Listen and read

Step into an infinite world of stories

  • Listen and read as much as you want
  • Over 400 000+ titles
  • Bestsellers in 10+ Indian languages
  • Exclusive titles + Storytel Originals
  • Easy to cancel anytime
Subscribe now
Details page - Device banner - 894x1036

The Compton Cowboys: The New Generation of Cowboys in America's Urban Heartland

Duration
7H 45min
Language
English
Format
Category

Biographies

“Thompson-Hernández's portrayal of Compton's black cowboys broadens our perception of Compton's young black residents, and connects the Compton Cowboys to the historical legacy of African Americans in the west. An eye-opening, moving book.”— Margot Lee Shetterly, New York Times bestselling author of Hidden Figures

A rising New York Times reporter tells the compelling story of The Compton Cowboys, a group of African-American men and women who defy stereotypes and continue the proud, centuries-old tradition of black cowboys in the heart of one of America’s most notorious cities.

In Compton, California, ten black riders on horseback cut an unusual profile, their cowboy hats tilted against the hot Los Angeles sun. They are the Compton Cowboys, their small ranch one of the very last in a formerly semirural area of the city that has been home to African-American horse riders for decades. To most people, Compton is known only as the home of rap greats NWA and Kendrick Lamar, hyped in the media for its seemingly intractable gang violence. But in 1988 Mayisha Akbar founded The Compton Jr. Posse to provide local youth with a safe alternative to the streets, one that connected them with the rich legacy of black cowboys in American culture. From Mayisha’s youth organization came the Cowboys of today: black men and women from Compton for whom the ranch and the horses provide camaraderie, respite from violence, healing from trauma, and recovery from incarceration.

The Cowboys include Randy, Mayisha’s nephew, faced with the daunting task of remaking the Cowboys for a new generation; Anthony, former drug dealer and inmate, now a family man and mentor, Keiara, a single mother pursuing her dream of winning a national rodeo championship, and a tight clan of twentysomethings—Kenneth, Keenan, Chris, and Tre—for whom horses bring the freedom, protection, and status that often elude the young black men of Compton.

The Compton Cowboys is a story about trauma and transformation, race and identity, compassion, and ultimately, belonging. Walter Thompson-Hernández paints a unique and unexpected portrait of this city, pushing back against stereotypes to reveal an urban community in all its complexity, tragedy, and triumph.

© 2020 HarperAudio (Audiobook): 9780062985118

Release date

Audiobook: 28 April 2020

Others also enjoyed ...

  1. I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer Michelle McNamara
  2. Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit John E. Douglas
  3. Code Name Blue Wren: The True Story of America's Most Dangerous Female Spy—and the Sister She Betrayed Jim Popkin
  4. Frankel: The Greatest Racehorse of All Time and the Sport That Made Him Simon Cooper
  5. Stable Lass: Riding Out and Mucking In - Tales from a Yorkshire Racing Yard Gemma Hogg
  6. Fight of the Century: Writers Reflect on 100 Years of Landmark ACLU Cases Michael Chabon
  7. Managing Expectations: A Memoir in Essays Minnie Driver
  8. Our Bodies, Their Battlefield: What War Does to Women Christina Lamb
  9. Sgt. Reckless: America’s War Horse Robin Hutton
  10. My Mother. Barack Obama. Donald Trump. And the Last Stand of the Angry White Man. Kevin Powell
  11. Fields of Grace: Sharing Faith from the Horse Farm Cara Whitney
  12. The Last Wild Horses Maja Lunde
  13. Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body Roxane Gay
  14. My Soul Looks Back: A Memoir Jessica B. Harris
  15. Survival of the Thickest: Essays Michelle Buteau
  16. Twas The Nightshift Before Christmas: Festive hospital diaries from the author of multi-million-copy hit This is Going to Hurt Adam Kay
  17. Gotta Get Theroux This: My Life and Strange Times in Television Louis Theroux
  18. War Doctor: Surgery on the Front Line David Nott
  19. Into the Planet: My Life as a Cave Diver Jill Heinerth
  20. Dust Tracks on a Road: An Autobiography Zora Neale Hurston
  21. The Language of Food: "Mouth-watering and sensuous, a real feast for the imagination" BRIDGET COLLINS Annabel Abbs
  22. Broken: In the Best Possible Way Jenny Lawson
  23. Bad Feminist: Essays Roxane Gay
  24. Last Chance Rebel Maisey Yates
  25. Aloha Rodeo: Three Hawaiian Cowboys, the World's Greatest Rodeo, and a Hidden History of the American West Julian Smith
  26. Always Faithful: A Story of the War in Afghanistan, the Fall of Kabul, and the Unshakable Bond Between a Marine and an Interpreter Thomas Schueman
  27. 101 Amazing Facts about Horses Jack Goldstein
  28. Inside Out: A Memoir Demi Moore
  29. No Happy Endings: A Memoir Nora McInerny
  30. Rancher's Forgotten Rival Maisey Yates
  31. Once Ghosted, Twice Shy: A Reluctant Royals Novella Alyssa Cole
  32. Moonglow: A Novel Michael Chabon
  33. Playing Dead: A Journey Through the World of Death Fraud Elizabeth Greenwood
  34. The Last Black Unicorn Tiffany Haddish
  35. Wishful Drinking Carrie Fisher
  36. The Earthspinner: A Novel Anuradha Roy

Ratings and Reviews

Reviews at a Glance

3.5

Overall rating based on 6 ratings

Others Describe This Book As

  • Zet aan tot denken

  • Motiverend

  • Informatief

Download the App to Join the Conversation and Add Reviews.