A new biography of Martin Luther King, Jr. explores the activist's life and faith

NPR's Book of the Day

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Books, Arts

4.2 • 672 Ratings

🗓️ 22 May 2023

⏱️ 8 minutes

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Summary

King:A Life, the new biography by Jonathan Eig, provides a fresh perspective into the life of one of America's most important activists. From his upbringing in Atlanta's Old Fourth Ward neighborhood to his path through university and the frontlines of the Montgomery bus boycott, Martin Luther King, Jr.'s career and impact is explained through his faith and relationships. In today's episode, Eig speaks to NPR's Steve Inskeep about how Dr. King rose to prominence at such a young age, and how he maintained his spirituality through deep scrutiny and surveillance.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello, everyone. It's NPR's Book of the Day. I'm Timby D'Aremius. In Jonathan Aig's new book,
0:08.4	King, A Life, he aims to do something many writers have tried before, to say something new
0:13.8	about one of the most researched and studied people in American history, Martin Luther King, Jr.
0:19.2	And in this epic work, he seems to do just that by delving into
0:23.0	the specifics of the people and events that shape the person behind the legend, and how central
0:28.5	figures like his father, Martin Luther King, Sr., informed so much of how King chose to move or not
0:34.9	move through life. I spoke about the book with NPR Stevenski.
0:39.3	In the U.S., national security news can feel far away from daily life.
0:44.1	Distant wars, murky conflicts, diplomacy behind closed doors on our new show, sources and methods.
0:50.7	NPR reporters on the ground bring you stories of real people helping you understand
0:55.2	why distant events matter here at home. Listen to sources and methods on the NPR app or wherever
1:01.0	you get your podcasts. The life of Martin Luther King is one of the most famous in American history.
1:08.5	But in that life, one thing is easy to overlook.
1:12.4	How young he was, King became a nationally known civil rights leader in his mid-20s.
1:18.6	When he gave the famous I Have a Dream speech in Washington in 1963,
1:22.7	he was in his early 30s, though his voice suggested the gravity of long experience.
1:27.9	I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history.
1:37.2	We know that cadence, the drawn-out words, precisely pronounced, the pauses between each
1:42.2	phrase.
1:43.2	The biographer Jonathan Igg found a recording of a voice with a similar cadence,
1:48.0	one that King grew up hearing.
1:49.7	It's an oral history of his father, Martin Luther King, Sr.
	...

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