Biographer, author, journalist. Winner of the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Biography.
Chicago
Joined June 2009
- Tweets9.2K
- Following3K
- Followers5.7K
- Likes11.5K
History Should Haunt Us: I wrote this for @nytopinion as I prepare to watch a play that kind of tears apart one of my books. #BirthofthePill @TimeLineTheatre
nytimes.com/2026/09/07/opini…
Jonathan Eig retweeted
63 years ago today, MLK delivered “I Have a Dream.” As more FBI surveillance material on King comes to light, America may soon face a harder question: Can we still tell our story through imperfect heroes? My new essay in @JoinPersuasion: open.substack.com/pub/persua…
I'm excited to see @CNN #DecadesInSports. In my interview for the show, I say the best decade for sports was the 1960s. Agreed?cnn.com/videos/title-2555460…
I've added a bunch of new songs to my #MLK playlist on Spotify, including the stunningly beautiful Birmingham Sunday by @RhiannonGiddens open.spotify.com/playlist/0G…
An astute reader may have solved the mystery of this #MLK photo. Buffalo Rock soda was from Birmingham, Ala. The sign probably says "Holborn Grocery," after the street. MLK and his brother probably visited when their father preached there. nytimes.com/2026/05/31/opini…
I spent years trying to solve an MLK mystery. Came up empty. What does that mean? nytimes.com/2026/05/31/opini…
Jonathan Eig. Escritor y Premio Pulitzer por su libro "King: A Life." youtu.be/qA8Pg5PzoY8?si=Fquj… via @YouTube
Gracias, @___JMG___
An important paper on the link between food security and democracy, by Joel Berg at @HungerFreeUSA hungerfreeamerica.org/en-us/…
Join me tomorrow night at @BookendsMedia in Evanston for a conversation with @noamscheiber on his important new book, Mutiny. eventbrite.com/e/19855505772…
Here's raising a mug to @IHaveABean coffee in Wheaton, Ill., for the #MLK love, which makes the coffee even tastier.
Join me tonight for this free Zoom event with @writerscenter. I'll be talking about writing, biography, whatever you want... writer.org/event/jonathan-ei…
Talking Al Capone with the American History Tellers podcast from @WonderyMedia. wondery.com/shows/american-h…
Join me, Ambassador Andrew Young, and Coleman Hughes for a conversation on nonviolent protest March 9 at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. Use FP-FRIEND for 20% off tickets. eventbrite.com/e/nonviolence…
The loss of the @wapo book section is a national tragedy. When my first book came out, was reviewed in dozens of newspapers. Democracy and public discourse and just plain good critical thinking shrivel and die when journalism and criticism go away. What a shame.
Jonathan Eig retweeted
CHICAGO!!! The #IAmNobodysSlave book tour continues this week, in your town.
I’m honored to share that on Thursday, February 5, 2026, I’ll be in conversation with Jonathan Eig—Pulitzer Prize–winning author of King: A Life—for a special Book & Author evening presented by the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center, connected to my book I Am Nobody’s Slave: Uncovering My Family's History Set Me Free
In a moment when our country feels pulled toward anger and escalation, a renewed push for what I call ‘violent social change,’ we’ll focus on the book and what it teaches us about the deeper work of nonviolent social change. That work matters especially for families and communities shaped by governmental atrocities and injustices that still influence how people see the world, trust institutions, and respond under pressure.
I can’t think of anyone better to have this conversation with right now than Jonathan. His work on Dr. King—and on America’s origin story—brings clarity to what nonviolence really requires in a violent time.
📷 Thursday, February 5, 2026
📷 6:30 PM CST
📷 Wayfarer Theaters — 1850 2nd St., Highland Park 60035
I'm looking forward to signing books for my Chicago area readers!
#Nonviolence #SocialChange #Community #CivicLife #AmericanHistory #Democracy #MLK #JonathanEig #KingALife #IllinoisHolocaustMuseum #BookAndAuthor #AuthorTalk #BookEvent #LeeHawkins #IAmNobodysSlave #HighlandParkIL #HarperCollins #Amistad #2026 #BookTour #BlackHistoryMonth – at Highland Park, IL
How exactly does this honor #MLK? $210 Nike LeBron sneakers inspired by the site of King's assassination? nytimes.com/2026/01/17/style…
Jonathan Eig retweeted
‘Somewhere I read of freedom,’ said Martin Luther King Jr. in the last speech of his life. Most of us today, writes Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Jonathan Eig, don’t need to read of our rights to know they exist; they live in the air we breathe. thefp.com/p/things-worth-rem…
I'll be talking to @tavissmiley today on kbla1580.com/tavis-smiley/ to honor Dr. King. Tonight I'll join @MARCMORIAL and Joel Berg with @HungerFreeUSA: facebook.com/HungerFreeUSA/p…