The Complicated King: A Conversation about Martin Luther King, Jr.

Friends and neighbors are invited to join in a conversation about Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. with Jonathan Eig, Pulitzer Prize winning author of King: A Life.

Evanston’s own Rotarian and Chessman Bryant Wallace will lead the conversation.

The civil rights leader is well-known, an icon, but we will learn more about the man King was through stories about his life, work and struggles, which are so relevant in these times.

The Rotary Club of Evanston has organized this gathering for friends, neighbors, family and the King curious, in cooperation with the Evanston Lighthouse Rotary Club, the Evanston Nouveau Rotary Club, Booked Bookstore and our friends at the Evanston Community Foundation and the Evanston Public Library.
Our media sponsor is the Evanston RoundTable.

King: A Life garnered Jonathan the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for biography. The New York Times called King “the definitive biography” of Martin Luther King Jr.. Having worked for the Washington Post and other news outlets, Jonathan once described himself as an old journalist, but his greatest claim to fame, according to his parents, is that his name once appeared as a Jeopardy question (which was solved correctly for $200).

King: A Life will be for sale at this gathering. To read or listen to the book ahead of time, if you have a library card, you can get it as an audiobook or ebook via the Libby or Hoopla app from the Evanston Public Library or other libraries and their apps. You can also get a physical book from your library. Or, buy it, preferably from an independent bookstore, like Booked.

More about Jonathan Eig

Jonathan lives in Lakeview in Chicago.

He is a Northwestern University-Medill School of Journalism alumnus.

Jonathan has penned five other books. Ali: A Life inspired a Ken Burns documentary on Ali, for which Jonathan served as consulting producer. Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig was his first book. 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. He is currently working on a book about George Soros. The Birth of the Pill, Jonathan’s fourth book, will be staged next year as a theatrical production by TimeLine Theatre in Chicago.

To learn more about Jonathan and King: A Life, listen to this conversation between Jonathan and Sasha-Ann Simons on WBEZ Chicago: 'King: A Life' by Jonathan Eig reveals Martin Luther King Jr.'s radical side.

NOTE: This gathering will be recorded via video and still photography. By attending we will assume you agree to, and approve of, your image, and perhaps your voice, being recorded. If you are asked to pose for a picture, you can say you'd rather not be included. The video will be used to share the conversation with those who could not attend. Still images will be shared online to celebrate new and old friends who gathered.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

Get App

Host or Publisher Rotary Club of Evanston