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Jonathan Eig

  • Author of Pulitzer Prize-Winner 'King: A Life' and New York Times Bestseller 'Ali: A Life'
  • Former Senior Writer, Wall Street Journal

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Jonathan Eig is the author of King: A Life, which won the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for biography. The New York Times called King “the definitive biography” of Martin Luther King Jr. and a book worthy of its subject. Jonathan is the author of six books, four of them New York Times bestsellers.

Jonathan's previous book, Ali: A Life, won the 2018 PEN/ESPN Award. Joyce Carol Oates called it an “epic of a biography” that “reads like a novel. Esquire magazine named Ali one of the 25 greatest biographies of all time. The book also inspired a Ken Burns documentary on Ali, for which Jonathan served as consulting producer.

Jonathan's first book, Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig, reached No. 10 on the New York Times bestseller list and won the Casey Award. His books have been listed among the best of the year by The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal, and have been translated into more than twenty languages.

The Birth of the Pill, Jonathan’s fourth book, will be staged next year as a theatrical production by TimeLine Theatre in Chicago.

Jonathan began his writing career at age 16, working for his hometown newspaper, The Rockland County (N.Y.) Journal News, studied journalism at Northwestern University, and went on to work as a reporter for The New Orleans Times-Picayune, The Dallas Morning News, Chicago Magazine, and The Wall Street Journal.

He's appeared on the Today Show, NPR's Fresh Air, and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. But his greatest claim to fame, according to his parents, is that his name once appeared in a Jeopardy question (which was solved correctly for $200).

 

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Past Hosts Include:
  • Planned Parenthood
  • Chautauqua Institution
Rave Reviews About Jonathan Eig
“
Jonathan Eig is a master storyteller.

”
Ali: A Life | Chicago Humanities Festival [53:31] - Get Sharable Link
Talks & Conversations with Jonathan Eig
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King: A Life – The Man, The Movement, The Legacy

Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Jonathan Eig offers a revelatory portrait of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., drawing from never-before-seen FBI files, interviews, and archival materials to present the most intimate and comprehensive account of King’s life to date. In this compelling keynote, Eig unpac ...

Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Jonathan Eig offers a revelatory portrait of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., drawing from never-before-seen FBI files, interviews, and archival materials to present the most intimate and comprehensive account of King’s life to date. In this compelling keynote, Eig unpacks the radical, complex, and profoundly human story of the civil rights icon—challenging myths, revealing hidden truths, and exploring what King’s vision means for our times. Perfect for audiences seeking deeper understanding of leadership, justice, race, and moral courage in America.

Muhammad Ali and the Making of American Icons

How did the most hated man in American become one of the nation’s most respected and beloved figures—and what can we all learn from Ali’s journey? ...

How did the most hated man in American become one of the nation’s most respected and beloved figures—and what can we all learn from Ali’s journey?

Muhammad Ali and Faith

Ali’s religious journey was an unusual one, from Baptist to Muslim, with a lot of bumps along the way, but in his exploration of faith he asked and answered many familiar questions: What does it mean to believe? How do you apply your religious beliefs in the secular world? And what does one do when ...

Ali’s religious journey was an unusual one, from Baptist to Muslim, with a lot of bumps along the way, but in his exploration of faith he asked and answered many familiar questions: What does it mean to believe? How do you apply your religious beliefs in the secular world? And what does one do when the religious and secular world’s conflict? What moral lessons can we learn from Ali’s journey?

The Birth of the Pill

The invention of the world’s first oral contraceptive—pulled off by a band of renegades—not only changed the world but offers an example of how to fight attempts to restrict women’s access to contraception. ...

The invention of the world’s first oral contraceptive—pulled off by a band of renegades—not only changed the world but offers an example of how to fight attempts to restrict women’s access to contraception.

The Great American Lives

American history is perhaps best told by the stories of the individuals who shaped the nation. Those stories, however, are too often mythologized and simplified by Hollywood accounts. New York Times best-selling biographer (Muhammad Ali, Al Capone, Lou Gehrig, Jackie Robinson) explores the lives of ...

American history is perhaps best told by the stories of the individuals who shaped the nation. Those stories, however, are too often mythologized and simplified by Hollywood accounts. New York Times best-selling biographer (Muhammad Ali, Al Capone, Lou Gehrig, Jackie Robinson) explores the lives of some of the figures who shaped the twentieth century. Eig makes the case that history is best understood when we treat our important figures as complex humans instead of two-dimensional heroes.

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Books by Jonathan Eig
King: A Life

King: A Life

Ali: A Life

Ali: A Life

The Birth of the Pill: How Four Pioneers Reinvented Sex and Launched a Revolution

The Birth of the Pill: How Four Pioneers Reinvented Sex and Launched a Revolution

Get Capone: The Secret Plot That Captured America's Most Wanted Gangster

Get Capone: The Secret Plot That Captured America's Most Wanted Gangster

Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig

Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig

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Press & Media
Book TV After Words: Jonathan Eig, "The Birth of the Pill" - C-SPAN2 BookTV
Exclusive: The Real Reason Muhammad Ali Converted to Islam - Time.com
There Is No More American Name Than Muhammad Ali - Slate
Jonathan Eig Pulls No Punches - American Libraries Magazine
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Biography

Jonathan Eig is the author of King: A Life, which won the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for biography. The New York Times called King “the definitive biography” of Martin Luther King Jr. and a book worthy of its subject. Jonathan is the author of six books, four of them New York Times bestsellers.

Jonathan's previous book, Ali: A Life, won the 2018 PEN/ESPN Award. Joyce Carol Oates called it an “epic of a biography” that “reads like a novel. Esquire magazine named Ali one of the 25 greatest biographies of all time. The book also inspired a Ken Burns documentary on Ali, for which Jonathan served as consulting producer.

Jonathan's first book, Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig, reached No. 10 on the New York Times bestseller list and won the Casey Award. His books have been listed among the best of the year by The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal, and have been translated into more than twenty languages.

The Birth of the Pill, Jonathan’s fourth book, will be staged next year as a theatrical production by TimeLine Theatre in Chicago.

Jonathan began his writing career at age 16, working for his hometown newspaper, The Rockland County (N.Y.) Journal News, studied journalism at Northwestern University, and went on to work as a reporter for The New Orleans Times-Picayune, The Dallas Morning News, Chicago Magazine, and The Wall Street Journal.

He's appeared on the Today Show, NPR's Fresh Air, and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. But his greatest claim to fame, according to his parents, is that his name once appeared in a Jeopardy question (which was solved correctly for $200).

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