Barry's Reviews > King: A Life

Apparently this is the first significant biography of MLK written in the last 35 years. That just seems crazy to me. Eig’s update incorporates new information from many interviews with people who knew King (although as time goes on there are fewer remaining to speak with), newly-available transcripts from FBI surveillance, and an unpublished autobiography from King’s father.

Most of us may believe that we already know the story of MLK, and therefore reading a new biography may not be worthwhile, but Eig’s book makes a number of important contributions.

As the author points out, the common perception of King is that he was a martyr and some kind of saint. This view makes him seem unreal to us, and also by extension fosters the belief that we cannot do the things that he did—that real change will not happen until the next superhuman saint comes along. But this very personal biography shows that King was just a man like the rest of us. And like the rest of us he had flaws. Eig shows how Hoover’s FBI tapped his phones, found evidence of marital infidelity and then weaponized these flaws to impede the civil rights movement. Following the famous “I Have a Dream” speech in DC the FBI marked him as a threat to the country despite finding no evidence of communist ties, and eventually convinced LBJ to withdraw support as well.

Eig also demonstrates that the source and motivation for King’s fight for racial justice was his Christian faith. He believed in the radical love that Jesus espoused—and commands of his followers. For King, the fight for justice was an extension of this love. He said that “justice is love in action.” Thus King urged demonstrators to commit to nonviolence and show love to their opponents. It was his Christian faith that propelled him to continue on this path that he knew would eventually result in his martyrdom for the cause.

Another important feature of Eig’s account is to highlight that King’s goal was not the tame color-blindness that some have imagined. Despite the commonly repeated phrases in his “Dream” speech, he was more radical than he has often been portrayed. He believed and preached against the war in Vietnam (how could one preach nonviolence at home and support that war abroad?) and advocated sweeping government programs to help the poor of all races.

Another remarkable finding in this biography is the ideas of King and Malcom X were more similar than is popularly believed. Arthur Haley interviewed King and published an article in Playboy in which King seems to be critical and dismissive of Malcom X. But Eig uncovered the original recordings which actually reveal that King’s view of Malcolm X was much more respectful and nuanced.

Overall, an excellent, well-written, and informative read.


Of course Bob wrote a great review:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Edit 8/24/24]:
Joseph also wrote a great review:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...