The Beast Side: Living (and Dying) While Black in America

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A New York Times Best Seller!

Searing Dispatches from the Urban Zones Where African American Men Have Become an Endangered Species

To many in the age of Obama, America had succeeded in going beyond race, putting the divisions of the past behind us. And then seventeen-year-old Trayvon Martin was shot by a wannabe cop in Florida; and then eighteen-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri; and then Baltimore blew up; and then gunfire shattered a prayer meeting at a church in Charleston, South Carolina. Suddenly the entire country awakened to a stark fact: African Americansparticularly young black menare an endangered species.

Now the countrys urban war zone is brought powerfully to life by a rising young literary talent, D. Watkins. The author fought his way up on the east side (the beast side) of Baltimore, Marylandor Bodymore, Murderland, as his friends call itsurviving murderous business rivals in the drug trade and equally predatory lawmen. Throughout it all, he pursued his education, earning a masters degree from Johns Hopkins University, while staying rooted in his community.

When black residents of Baltimore finally decided they had had enoughafter the brutal killing of twenty-five-year-old Freddie Gray while in police custodyWatkins was on the streets when the city erupted. He writes about his bleeding hometown with the razor-sharp insights of someone who bleeds along with it. Here are true dispatches from the other side of America.

Reviews

The 21st century Civil Rights era is upon us and one of the most compelling new voices to listen to is D. Watkins. The Beast Side is a riveting and important read no matter what your preconceived notions are on the state of race relations in America today. Chuck Todd, correspondent on NBC's Meet the Press

Firing off dispatches from that part of the America we left behind, D. Watkins is making a definitive argument for so many men and women ruthlessly marginalized by a society that fails to measure itself on any humane terms. This is a Baltimore voice in angry service of other unheard Baltimore voices, and The Beast Side is, by extension, a blunt, eloquent argument for the forgotten in our cities. He has arrived, and by the sound of things, he is here to hold us all to account. David Simon, author of The Corner and creator of HBOs The Wire

D. Watkins is a very sharp young talent who transformed himself from a dealer on the streets to an adjunct professor, and most important, to a leading voice of his generation who is determined to see justice for the black community. The Beast Side is raw, intelligent, and at times humorousand a necessary narrative in these challenging times! Michael Eric Dyson, author of The Black Presidency: Barack Obama and the Politics of Race in America

D. Watkins has emerged as a powerful new voice just when America needs to hear his message. Its the voice of all those in Baltimore, Ferguson, Charleston, Oakland, New York, Cleveland, and wherever another innocent life is lost. We all need to listen to what he has to say. Tour, author of Whos Afraid of Post-Blackness: What It Means to Be Black Now

Brilliant. The Beast Side is just the latest illustration of why D. Watkinss voice is so important to our community. Understand his words, and lets work to make our community better. Wes Moore, New York Times bestselling author of The Work and The Other Wes Moore

D. Watkins unveils Americas dirty secret of what it is like for so many to live as an African American in our country. He captures the pain, blood, sweat, and tears faced by millions of young black Americans each day and offers clear solutions on how to move our nation forward. Valeisha Butterfield Jones, founder and CEO of the Women in Entertainment Empowerment Network

Sharp, witty, and worth the read for young black people who are starving for justice and ready to change the world they live in. Always engaging, The Beast Side is written with fire, rage, and intelligence from a young but extremely wise game changer. Tracey D. Syphax, 2014 White House Champion of Change

The Beast Side is an honest, sobering exploration of blackness in the context of Baltimore and the unrest. And Watkins is a skilled storyteller, giving voice to a range of hard truths about the impact of state violence on the lives of black people in inner-city Baltimore. Watkinss authentic storytelling is his hallmark. DeRay Mckesson, activist for We the Protestors

D. Watkins, a seasoned writer with indisputable talent and skills, gives a detailed account of living on the Other Side of Baltimore. Armed with a relentless spirit and uplifting message, Watkinss words give todays generation a sense of purpose and a chance to rise from the unruly streets of Americas Baltimore. Rahiem Shabazz, award-winning filmmaker of the documentary series Elementary Genocide

Tally had his corner and D. Watkins has his stoop. The Beast Side is D. Watkinss sociohistorical examination of black lives in the United States juxtaposed against his upbringing in Baltimore. Through his account we discover a poignant and unadulterated story about the systematic way black lives dont matter and how the challenges for African Americans are much deeper and pervasive than people will admit. His book is required reading! Dr. Byron E. Price, professor at Medgar Evers College of the City University of New York

With his unsentimental prose and sharp eye for detail, Watkins takes you to his stoop in East Baltimore, the so-called beast side...What helps the arguments in Watkinss essays hit home are the sobering and enlightening slices of life and characters he weaves throughout...By the end, youre left with an advanced understanding of this mans love for the community that formed him, and how neighborhoods such as East Baltimore fit into the national debate for social change. Baltimore Magazine

