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Jonathan Eig      

Journalist & Bestselling Author Known for his Biographies

Jonathan Eig is the bestselling author of six books, including his most recent, King: A Life, which The New York Times hailed as the "definitive" biography of Martin Luther King Jr. King: A Life was nominated for the National Book Award.

Jonathan's previous book, Ali: A Life, won a 2018 PEN America Literary Award. His works have been translated into more than a dozen languages.

He served as consulting producer for the PBS series "Muhammad Ali," which was directed by Ken Burns. Esquire magazine named Ali: A Life one of the 25 greatest biographies of all time.

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.

His fourth book, The Birth of the Pill, will be staged soon 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).

He lives in Chicago with his wife and children and shares office space with the laundry machines.

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