From a New York Times story by Benjamin P. Russell headlined “The Making of a New M.L.K. Biography: A Q. & A. With the Author, Jonathan Eig”:

Having written about Muhammad Ali, Al Capone, Jackie Robinson and other touchstones of the American imagination, Jonathan Eig says he recognizes a common trait in the disparate personalities he’s explored.

“Most of them, if not all of them, have a serious streak of rebellion running through their lives,” Eig said.