His Name Is George Floyd (Pulitzer Prize Winner)

One Man's Life and the Struggle for Racial Justice

By: Robert Samuels, Toluse Olorunnipa

Narrated by: Dion Graham, Robert Samuels, Toluse Olorunnipa

Length: 13 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

WINNER OF THE 2023 PULITZER PRIZE IN NONFICTION

WINNER OF THE DAYTON LITERARY PEACE PRIZE

FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD AND LOS ANGELES TIMES BOOK PRIZE; FINALIST FOR THE J. ANTHONY LUKAS PRIZE; A BCALA 2023 HONOR NONFICTION AWARD WINNER.

A landmark biography by two prizewinning Washington Post reporters that reveals how systemic racism shaped George Floyd's life and legacy—from his family’s roots in the tobacco fields of North Carolina, to ongoing inequality in housing, education, health care, criminal justice, and policing—telling the story of how one man’s tragic experience brought about a global movement for change.

“It is a testament to the power of His Name Is George Floyd that the book’s most vital moments come not after Floyd’s death, but in its intimate, unvarnished and scrupulous account of his life . . . Impressive.”—New York Times Book Review (Editors' Choice)

“Since we know George Floyd’s death with tragic clarity, we must know Floyd’s America—and life—with tragic clarity. Essential for our times.”—Ibram X. Kendi, author of How to Be an Antiracist

“A much-needed portrait of the life, times, and martyrdom of George Floyd, a chronicle of the racial awakening sparked by his brutal and untimely death, and an essential work of history I hope everyone will read.”—Henry Louis Gates, Jr., author of The Black Church: This Is Our Story, This Is Our Song

The events of that day are now tragically familiar: on May 25, 2020, George Floyd became the latest Black person to die at the hands of the police, murdered outside of a Minneapolis convenience store by white officer Derek Chauvin. The video recording of his death set off the largest protest movement in the history of the United States, awakening millions to the pervasiveness of racial injustice. But long before his face was painted onto countless murals and his name became synonymous with civil rights, Floyd was a father, partner, athlete, and friend who constantly strove for a better life.

His Name Is George Floyd tells the story of a beloved figure from Houston's housing projects as he faced the stifling systemic pressures that come with being a Black man in America. Placing his narrative within the context of the country's enduring legacy of institutional racism, this deeply reported account examines Floyd's family roots in slavery and sharecropping, the segregation of his schools, the overpolicing of his community amid a wave of mass incarceration, and the callous disregard toward his struggle with addiction—putting today's inequality into uniquely human terms. Drawing upon hundreds of interviews with Floyd's closest friends and family, his elementary school teachers and varsity coaches, civil rights icons, and those in the highest seats of political power, Washington Post reporters Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa offer a poignant and moving exploration of George Floyd’s America, revealing how a man who simply wanted to breathe ended up touching the world.

©2022 Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa (P)2022 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"“It is a testament to the power of His Name Is George Floyd that the book’s most vital moments come not after Floyd’s death, but in its intimate, unvarnished and scrupulous account of his life . . . a brilliantly revealing portrait of the structures of poverty, land theft and racism that shaped not only Floyd but also his kinship networks in the South. . . . Impressive.”—New York Times, Editors' Choice

"[T]he definitive work on who Floyd was and what his murder triggered. Gripping, heartbreaking, revelatory.”—Oprah Daily

“[A]n expertly researched and excellent biography, a necessary and enlightening read for all.”—The Atlantic

Important Book

The events surrounding George Floyd’s death took place in a bewildering time. Multiple police shootings intercepted with the pandemic and financial upheaval. This book clearly and soulfully focuses on George’s life and death, while intertwining the systemic racism that contributed to the choices he and the officers made. I am grateful for the clarity and the information that allowed me to see beyond the symbol to the man.

The authors got it right.

This book was so well done. I remember seeing the authors in an interview on PBS, where they said their goal was to humanize George Floyd, to show who he was as a person. I appreciated getting to know the man, his family, loved ones, friends, and even his ancestors. It's a difficult story, but I think the authors got it right.

ORDER AND LAW KEEPING HOPE ALIVE

it took me awhile to finish the book, so many emotions showing up as Iistened

We need to at least know his story

Thorough and fair telling of the tragic arc of George Floyd's life and this rich country of ours that doesn't care much about what happens to most of us, but especially those that start their journey with so many historical and situational obstacles placed in their way before they even get the chance to try to find a way to succeed in this world.

Everyone should read this book.

Excellent, not just telling the story of George Floyd, but also showing many of the institutional injustices against black people. We all need to learn a lot more about it.

Poignant American History

The story of George Floyd told in detail. This is a quintessential American story that tells the reader who George Floyd was as individual and helps to illustrate systemic racism against underprivileged blacks in the U.S.

Flawlessly narrated exceptionally researched.

Honest and beautiful. Poignant and painful. Cathartic and introspective. Say his name.
Never ever forget.

Great read! Balanced account with detailed reporting

Well-written narrative that connects the dots and provides much needed context to the events, experiences, and policies that influenced George Floyd’s life and death

Say his name.

This was a difficult story to listen to, but one that I believe we should. All of us. We shall overcome the hate, I hope, as a species, we shall overcome.

I had no idea!

I wish everyone would read this book. I am humbled by what I learned.