“Jonathan is a master storyteller”…Ken Burns

Jonathan Eig brought Martin Luther King, Jr. to life with his recent Pulitzer Prize-winning biography, King: A Life.   He is now doing the same for audiences across the country.

You will learn about King’s early years and his personal struggles as well as his civil rights journey, as Jonathan shares little-known stories and anecdotes uncovered from six years of painstaking research and hundreds of interviews with those who knew King best.

You will also gain a new understanding of the civil rights movement through the life of its most celebrated leader.  Jonathan paints a vivid personal portrait of a man whose feelings and frailties have been obscured by simplified celebrations of his life.  In Jonathan’s description, King emerges as both more human and more courageous.

For information on a presentation from Jonathan followed by an interactive Q&A and book signing, submit the form below.

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Jonathan Eig photo
Jonathan Eig

Photo by Doug McGoldrick

King, A Life is the first major biography in 30 years of the civil rights icon. Eig reveals a deep thinker, brilliant strategist, and committed radical whose demands for racial and economic justice remain as urgent today as they were in his lifetime.

WINNER OF THE 2024 PULITZER PRIZE FOR BIOGRAPHY

Winner of the Barbara and David Zalaznick Book Prize in American History, presented by the New York Historical Society

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

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

TESTIMONIALS

Jonathan Eig has spoken at The National Cathedral, the National Museum of African American History, Morehouse College, Stanford University, and dozens of other prominent venues. Here are some of the testimonials from his appearances:

“Jonathan was a pleasure to work with. We’d love to have him back.”
— Calvin University, 2025
“Jonathan is as gracious as he is brilliant. I simply can’t say enough about what a powerful evening all in attendance shared.”
— Marguerite Casey Foundation, 2024
“Jonathan Eig is an excellent speaker. Audience members were mesmerized. Since the event, we have received only high praise and gratitude for this very special library program. It was an honor to have Jonathan Eig visit our community and discuss his Pulitzer Prize winning biography, King: A Life.”
— Penfield Public Library, 2024
“Jonathan is as down to earth as a Pulitzer Prize winner can be. It was like meeting an old friend. He is the touchstone of professionalism and kindness. We hope to work with him again.”
— Illinois Holocaust Museum, 2024
“I highly recommend cultural organizations or colleges having Jonathan Eig to discuss his book, King: A Life. His enthusiasm and knowledge of the leadership of Dr. King is amazing. He tries to paint a realistic but humane picture of this complex figure which we have tended to simplify over these many years.”
― Terry Taylor, Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 2024

Please contact me for information on Jonathan’s availability and rates!

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