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

by Walter Thompson-Hernandez Narrated by Glenn Davis, Ron Butler

Overview

“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.

Editorial Reviews

JUNE 2020 - AudioFile

Narrator Glenn Davis's voice is gentle and steady whether he’s setting scenes or introducing the Black cowboys who are often seen on the streets of Compton, California. He conveys the joy, love, and inner calm that come with their devotion to horses. Walter Thompson-Hernandez of THE NEW YORK TIMES embedded himself with the Compton Cowboys, a group of 10 riders, to show their "horse life" by telling the stories of the mostly male group. The tales include death and unnerving violence but also follow members on professional rodeo and show-jumping circuits and show healing through their work with horses. The Compton Cowboys have achieved celebrity, but Thompson-Hernandez also introduces listeners to other riding groups that can be found across the country. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

From the Publisher

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

“Walter Thompson-Hernández has written a book for the ages: a profound and moving account of what it means to be black in America that is awe inspiring in its truth-telling and limitless in its empathy. Here is an American epic of black survival and creativity, of terrible misfortune and everyday resilience, of grace, redemption and, yes, cowboys.” — Junot Díaz, Pulitzer prize-winning author of This is How You Lose Her

“With the raw quality of a hand-held documentary, The Compton Cowboys gallops into the origin story of this unique organization and its now-fragile legacy… With the eye of a photographer, [Thompson-Hernández] captures the minute ways a community cedes power to another. Zooming in on granular detail, he fleshes out a neighborhood in all its colors, scents and conversational rhythms… this is a rare, un-sensationalized portrait of a community fighting to reclaim its turf… In words and photographs, Thompson-Hernández reveals a three-dimensionality of people and place that can result only from time, trust and compassion.” — Los Angeles Times

“This vivid group portrait of contemporary black cowboys at Richland Farms, in Compton, is a story both of heritage and of urban unrest, gang violence, and confrontations with the police…Their activities, the author shows, sparked a culture clash in the wider community, but they have also revived interest in the black cowboy life style, indelibly captured in the Cowboys’ motto: ‘Streets raised us. Horses saved us.’” — New Yorker

“New York Times journalist Walter Thompson-Hernández debuts with an inspiring report…[and] succeeds in capturing the redemptive powers of this unique community and the human-animal bonds it fosters. This feel-good profile shines a spotlight on a worthy cause.” — Publishers Weekly — Publishers Weekly

New Yorker

This vivid group portrait of contemporary black cowboys at Richland Farms, in Compton, is a story both of heritage and of urban unrest, gang violence, and confrontations with the police…Their activities, the author shows, sparked a culture clash in the wider community, but they have also revived interest in the black cowboy life style, indelibly captured in the Cowboys’ motto: ‘Streets raised us. Horses saved us.’

Junot Díaz

Walter Thompson-Hernández has written a book for the ages: a profound and moving account of what it means to be black in America that is awe inspiring in its truth-telling and limitless in its empathy. Here is an American epic of black survival and creativity, of terrible misfortune and everyday resilience, of grace, redemption and, yes, cowboys.

Margot Lee Shetterly

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.

|Los Angeles Times

With the raw quality of a hand-held documentary, The Compton Cowboys gallops into the origin story of this unique organization and its now-fragile legacy… With the eye of a photographer, [Thompson-Hernández] captures the minute ways a community cedes power to another. Zooming in on granular detail, he fleshes out a neighborhood in all its colors, scents and conversational rhythms… this is a rare, un-sensationalized portrait of a community fighting to reclaim its turf… In words and photographs, Thompson-Hernández reveals a three-dimensionality of people and place that can result only from time, trust and compassion.

New Yorker

This vivid group portrait of contemporary black cowboys at Richland Farms, in Compton, is a story both of heritage and of urban unrest, gang violence, and confrontations with the police…Their activities, the author shows, sparked a culture clash in the wider community, but they have also revived interest in the black cowboy life style, indelibly captured in the Cowboys’ motto: ‘Streets raised us. Horses saved us.’

Los Angeles Times

With the raw quality of a hand-held documentary, The Compton Cowboys gallops into the origin story of this unique organization and its now-fragile legacy… With the eye of a photographer, [Thompson-Hernández] captures the minute ways a community cedes power to another. Zooming in on granular detail, he fleshes out a neighborhood in all its colors, scents and conversational rhythms… this is a rare, un-sensationalized portrait of a community fighting to reclaim its turf… In words and photographs, Thompson-Hernández reveals a three-dimensionality of people and place that can result only from time, trust and compassion.

JUNE 2020 - AudioFile

Narrator Glenn Davis's voice is gentle and steady whether he’s setting scenes or introducing the Black cowboys who are often seen on the streets of Compton, California. He conveys the joy, love, and inner calm that come with their devotion to horses. Walter Thompson-Hernandez of THE NEW YORK TIMES embedded himself with the Compton Cowboys, a group of 10 riders, to show their "horse life" by telling the stories of the mostly male group. The tales include death and unnerving violence but also follow members on professional rodeo and show-jumping circuits and show healing through their work with horses. The Compton Cowboys have achieved celebrity, but Thompson-Hernandez also introduces listeners to other riding groups that can be found across the country. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

2020-01-26
A year in the lives of 10 inner-city men fighting to keep black cowboy culture alive and well even as their personal lives are in disarray.

By the time New York Times reporter Thompson-Hernández caught up with them, the Los Angeles–based Compton Cowboys seemed to be experiencing a wishful and elegiac pall. The equine outpost, which had always served as refuge and home away from home throughout the crew’s often tumultuous and traumatized childhoods, was in dire straits. Mayisha Akbar, the indomitable force of nature who founded the Compton Junior Posse in 1988, was heading toward retirement, and the big-money donors that had kept the expensive operation afloat were slowly disappearing. The mantle of ranch leadership was about to shift to Randy, Mayisha’s nephew. While Randy understood what was required to allow the group to blaze a new trail into the future, the stakes were high: keeping alive the legacy and heritage of men like Nat Love and Bill Pickett, real-life black cowboys who, despite Hollywood’s whitewashing of history, were integral in establishing what became known as the Wild West. However, regardless of their determination to pass down the black cowboy tradition to the next generation of new riders, the CJP members had to cope with the daily realities of life on the gang-scarred streets of Compton. In his intimate yet sober-eyed narrative, Thompson-Hernández never shies away from those realities. All of the Compton Cowboys, to some degree, have struggled with the PTSD associated with the neighborhood's dangerous landscape. Across the board, there continues to be unresolved anger and alcoholism, self-doubt and trepidation. Describing Mayisha’s retirement party, the author writes, “the future of the ranch was uncertain and everyone in attendance looked at the cowboys for answers that they did not have.” The author’s fondness and respect for the CJP crew is consistently patent (only occasionally overly so), and he tells their story straight, no matter how much it hurts.

A gritty and somber chronicle of an often overlooked community.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940174022126
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	04/28/2020
Edition description:	Unabridged

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