Jonathan Eig is the bestselling author of six books, including his most recent King: A Life, which The New York Times hailed as a “monumental” new biography of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Barack Obama included on his 2023 summer reading list, and Sharon McMahon (@sharonsaysso on Instagram, “America’s Government Teacher” with 1 million followers) recommended on her own and in Maria Shriver’s Sunday Paper digital platform as “meticulously researched with lots of new insight from people who personally knew King and understand his legacy.” The first major biography of King in 40 years, based on hundreds of interviews and thousands of recently released pages of FBI files as well as thousands of personal papers from King’s associates and friends, this is King like you’ve never seen him before: flawed, brave, radical…and under heavy attack by the FBI.

Eig’s previous book, Ali: A Life (which he spoke about at the 2017 Ann Katz Festival) was named by Esquire magazine as one of the 25 greatest biographies of all time. Joyce Carol Oates called Ali “an epic of a biography” and Ken Burns called Eig a “master storyteller.” His books have been listed among the best of the year by The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal. Eig has appeared on the Today Show, NPR’s Fresh Air, and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

Eig will be interviewed by Dr. Erica Buchanan-Rivera, educator, author, and award-winning scholar who elevates culturally responsive pedagogy in educational spaces.

This program has been made possible through a grant from Indiana Humanities in cooperation with the National Endowment for the Humanities and by ADL Midwest.