King A Life Young Adult Edition, Jonathan Eig
King A Life Young Adult Edition, Jonathan Eig
List: $17.99 | Sale: $12.59
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King: A Life (Young Adult Edition)

Author: Jonathan Eig, Yohuru Williams, Michael G. Long

Narrator: Dion Graham

Unabridged: 4 hr 25 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 01/07/2025


Synopsis

“Narrator Dion Graham is a masterful and much-loved narrator whose voice will pull listeners into the story of one of the 20th century's most important people.” —Booklist

"This gripping biography of a revolutionary leader flies by. Listeners interested in a new perspective of Martin Luther King Jr.’s life will be captivated." —Library Journal

Hailed as “the most compelling account of [Martin Luther] King’s life in a generation” by the Washington Post, the Pulitzer Prize–winning bestseller is now adapted for young adults in this new standard biography of the most famous civil rights activist in American History.

Often regarded as more of a myth and legend than man, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was many things throughout his storied life: student, activist, preacher, dreamer, father, husband. From his Atlanta childhood centered in the historically Black neighborhood of Sweet Auburn to his precipitous rise as a civil rights leader on the streets of Birmingham, Selma, and Montgomery, Dr. King would go on to become one of the most recognizable, influential, and controversial persons of the twentieth century.

In this fast-paced and immersive adaptation of Jonathan Eig’s groundbreaking New York Times bestseller readers will meet a Dr. King like no other: a committed radical whose demands for racial and economic justice remain as urgent today as they were in his lifetime, a minister wrestling with his human frailties and dark moods, a citizen hunted by his own government.

The inspiring young adult edition of King: A Life highlights the author’s never-before-seen research—including recently declassified FBI documents—while reaffirming and recontextualizing the lasting effects and implications of MLK’s work for the present day. Adapted by National Book Award–nominated authors Yohuru Williams and Michael G. Long, this biography for a new generation is a nuanced, unprecedented portrayal of a man who truly shook the world.

Accolades and Praise for King: A Life:

Pulitzer Prize Winner
A New York Times, Washington Post, and Indie Bestseller
A National Book Award Nominee
One of Barack Obama’s Favorite Books of the Year
A National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist
A “Best Book of the Year” from New York Times ● Washington Post ● TIME Magazine ● The New Yorker ● Publishers Weekly ● The Chicago Tribune ● Smithsonian Magazine ● Christian Science Monitor ● Air Mail

“Supple, penetrating, heartstring-pulling and compulsively readable . . . Eig’s book is worthy of its subject.” —New York Times

“No book could be more timely than Jonathan Eig’s sweeping and majestic new King.” —Philadelphia Inquirer

A Macmillan Audio production from Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

About Jonathan Eig

Jonathan Eig is a former senior writer for The Wall Street Journal. He is the New York Times bestselling author of several books, including Ali: A Life, Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig, and Opening Day: The Story of Jackie Robinson's First Season. Ken Burns calls him "a master storyteller," and Eig's books have been listed among the best of the year by The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Sports Illustrated, and Slate. He lives in Chicago with his wife and children.

About Yohuru Williams

Yohuru Williams is a professor of history and founding director of the Racial Justice Initiative at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. A regular contributor to a variety of media programming on CNN and History, he is the author of numerous books, including Teaching US History Beyond the Textbook, Call Him Jack: The Story of Jackie Robinson, Black Freedom Fighter, and More Than a Dream: The Radical March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. The former chief historian of the Jackie Robinson Foundation, he appeared in Ken Burns’s Jackie Robinson and was one of the hosts of Sound Smart, the History Channel’s popular YouTube program. His educational videos on civil rights, social movements, and other historic events have garnered over 1 million views. He lives in Minnesota.

About Michael G. Long

Michael G. Long has a Ph.D. from Emory University and is the author or editor of numerous books on nonviolent protest, civil rights, and LGBTQ+ rights. His books for children include Call Him Jack: The Story of Jackie Robinson, Black Freedom Fighter; and the picture book Unstoppable: How Bayard Rustin Organized the March on Washington. Twitter: @MichaelGLong2


Reviews

Goodreads review by Hoover Public Library on February 25, 2025

A majestic biography of the most famous activist in American history. Adapted from the Pulitzer Prize-winning biography for adults.......more

Goodreads review by Faith on January 23, 2025

Jonathan Eig published KING: A LIFE in 2023, but at nearly 700 pages, it may limit its audience. Enter KING: A LIFE (YOUNG ADULT EDITION), published in January 2025. This is an accessible abridgment of Eig's detailed scholarship, but make no mistake: it is still rich and detailed, and readers will w......more

Goodreads review by Erika on December 12, 2024

This is the young adult reader version of Eig’s original 600+ page biography of King. I did not read the original, but I feel that this did a great job of encompassing King’s life and career, including details about pivotal moments in the Civil Rights Movement. While it gives some details about King......more


Quotes

A Junior Library Guild Selection