From a Pulitzer Prize finalist and New York Times bestselling author
and poet comes a galvanizing meditation on the power of art and culture
to illuminate America's unresolved problem with race.
*Named a Most Anticipated Title of 2022 by TIME magazine, New York
Times, Bustle, and more*
In the midst of civil unrest in the summer of 2020 and following the
murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery, Elizabeth
Alexander--one of the great literary voices of our time--turned a
mother's eye to her sons' and students' generation and wrote a
celebrated and moving reflection on the challenges facing young Black
America. Originally published in the New Yorker, the essay incisively
and lovingly observed the experiences, attitudes, and cultural
expressions of what she referred to as the Trayvon Generation, who even
as children could not be shielded from the brutality that has affected
the lives of so many Black people.
The Trayvon Generation expands the viral essay that spoke so
resonantly to the persistence of race as an ongoing issue at the center
of the American experience. Alexander looks both to our past and our
future with profound insight, brilliant analysis, and mighty heart,
interweaving her voice with groundbreaking works of art by some of our
most extraordinary artists. At this crucial time in American history
when we reckon with who we are as a nation and how we move forward,
Alexander's lyrical prose gives us perspective informed by historical
understanding, her lifelong devotion to education, and an intimate grasp
of the visioning power of art.
This breathtaking book is essential reading and an expression of both
the tragedies and hopes for the young people of this era that is sure to
be embraced by those who are leading the movement for change and anyone
rising to meet the moment.
