King

As we tried to make sense of a complex election year, in a divided American nation, many people sought out new insights from sources beyond the day-to-day news reports. One of the most constructive places to turn was history, and in this case the history of race relations in the US. MLK is well-known to Americans, but he has become a symbol or an image rather than a person confronting a vast array of challenges -- personal, political, philosophical -- at a particular historical time. Eig manages to create a 'whole human being', confronting his own demons, challenges and successes,… show more.

This book does an amazing job of illuminating Martin Luther King Jr..'s life and times. We learn a lot about the Black church in the south. We learn, moment by moment, how the nonviolent protest movement came alive. We appreciate King for both his virtues and his flaws. The book is rich with details and deep with insights. It's inspiring.

Eig continues another theme that captivates me—that great heroes can be human, with personal failings alongside a compelling voice for social justice.

I love the nuanced, complex picture of King that Eig draws. He shows us the complicated picture of a man that called to our better nature while struggling with his own demons. This is a great portrait of a man and the times he lived in.

There are many books on Martin Luther King but this is the definitive one, certainly the place to start. 

Eig is a master of narrative pacing and the use of anecdotes to bring his subject to life. The book totally engaged me, even thrilled me, especially his treatment of King’s 1963 “March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom,” the largest gathering for civil rights of its time. 

His masterful pacing and incorporation of life-giving details are truly brilliant. Eig provides a balanced portrayal of King, his talents and flaws, the motivating role of his calling as a pastor, and reveals… show more.

Written with true marvelousity, this overdue biography of King reads like a movie you can hold. 

Supported by both fresh interviews and old family histories long overlooked, King’s wife, Coretta, is valiantly lifted from obscurity even while her husband exemplifies the truth that habits are harder to break than promises.  

Eig is truly one of our generation’s master storytellers.    

This recently published biography offers a far more nuanced view of King than I had previously.

By accessing newly available resources and utilizing new research techniques such as computer-assisted textual analysis, the author reveals aspects of King’s life that make him more human (e.g., a history of plagiarism, an aversion to allowing women to assume leadership roles in the civil rights movement) but also show his resilience.

When I finished this book, I found myself in awe of what he accomplished, flaws and all, in a life that lasted only 39 years.