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Fist Stick Knife Gun

A Personal History of Violence

Author: Geoffrey Canada

A deluxe Beacon Classics edition of the candid and riveting memoir from the founder of Harlem Children’s Zone, taking readers through his childhood in which violence stalked every street corner

Long before the avalanche of praise for his work—from Oprah Winfrey, President Barack Obama, and First Lady Michelle 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. Now in a new hardcover edition, Fist Stick Knife Gun still proves to be an important memoir about growing up surrounded by violence and yet overcoming adversity.