Tom's guest on this encore edition of Midday is writer and journalist Jonathan Eig, whose latest book is a comprehensive new biography of the slain civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Eig's book — called, simply, King: A Life — is the first biography of the iconic social activist in more than three decades.
Jonathan Eig's book incorporates research material unavailable to previous biographers, including hundreds of pages from the files of a close aide to U.S. President Lyndon Johnson — documents that were first made available only last year.
One of the book's revelations is that a widely-circulated quote in which King appears to criticize Black Muslim activist Malcolm X was faked. Eig's research discovered that portions of the published transcript of King's controversial interview for "Playboy" had been completely fabricated.
Eig reminds us that Dr. King’s career as the public face of the civil rights movement was tragically brief. He was gunned down on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis in 1968, just 13 years after he had burst onto the scene as the leader of the Montgomery bus boycott.
The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. is an iconic figure, revered around the world. It’s easy to forget that in 1963, when he delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech during the historic March on Washington, nearly 80% of Americans disapproved of the mass gathering, as it was happening.
Eig's new biography helps us understand Reverend King, in our time.
Jonathan Eig joined Tom in Studio A in May.
Because this conversation was previously recorded, we won't be taking any calls or emails.
