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The Compton Cowboys : : the new generation of cowboys in america's urban heartland / Walter Thompson-Hernandez.

Summary:
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 Mayishas 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, Mayishas 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, Charles, 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.

Record details

  • ISBN: 9780062910615
  • ISBN: 0062910612
  • Physical Description: 258 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : color illustrations ; 21 cm.
  • Edition: First William Morrow paperback edition.
  • Publisher: New York, New York : William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, [2021]
Subject: BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Cultural, Ethnic & Regional / African American & Black
HIS056000
HISTORY / African American & Black
African American cowboys > California > Compton.
African Americans > California > Compton.
Ranches > California > Compton.
Compton (Calif.) > Social conditions.

Available copies

  • 1 of 1 copy available at SPARK Libraries.

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  • 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
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Location Call Number / Copy Notes Barcode Shelving Location Status Due Date
Pocono Mountain Public Library 920 Tho (Text) 35540000060499 PMPL 2nd Floor Non-Fiction Available -


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