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Fist Stick Knife Gun

A Personal History of Violence

Author: Geoffrey Canada

A new edition, including the story of the founding of the Harlem Children’s Zone.

Long before the avalanche of praise for his work from Oprah Winfrey, from President Bill Clinton, from President Barack Obama long before he became known for his talk show appearances, Members Project spots, and documentaries like Waiting for “Superman“, Geoffrey Canada was a small boy growing up scared on the mean streets of the South Bronx. His childhood world was one where “sidewalk boys” learned the codes of the block and were ranked through the rituals of fist, stick, and knife. Then the streets changed, and the stakes got even higher. In his candid and riveting memoir, Canada relives a childhood in which violence stalked every street corner.

“Geoffrey Canada is one of this country’s genuine heroes. His personal meditation on America’s culture of violence is a beacon of hope for our humanity.” —Charles Johnson, author of Middle Passage

“Canada has never lost touch with the child within himself or with the fears of the children around him struggling to reach adulthood in the violent streets of America.” —Marian Wright Edelman, author of The Measure of Our Success

“Canada takes us on a powerful journey. . . . He is a man of hope and a wonderful storyteller.” —Henry Hampton, executive producer, Eyes on the Prize

Reviews

Review: New York Magazine - September 6, 2010

"Among the reformers in “Superman,” Canada emerges as the brightest star: His blend of intelligence, charisma, and moral urgency is impossible to resist. As the founder and the guiding hand of the Harlem Children’s Zone, Canada is engaged in a vastly ambitious social-development project, an attempt to transform 97 hardscrabble square blocks of the city with a comprehensive set of services for the poor, from a “baby college” for new and expectant parents to two charter schools-though he is no charter purist."

Review: BlackSuperHero blog - September 2, 2010

“It's a no-brainer, buy one for yourself and one to put in the hands of a young man who may benefit from it as well. The life you save may be your own.”