Herb Boyd – författare

Hailed by critics as a long-overdue portrait of Sugar Ray Robinson, a man as elusive outside the ring as he was magisterial in it, Pound by Pound is a lively and nuanced profile of an athlete who is arguably the best boxer the scene has ever seen. But the same discipline that Robinson brought to the sport eluded him at home, leading him to emotionally and physically abuse his family. Exposing Robinson's flaws as well as putting his career in the context of his life, this book tells for the first time the full story of a truly complex man.

"An informative account of the life of Hollywood-handsome middleweight champion Sugar Ray Robinson" (Essence)."A rich history of the athlete, the man, the sport and a fascinating time in African American history." —EbonyHailed by critics as a long overdue portrait of Sugar Ray Robinson, a man who was as elusive out of the ring as he was magisterial in it, Pound for Pound is a lively and nuanced profile of an athlete who is arguably the best boxer the sport has ever known. So great were Robinson''s skills, he was eulogized by Woody Allen, compared to Joe Louis, and praised by Muhammad Ali, who called him "the king, the master, my idol." But the same discipline that Robinson brought to the sport eluded him at home, leading him to emotionally and physically abuse his family—particularly his wife, the gorgeous dancer Edna Mae, whose entrepreneurial skills helped Robinson build an empire to which Harlemites were inexorably drawn. Exposing Robinson''s flaws as well as putting his career in the context of his life and times, renowned journalist and bestselling author Herb Boyd, with Ray Robinson II, tells for the first time the full story of a complex man and sport-altering athlete."Boyd is particularly strong in placing [Robinson''s] life in a social context . . . and he captures the vagaries of this mercurial character." —Los Angeles Times

NAACP Image Award Finalist: "Boyd''s riveting new history…turns an oft-caricatured community into a world of actual, struggling human beings."—Ta-Nehisi Coates, author of Between the World and MeA Michigan Notable Books HonoreeIn this book, the author of Baldwin''s Harlem looks at the evolving culture, politics, economics, and spiritual life of Detroit—in "a blend of memoir, love letter, history, and clear-eyed reportage that explores the city''s past, present, and future and its significance to the African American legacy and the nation''s fabric" (Detroit Free Press).Herb Boyd moved to Detroit in 1943, as race riots were engulfing the city. Though he did not grasp their full significance at the time, this critical moment would be one of many he witnessed that would mold his political activism and exposed a city restless for change. In Black Detroit, he reflects on his life and this landmark place, in search of understanding why Detroit is a special place for black people.He reveals how Black Detroiters were prominent in the city''s historic, groundbreaking union movement and—when given an opportunity—were among the tireless workers who made the automobile industry the center of American industry. Well-paying jobs on assembly lines allowed working-class Black Detroiters to ascend to the middle class and achieve financial stability, an accomplishment not often attainable in other industries.Boyd makes clear that while many of these middle-class jobs have disappeared, decimating the population and hitting blacks hardest, Detroit survives thanks to the emergence of companies such as Shinola—which represent the strength of the Motor City and its continued importance to the country. He also brings into focus the major figures who have defined and shaped Detroit, including William Lambert, the great abolitionist, Berry Gordy, the founder of Motown, Coleman Young, the city''s first black mayor, diva songstress Aretha Franklin, Malcolm X, and Ralph Bunche, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize."The characters who walk across Boyd''s pages are fascinating." —The New York Times Book Review"Comprehensive and compelling."—The Washington Post

There is no neighborhood in America as famous, infamous, and inspiring as Harlem. From its humble beginnings as a farming district and country retreat for the rich, Harlem grew to international prominence as the mecca of black art and culture, then fell from grace, despised as a crime-ridden slum and symbol of urban decay. But during all of these phases there was writing in Harlem—great writing that sprang from one of the richest and most unique communities in the world. From Harlem’s most revered icons (like Langston Hughes, Duke Ellington, Ann Petry, and Malcolm X) to voices of a new generation (including Willie Perdomo, Mase, Grace Edwards, and Piri Thomas), The Harlem Reader gathers a wealth of vital impressions, stories, and narratives and blends them with original accounts offered by living storytellers, famous and not so famous. Fresh and vivid, this volume perfectly captures the dramatic moments and personalities at the core of Harlem’s ever-evolving story.From the Trade Paperback edition.

Autobiography of a People is an insightfully assembled anthology of eyewitness accounts that traces the history of the African American experience.  From the Middle Passage to the Million Man March, editor Herb Boyd has culled a diverse range of voices, both famous and ordinary, to creat a unique and compelling historical portrait:Benjamin Banneker on Thomas JeffersonOld Elizabeth on spreading the Word Frederick Douglass on life in the North W.E.B. Du Bois on the Talented Tenth Matthew Henson on reaching the North Pole Harriot Jacobs on running awayJames Cameron on escaping a mob lynichingAlvin Ailey on the world of danceLangston Hughes on the Harlem Renaissance Curtis Morriw on the Korean WarMax ROach on "jazz" as a four-letter wordLL Cool J on rapMary Church Terrell on the Chicago World''s FairRev. Bernice King on the future of Black AmericaAnd many others.From the Trade Paperback edition.

