A Thousand Ways to Die

The True Cost of Violence on Black Life in America

De: Trymaine Lee

Narrado por: Trymaine Lee

A deeply personal exploration of the generational impact of guns on the Black experience in America. This program is read by the author.

A few years ago, Trymaine Lee, though fit and only 38, nearly died of a heart attack. When his then five-year-old daughter, Nola, asked her daddy why, he realized that to answer her honestly, he had to confront what almost killed him—the weight of being a Black man in America; of bearing witness, as a journalist, to relentless Black death; and of a family history scarred by enslavement, lynching, the Great Migration, the also insidious racism of the North, and gun violence that stole the lives of two great-uncles, a grandfather, a stepbrother, and two cousins.

In this powerful narrative, Lee weaves together three strands: the long and bloody history of African Americans and guns; his work as a chronicler of gun violence, tallying the costs and riches generated by both the legal and illegal gun industries; and his own life story. With unflinching honesty he takes listeners on a journey, from almost being caught up in gun violence as a young man, to tracing the legacy of the Middle Passage in Ghana through his ancestors’ footsteps, to confronting the challenges of representing his people in an overwhelmingly white and often hostile media world, and most importantly, to celebrating the enduring strength of his family and community.

In A Thousand Ways to Die, Lee answers Nola and all who seek a more just America. He shares the hard truths and complexities of the Black experience, but he also celebrates the beauty and resilience that is Nola’s legacy.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press

©2025 Trymaine Lee (P)2025 Macmillan Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

"A provocative and informative read that expertly blends memoir with hard-hitting reporting."—Kirkus

A Thousand Ways to Die is a trenchant examination of how the personal intersects with the political, of the too-often high tolls of living Black in America. Trymaine’s extraordinary journey is also a vital lesson on the healing power of sharing whole truths with our posterity.—Mitchell S. Jackson, winner of the Pulitzer Prize

"A poetic, political, and powerful work—purposefully written to resonate with both today and the future."—Shaka Senghor, bestselling author of Writing My Wrongs, Letters to the Sons of Society and How to be Free

Great story and language

He is so smart and inspiring. Wow, can he write!!! And he is so right about what really matters!

Tai Coates meets Alex Hailey.

Roots all over again, with the emphasis on how gun violence affected every generation of his family. I made it to chapter 4. I brought this bcz Tavis Smiley's recommendation, and bcz the stress of being a blk business woman and small landlord in Kiladelphia/Corruptadelphia, is causing many health problems. In a city where criminals have more rights then law abiding citizens, the good and the hard working, don't have the luxury of sitting on their own front porches, without an increased chance of becoming a victim of violence or being on the 11 o'clock new. maybe ill pick it up later, but I need to feed my soul with solutions snd answers, not recaps and finger pointing at we know already exist for 400+yrs. Why are we so far behind and why dint we hsve tge resilience of our ancestors to make it through. ? Why is blk ghetto fatigue so very prevalent and why does a cancel culture exits much more in our communities? Whites and others, are moving back to the right, to family values, but we keep heading for the left looney clift. There are creative and great opprotunities to creat our own young blk people family center value movement, like Charlie Kirk and Turning Point USA, but our presidental canidates give us Magon the Stallon,( only a nale horse csn be a stallon). Our city officials, political leaders, penis pumping blk clergy, community wardleaders, committee people, blk news radios and other outlets, are ok with selling out and forcing the left demacratic, soft grooming agenda on their constituents, communities and listeners. Whyyyy sell outs, why???