"The twin pillars of his rsumnot one but two graduate degrees from the regions finest universities on the one hand, gun-totin drug dealer on the othergive Watkins cred thats hard to argue with. Indeed, hes strongest when he describes the disconnect between the two Baltimores he has navigated so adroitly." The Washington Post
The 21st century Civil Rights era is upon us and one of the most compelling new voices to listen to is D. Watkins. The Beast Side is a riveting and important read no matter what your preconceived notions are on the state of race relations in America today. Chuck Todd, correspondent on NBC's Meet the Press

Firing off dispatches from that part of the America we left behind, D. Watkins is making a definitive argument for so many men and women ruthlessly marginalized by a society that fails to measure itself on any humane terms. This is a Baltimore voice in angry service of other unheard Baltimore voices, and The Beast Side is, by extension, a blunt, eloquent argument for the forgotten in our cities. He has arrived, and by the sound of things, he is here to hold us all to account. David Simon, author of The Corner and creator of HBOs The Wire

D. Watkins is a very sharp young talent who transformed himself from a dealer on the streets to an adjunct professor, and most important, to a leading voice of his generation who is determined to see justice for the black community. The Beast Side is raw, intelligent, and at times humorousand a necessary narrative in these challenging times! Michael Eric Dyson, author of The Black Presidency: Barack Obama and the Politics of Race in America

D. Watkins has emerged as a powerful new voice just when America needs to hear his message. Its the voice of all those in Baltimore, Ferguson, Charleston, Oakland, New York, Cleveland, and wherever another innocent life is lost. We all need to listen to what he has to say. Tour, author of Whos Afraid of Post-Blackness: What It Means to Be Black Now

Brilliant. The Beast Side is just the latest illustration of why D. Watkinss voice is so important to our community. Understand his words, and lets work to make our community better. Wes Moore, New York Times bestselling author of The Work and The Other Wes Moore

D. Watkins unveils Americas dirty secret of what it is like for so many to live as an African American in our country. He captures the pain, blood, sweat, and tears faced by millions of young black Americans each day and offers clear solutions on how to move our nation forward. Valeisha Butterfield Jones, founder and CEO of the Women in Entertainment Empowerment Network

Sharp, witty, and worth the read for young black people who are starving for justice and ready to change the world they live in. Always engaging, The Beast Side is written with fire, rage, and intelligence from a young but extremely wise game changer. Tracey D. Syphax, 2014 White House Champion of Change

The Beast Side is an honest, sobering exploration of blackness in the context of Baltimore and the unrest. And Watkins is a skilled storyteller, giving voice to a range of hard truths about the impact of state violence on the lives of black people in inner-city Baltimore. Watkinss authentic storytelling is his hallmark. DeRay Mckesson, activist for We the Protestors

D. Watkins, a seasoned writer with indisputable talent and skills, gives a detailed account of living on the Other Side of Baltimore. Armed with a relentless spirit and uplifting message, Watkinss words give todays generation a sense of purpose and a chance to rise from the unruly streets of Americas Baltimore. Rahiem Shabazz, award-winning filmmaker of the documentary series Elementary Genocide

Tally had his corner and D. Watkins has his stoop. The Beast Side is D. Watkinss sociohistorical examination of black lives in the United States juxtaposed against his upbringing in Baltimore. Through his account we discover a poignant and unadulterated story about the systematic way black lives dont matter and how the challenges for African Americans are much deeper and pervasive than people will admit. His book is required reading! Dr. Byron E. Price, professor at Medgar Evers College of the City University of New York

With his unsentimental prose and sharp eye for detail, Watkins takes you to his stoop in East Baltimore, the so-called beast side...What helps the arguments in Watkinss essays hit home are the sobering and enlightening slices of life and characters he weaves throughout...By the end, youre left with an advanced understanding of this mans love for the community that formed him, and how neighborhoods such as East Baltimore fit into the national debate for social change. Baltimore Magazine

"The twin pillars of his rsumnot one but two graduate degrees from the regions finest universities on the one hand, gun-totin drug dealer on the othergive Watkins cred thats hard to argue with. Indeed, hes strongest when he describes the disconnect between the two Baltimores he has navigated so adroitly." The Washington Post

Author Bio

D Watkins is a columnist for Salon. His work has been published in the New York Times, the Guardian, and magazines, and he is a frequent commentator on NPR, CNN, and elsewhere. He holds a masters in education from Johns Hopkins University and an MFA in creative writing from the University of Baltimore and teaches writing at Coppin State University in Baltimore. He was the winner of Baltimore magazines Best Writer award in 2015.