Walter Thompson-Hernandez

"Streets raised us. Horses saved us."

New York Times journalist Walter Thompson-Hernández debuts with an inspiring memoir like report about a new generation of black cowboys in Compton and succeeds in capturing the redemptive powers of this unique community and the human-animal bonds it fosters.

The Compton Cowboys is an intimate book inviting us into the world of a group of inspiring horsemen and horsewomen. As you read the book, each chapter focuses on a particular individual. The stories are told in vignettes that are almost like a memoir–it’s not linear. It's not a traditional history of the Compton Cowboys - it's a deeply gritty, moving, truthful piece of reporting that gives you real insights into the Compton Cowboys.

Thompson-Hernández is a documentary reporter. He presents a year in the lives of 10 inner-city men fighting to keep black cowboy culture alive and well even as their personal lives are in disarray.
The Compton Cowboys' stories are interesting and people should know about them and Walter Thompson-Hernandez has captured them well in this moving and inspiring book which is about healing from trauma through bonding with horses.… (mere)