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siobhanward 's review for:
King: A Life
by Jonathan Eig
informative
reflective
medium-paced
NYT Notable Books 2023: 39/100
So it turns out I knew very little about MLK and the Civil Rights movement before this book. I had no idea how much it was derailed by the Vietnam War. This was an interesting, if dense, book. Eig covered King's life well and did not shy away from things that portrayed King in a less than flattering light. My one gripe is that while it was incredibly dense and detailed for the most part, it felt like it ended so suddenly. Obviously, King was assassinated, but I would have liked for the story to have continued a bit beyond that into what happened after this death, etc. However, it was still a solid read and a good jumping-off point for anyone looking to learn more about MLK and the Civil Rights movement.
So it turns out I knew very little about MLK and the Civil Rights movement before this book. I had no idea how much it was derailed by the Vietnam War. This was an interesting, if dense, book. Eig covered King's life well and did not shy away from things that portrayed King in a less than flattering light. My one gripe is that while it was incredibly dense and detailed for the most part, it felt like it ended so suddenly. Obviously, King was assassinated, but I would have liked for the story to have continued a bit beyond that into what happened after this death, etc. However, it was still a solid read and a good jumping-off point for anyone looking to learn more about MLK and the Civil Rights movement.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism
Moderate: Death, Homophobia, Infidelity, Murder