Person

Jonathan Eig

Bylines

Restoring the Real, Radical Martin Luther King Jr. in “King: A Life”

A new biography of King emerges at a "critical juncture" for his legacy.

by Jonathan Eig, Steve Nathans-Kelly via Chicago Review of Books on May 23, 2023

King: The Life of Martin Luther King

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A photograph of Billie Holiday singing.

The Perfectionist Tradition

The African American perfectionists offered “faith” instead of “hope”—emphasizing the struggle to realize a vision of justice.

by William P. Jones via Dissent on February 6, 2024

Martin Luther King Jr.

Defanged

A journalistic view of Martin Luther King Jr.'s life, work, and representation in American society.

by Eric Foner via London Review of Books on September 28, 2023

Martin Luther King Jr., left, and Malcolm X, right.

MLK’s Famous Criticism of Malcolm X Was a ‘Fraud,’ Author Finds

Alex Haley’s transcript of his famous 'Playboy' interview with Martin Luther King Jr. does not match what was published.

by Gillian Brockell via Retropolis on May 10, 2023

Martin Luther King Jr. with other activists and children.

Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Perilous Power of Respectability

We revere the man and revile the strategy, but King knew what he was doing.

by Kelefa Sanneh via The New Yorker on May 8, 2023

Muhammad Ali

The Religious Conversions That Changed American Politics

It’s never just about religion, says the author of a book about celebrities discovering new religious identities.

by Rebecca L. Davis, Eric C. Miller via Arc: Religion, Politics, Et Cetera on October 19, 2021

Lou Gehrig holding a baseball bat

How Baseball Players Became Celebrities

Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth transformed America’s pastime by becoming a new kind of star.

by Louis Menand via The New Yorker on May 21, 2020

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