig adeptly interweaves King’s personal life and public activism, deftly demonstrating how his faith, family, and friendships contributed to his unwavering commitment to the cause of civil rights. He conscientiously situates King within the broader historical context, elucidating the profound impact of other civil rights luminaries, such as Rosa Parks and Malcolm X, on King’s trajectory while underscoring his reciprocal influence on the civil rights movement.
Despite its considerable length, King: A Life remains captivating throughout, as Eig narrates King’s story with both eloquence and fervor. The book is enriched by a wealth of meticulously researched details that will engage scholars and general readers alike. King: A Life is a masterful biography poised to attain classic status. It is an essential read for those seeking profound insights into the civil rights movement and the lasting imprint of Martin Luther King Jr.
Jonathan Eig’s presentation of evidence is meticulous and compelling. Drawing from FBI files, he illuminates the extensive surveillance endured by King under the auspices of the federal government. Moreover, he substantiates King’s struggles with infidelity and depression through direct quotations from King’s papers. Moreover, Eig supplements his research with interviews of King’s acquaintances, kin, and colleagues, providing a comprehensive panorama of King’s life and accomplishments.
Jonathan Eig’s comprehensive research and articulate presentation of his findings attest to his expertise in the subject matter. He deftly identifies the pivotal themes in King’s life and work, offering nuanced interpretations of his enduring legacy. Consequently, King: A Life serves as a valuable resource for those desiring a more profound understanding, constituting a thought-provoking and intellectually stimulating read.
There is something more here, of course. Jonathan Eig has written a remembrance and reminder of how democracy in America is ever evolving into a more perfect union. And that our history matters in this evolution. Our nation’s past impacts who we are today and tomorrow.
Contemporary America is currently witnessing the emerging presence of radicalized conservative political forces endeavoring to redefine our historical narrative and reconstruct our national identity. The emergence of anti-woke, anti-intellectual, illiberal, autocratic, authoritarian, and anti-democratic movements and trends within American society poses significant threats to the nation's progress and our national security.
These radicalized movements impede our ability to reach our utmost human potential and undermine the exceptionalism of the United States and its global leadership. To counteract this trajectory, it is imperative that we retain a collective understanding of our identity as a people and acknowledge the immense strides we have made throughout our history. Drawing inspiration from John Winthrop's vision, we must strive to become the beacon of hope, a metaphorical “shining city upon a hill” that other nations aspire to emulate.
A SAINT JULIAN PRESS, Inc. – Book Review © 2023
Written by Publisher/CEO/Executive Editor – Ron Starbuck
I have started reading more about civil rights issues, leaders, historical figures, and the like for the same reasons as above, (such as Frederick Douglas, Tubman, and others). Of course Martin Luther King is a prime opportunity.
The biography is brand new, and includes MANY items released between the last biography, and is much more detailed in his roots, his wife and family, and many other items. Let's say the detail is astounding and gives the reader a much broader image of the man himself. The problem with "modern" figures, much information is redacted and not yet available, (Jimmy Carter and later fiqures are great examples). Even for Martin Luther King, even though much has been released, and big date is 2027, when many important files will be released.
This book is required reading. It reality and description of actual, noted, and researched history is frequently at odds with items being told on TV and elsewhere. Everyone needs to open a book, or a Kindle and read, and question what you are told. This book helps with that.
Dr. King. It strikes me curious, fascinating, and revelatory (wrt the nature of God) how imperfect humans may become at times holy instruments of His word and will. All men are created equal. Upon sincere and deep contemplation, how do I imagine a peasant Vietnamese child feel? Or an Isabelle Wilkerson (a recently read author biographer of her family’s struggles because of their race). Or any of God’s children oppressed or violated or dismissed.
Hate. It is fascinating to observe how a movement full of love and hope became overwhelmed by circumstances in which hope died and love was redefined. The former by thoughts and actions to achieve immediate gratification. The latter by the imposter substitutes of sexual gratification and free love in lieu of enduring love ennobled by self-sacrifice for the benefit of another.
Top reviews from other countries
Although I knew some outline of Dr. King's biography, having grown up during the 60's, I came away from reading this book with a growing respect and admiration for the ways in which he sought to adhere to his commitment to peaceful, but demanding change. The author makes clear that Dr. King's life was shaped deeply by his Christian faith; but that did not mean that he was perfect. As a person of his time, Dr. King shared some of the cultural and social biases of the day. The author allows us to see these foibles, but does not amplify them needlessly. Whether intentionally or not, the author has captured the ambiguity that characterizes the lives of all of us.
In many places, the storytelling is superb. For example, the account of Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech in Washington was spellbinding. It was almost as if I was there. I had to stop reading to allow the scene to sink in and the import of the moment to take hold.
This book is a must read for those who want to know more about the life of MLK.
Reviewed in Brazil on August 6, 2023
Bitte kauft solche Bücher, lernt etwas daraus und stoppt jede Form von Rassismus oder Diskriminierung!
In perfect condition (bought with prime "previous owner in new condition")
Arrived on time
Reviewed in India on January 25, 2024