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A Writer's Memoir of Ghetto Life and Post-Soul Success
Viking Adult
April 2009
On Sale: April 2, 2009
272 pages
ISBN: 0670020362
EAN: 9780670020362
Hardcover
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Non-Fiction
A candid, colorful memoir about a nerd from the Brooklyn
projects who made it big Nelson George grew up in the Tilden housing project in the
crime- and despair-ridden Brownsville section of Brooklyn
during the 1960s and 70s. In this tough neighborhood,
Nelson was the nerdy kid who, in between stickball and
street games, devoured Captain America comics, Ernest
Hemingway novels, and album liner notes. City Kid introduces us to Nelson’s family: his absent wanna-
be-hustler father; his tough-minded sister, who is seduced
by the streets; and his mother, who dreams of becoming a
teacher and returning to the South. Amid the struggles of
his family, Nelson finds himself drawn into the world of
black pop culture, first as a writer and then as a
filmmaker, eventually collaborating with some of the major
figures of the era—Spike Lee, Russell Simmons, Chris Rock,
and many others. Nelson’s story is ultimately one of triumph, but it is not
saccharine, sentimental, or full of false inspiration.
Seeking transcendence through art and loving New York City,
Nelson creates an insightful portrait of the emergence of
black artists in the 1980s and 90s and illuminates how the
pain of life can be turned into thoughtful books and
cinema.
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