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lauren627 's review for:
King: A Life
by Jonathan Eig
I don’t always read 800 page biographies, but when I do, it’s gotta be one like this. The combination of newly released FBI documents with newly released interviews with Coretta Scott King gave this book a fresh perspective on MLK.
MLK is now basically a cultural legend and so to read a book that fully humanizes him also served to elevate and create awe around the sheer volume and scale of what he made possible. The author interviewed dozens (hundreds?) of people who encountered MLK in their lifetimes from his closest friends to people who happened to see him give a speech from amidst a crowd of thousands and the effect that this one person had on them. I was very inspired to fully realize yes, he was just a regular guy, and also, yes, a regular person can listen and learn and grow and try and sometimes fail and ultimately impact the entire world for the better.
The book also highlighted the burden of leadership and I am going to be thinking for a long time about how heavy a burden MLK carried in that regard and how much he carried forward despite that.
But also the book did not shy away from his imperfections, particularly his romantic infidelity and patriarchal stances toward women as members of society. It was disappointing, to say the least, to see how clearly he thought women were second class citizens to men, while Black women carried his own organization and movement in so many ways.
I am very glad I read this book!
MLK is now basically a cultural legend and so to read a book that fully humanizes him also served to elevate and create awe around the sheer volume and scale of what he made possible. The author interviewed dozens (hundreds?) of people who encountered MLK in their lifetimes from his closest friends to people who happened to see him give a speech from amidst a crowd of thousands and the effect that this one person had on them. I was very inspired to fully realize yes, he was just a regular guy, and also, yes, a regular person can listen and learn and grow and try and sometimes fail and ultimately impact the entire world for the better.
The book also highlighted the burden of leadership and I am going to be thinking for a long time about how heavy a burden MLK carried in that regard and how much he carried forward despite that.
But also the book did not shy away from his imperfections, particularly his romantic infidelity and patriarchal stances toward women as members of society. It was disappointing, to say the least, to see how clearly he thought women were second class citizens to men, while Black women carried his own organization and movement in so many ways.
I am very glad I read this book!