In 1964, Malcolm X made two trips to Africa and theMiddle East. During those trips, he kept copious notes. This remarkable document, The Diary of Malcolm X El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, 1964, is comprised of those notes, along with editing, annotations, and commentary by editors Herb Boyd and Ilyasah Al-Shabazz. The Diary captures Malcolm X in all his comlexity, reveals some of his trepedations, and above all, reveals his humanity as he encounters a coterie of dignitaries, world leaders, and ordinary people who were mesmerized by his genius as he was in wonder of he often challenging new cultures he experienced from country to country. REaders will discover how significantly the Diary complements his autobiography, at times fillin in the blanks, expanding an incident, and adding context to moments sometimes only mentioned in passing in the autobiography.

Baldwin''s Harlem is an intimate portrait of the life and genius of one of our most brilliant literary minds: James Baldwin. Perhaps no other writer is as synonymous with Harlem as James Baldwin (1924-1987). The events there that shaped his youth greatly influenced Baldwin''s work, much of which focused on his experiences as a black man in white America. Go Tell It on the Mountain, The Fire Next Time, Notes of a Native Son, and Giovanni''s Room are just a few of his classic fiction and nonfiction books that remain an essential part of the American canon. In Baldwin''s Harlem, award-winning journalist Herb Boyd combines impeccable biographical research with astute literary criticism, and reveals to readers Baldwin''s association with Harlem on both metaphorical and realistic levels. For example, Boyd describes Baldwin''s relationship with Harlem Renaissance poet laureate Countee Cullen, who taught Baldwin French in the ninth grade. Packed with telling anecdotes, Baldwin''s Harlem illuminates the writer''s diverse views and impressions of the community that would remain a consistent presence in virtually all of his writing. Baldwin''s Harlem provides an intelligent and enlightening look at one of America''s most important literary enclaves.

A sweeping, deeply rooted history of Harlem at the center of Black cultural, political, and intellectual lifeFrom its earliest Indigenous inhabitants and Dutch settlers to its emergence as a global center of Black culture, Epic Harlem offers one of the most comprehensive narrative histories ever written about this storied New York neighborhood. Author, journalist, and longtime Harlem resident Herb Boyd traces the evolution of Harlem across centuries, capturing the people, movements, institutions, and cultural forces that shaped its identity and influence.Moving beyond familiar portraits of the Harlem Renaissance, Boyd presents a full and richly layered account of the community’s development: its multiethnic beginnings, its transformation into a hub of African American life, and its enduring role as a barometer of social, political, and artistic change in the United States. Legendary figures – Langston Hughes, Malcolm X, Zora Neale Hurston, Adam Clayton Powell Jr., Sugar Ray Robinson, and many more – appear alongside community organizers, artists, business owners, and residents whose lives collectively tell Harlem’s story.Drawing on decades of reporting, research, and lived experience, Boyd writes with the intimacy of a neighbor and the authority of a historian. He explores Harlem’s triumphs and struggles, from artistic flourishing and political activism to economic hardship, urban renewal, and contemporary debates over preservation and gentrification. Throughout, Harlem stands as both a local community and a global symbol of Black creativity, resilience, and aspiration.Accessible and engaging while grounded in deep scholarship, Epic Harlem serves as both an essential introduction for general readers and a rich resource for scholars seeking a fuller understanding of one of the most influential communities in American history.

No modern tragedy has had a greater impact on race relations in America than the kidnapping and murder of Emmett Till, the 14-year-old black boy from Chicago whose body was battered beyond recognition and dumped in the Tallahatchie River while visiting relatives in Money, Mississippi, in 1955. This grotesque crime became the catalyst for the civil rights movement.  Simeon Wright saw and heard his cousin Emmett whistle at Caroline Bryant at a grocery store; he was sleeping in the same bed with him when her husband came in and took Emmett away; and he was at the sensational trial.  Simeon''s Story tells what it was like to grow up in Mississippi in the 1940s; paints a vivid portrait of Moses Wright, Simeon''s father, a preacher who bravely testified against the killers; explains exactly what happened during Emmett''s visit to Mississippi, clearing up a number of common misperceptions; and shows how the Wright family lived in fear after the trial, and how they endured the years afterward.  Simeon''s Story is the gripping coming-of-age memoir of a man who was deeply hurt by the horror of his cousin''s murder and, through prayer and hope, has come to believe that it''s now time to tell it like it was.

"The problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line." These were the prescient words of W. E. B. Du Bois's influential 1903 book The Souls of Black Folk. The preeminent Black intellectual of his generation, Du Bois wrote about the trauma of seeing the Reconstruction era's promise of racial equality cruelly dashed by the rise of white supremacist terror and Jim Crow laws. Yet he also argued for the value of African American cultural traditions and provided inspiration for countless civil rights leaders who followed him. Now artist Paul Peart-Smith offers the first graphic adaptation of Du Bois's seminal work.  Peart-Smith's graphic adaptation provides historical and cultural contexts that bring to life the world behind Du Bois's words. Readers will get a deeper understanding of the cultural debates The Souls of Black Folk engaged in, with more background on figures like Booker T. Washington, the advocate of black economic uplift, and the Pan-Africanist minister Alexander Crummell. This beautifully illustrated book vividly conveys the continuing legacy of The Souls of Black Folk, effectively updating it for the era of the 1619 Project and Black Lives Matter.