1968-1969: A CITY DIVIDED, A NATION
TORN APART,
AND A MAGICAL SEASON OF HEALING
Wil Haygood is a
tenacious reporter.
Wil Haygood is a
gifted writer.
Wil Haygood is
passionate about the craft of storytelling.
I wrote this to Wil,
my friend of more than two decades, on Jan. 21 – Martin Luther King Day.
I think it is worth
sharing with the world.
Wil:
I find it especially
poignant, on a day the nation pauses to reflect on the life of Dr. King -- and
all the complexities of his life, his work, his achievements, his ultimate
sacrifice -- that I am struggling to find words beautiful enough to praise
Tigerland.
I fear I am not
capable of conjuring such majestic and worthy words. So I will simply say that
you have enriched millions of lives by sharing the stories of Adam Clayton
Powell Jr., Thurgood Marshall, Sammy Davis Jr., Sugar Ray Robinson, "The
Butler," the Haygoods of Columbus and dozens of others (in wonderful
asides within these books).
Personally, beyond
your storytelling with the soul of a poet, I love your reportage because it
tells all sides of a story. In these times of alternate facts, fake news and
unthinkable division -- you share the unvarnished truth about great
people...both their groundbreaking triumphs and their human frailty/failings.
Kudos to the
Washington Post, an enduring crusader against all the bullying and butchery in
the White House and cradle of our nation's power, for singing your praises in
the recently-published review.
The Washington Post review of Tigerland:
The Random House site for Tigerland:
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/550373/tigerland-by-wil-haygood/9781524731861/
