Compton Cowboys

“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.

Reviews

“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