UCLA Faculty Member Dr. Robert Carpenter, known as Dr. Rob, is a multifaceted educator, storyteller, and creative leader with a compelling life story. After surviving a near-fatal hit-and-run, he dedicated his life to empowering others through storytelling and creative leadership. Drawing on his diverse background—including working at The White House, serving as the youngest Transportation Commissioner of Los Angeles in history, working on diverse Hollywood sets, and living in various cultures—Dr. Rob’s books reflect his mission to inspire transformation through unique perspectives and creative intelligence.
Dr. Rob is an accomplished author with a diverse range of works, including fiction, nonfiction, and screenwriting guides. His upcoming debut thriller, Of Kennedy & King, and leadership book, The Creative Leader, are set to release in 2025. His previous works include The 48 Laws of Happiness, Icons & Legends, and How to Adapt a Novel Into a Screenplay, among others.
Writer’s Life had the opportunity to connect with Dr. Rob, here is what he shared with us.
Tell us a bit about your background and career.
After surviving a near-fatal hit-and-run, I decided to dedicate my life to empowering others to transform themselves. I hold a joint teaching role at UCLA in the Departments of Communication and Public Health, and I’ve written six books on topics ranging from creative leadership to happiness. Before teaching, I worked in The White House Office of Political Affairs, on numerous Hollywood sets and as the CEO of a venture-funded tech startup that was acquired.
Tell us about your book, Of Kennedy & King.
Of Kennedy & King is a pulse-pounding historical thriller set in the 1960s, a time of racial and political upheaval in America. The novel explores the ideological clash between two of history’s most iconic figures—the greatest white civil rights icon of all time, Bobby Kennedy, and the greatest black civil rights icon of all time, Martin Luther King Jr.—as they navigate a country on the brink of civil war. Behind the scenes, powerful forces like the FBI, the Ku Klux Klan, and the Black Panthers manipulate events, turning their personal struggles for justice into a fight for survival—and for the future of the nation. In many ways, it is an emotional history, not only of these two men but also of the Civil Rights Era.
What was your impetus for writing your book?
It’s the book America needs right now. Just like in the 1960s, our country is on the brink of a second civil war due to deep political divisions, tensions over racial and diversity relations, and a reluctance to compromise so we can co-exist peacefully. This novel dives into a similar time in American history by examining one of the most underexplored, tumultuous, and transformative relationships that changed the course of the nation: the relationship between Bobby Kennedy and Dr. King, who, despite their fierce differences, were able to eventually put them aside just days before their tragic ends.
Why was it important for you to write this?
I felt it was important to tell this story as fully and emotionally as possible so that we never forget that other people fought—and died—for us to live, not only Dr. King’s dream, but also Bobby Kennedy’s dream, and the dreams of so many others. We are their legacy, and we need to continue fighting to keep it alive.
You have a very diverse background. Did that help you when penning this novel?
My life has been shaped by multiple perspectives—from my multiracial identity of growing up part Black, White, and Native American, to living in both urban and rural America, to my experiences working at The White House, in Hollywood and at UCLA. In Of Kennedy & King, I used my unique experiences to understand the nuanced relationships between power, race and justice in America. Like Bobby Kennedy, I’ve navigated political divides, and like Martin Luther King Jr., I’ve been deeply impacted by the complexities of fighting for what is right in a polarized society. This novel was a way for me to explore those experiences within the framework of one of the most dramatic periods in American history.
You’ve written other books, but this is your first thriller. What inspired you to create work in the fiction space?
I wanted people to feel the emotions of these men's lives, and I felt that fiction is the best way to do that. But I didn’t just want a fictionalized retelling of their story; I wanted it dramatized in a thrilling way to capture what it must have been like to live in their era. Unfortunately, from my perspective, the Civil Rights Movement is often portrayed in milquetoast ways—putting men on pedestals and stripping away their humanity, as well as the violent, brutal, and vicious aspects of that time in history. This sanitization, in my opinion, makes these figures less relatable and gives a distorted, emotionally inaccurate view of the era. It doesn’t allow us to draw the lessons we need to solve our own problems today because our problems are just like theirs. I wanted to put flesh and blood on these historical icons, showing their vulnerabilities, their dreams, and their traumas so we can realize that if they could right wrongs, so can we.
What are the messages you want readers to take away from reading your work?
I hope Of Kennedy & King serves as a powerful reminder of the role individuals—leaders or otherwise—can play in shaping the course of history. For the literary world, I hope it adds a new layer of exploration to the Civil Rights Era, one that humanizes these monumental figures and captures the complexity of their personal and political struggles. At its heart, I want the novel to inspire readers to think critically about the present while understanding the profound lessons of the past—whether it’s in terms of racial injustice, political polarization, or the pursuit of a more just and loving society. By delving deep into the lives of Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr., I hope to spark a conversation about the enduring relevance of their work and how we can apply their lessons to the challenges we face today.
Who are some authors who have inspired you?
There are so many great authors, it’s hard to count, but for brevity, I’ll limit it to a handful: Viktor Frankl’s work on meaning, Jonathan Santlofer’s historical thrillers, and John Mark Comer’s insights on spiritual reality have all deeply moved me.
What are you working on now, and what can we expect from you next?
I’m diving into two new projects right now: one fiction and one nonfiction. The nonfiction book is in the spiritual leadership space, and the fiction one is a techno-fantasy thriller with strong historical fiction and spiritual elements.
Where can people find out more about you and your work?
If anyone would like to learn more, they can visit robcarpenter.org.
