Thomas King was born in Roseville, California, in 1943, to a mother of Greek and German descent and a father of Cherokee descent. His father left the family when he was young, and he was raised primarily by his mother. He attended grade and high school in California, then spent a year at Sacramento State University before running out of money. Too embarrassed to return to the reservation, he spent years working various jobs—an ambulance driver, a bank teller, a photojournalist—in New Zealand and Australia.

When he returned to the United States, he completed his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Chico State University in California, before completing his PhD in English at the University of Utah. His PhD dissertation was on Native American studies and was one of the first works to explore oral storytelling as literature. This interest in oral storytelling influenced his fiction and is foundational to the style and structure of Green Grass, Running Water, which both literally and thematically places written and oral storytelling in dialogue with one another.

In addition to his academic and writing interests, King has been devoted to fighting for Indigenous rights in North America. Through books and interviews, King has criticized many government policies and programs that he sees as harmful to Indigenous peoples.