King: A Life, the first major biography of Martin Luther King, Jr. in 30 years, is an expansive and intricately drawn portrait of the civil rights icon. David J. Garrow, the author of the 1986 MLK biography Bearing the Cross, wrote that this 688-page tome is “a great leap forward in our biographical understanding” of the legendary activist. This is because Jonathan Eig, who has also published best-selling biographies of Muhammad Ali and Lou Gehrig, was able to access recently declassified FBI files—White House telephone transcripts, letters, and other special documents—that fill in the gaps of King’s story as it relates to America’s history for the first time. But Eig is more interested in the man than in the myth or legend he would become. He writes of King’s loving relationship with his wife, Coretta Scott King, but doesn’t ignore his moral failings as a husband. Through his exhaustive research, Eig presents King as a fully realized and flawed human being. —Shannon Carlin
Buy Now: King: A Life on Bookshop | Amazon
Looking for more book recommendations? Sign up for Worth Your Time
- Why Cell Phone Reception Is Getting Worse
- The Dirty Secrets of Alternative Plastics
- Israeli Family Celebrates Release of Hostage Grandmother
- We Should Get Paid for Our Online Data: Column
- The COP28 Outcomes Business Leaders Are Watching For
- The 100 Must-Read Books of 2023
- The Top 100 Photos of 2023
- Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time