A once popular Black Major of the city of Compton, Omar Bradley, was taken down. After media assassination, many dismissed his fate as justified, accepting his guilt. Others claim he was railroaded.
"The King of Compton—The Assassination of a Dream," reveals Bradley's account of his own drama filled life, reared in Compton, and his ultimate exile from Compton's government. Bradley takes the reader on a journey that is as much Compton's history as is his own. A scene is set in the late 1950's. We follow a hard working, young and growing family as the author paints a picture of Compton and black life before the onslaught of drugs and gangs.
As Bradley narrates his childhood, a vivid depiction of life in the streets of Compton in the 60s and 70s is detailed. While becoming familiar with young Bradley, the reader can sense the pace and fervor at which drugs had come and changed black communities, forever. The author continues his reality saga, and recollects his experiences when the Crip and blood Gangs had formed and began proliferating the city.
The detail of Bradley's memories will enthrall readers old enough to remember the start of the gang wars. In his intimate narrative, we follow as Compton becomes a war zone and "murder capital of America" and swallows its youth. Bradley navigates his adolescents and tries to stay alive. Before long we realize the author is tough and is surely a product of his environment. However, despite his tough disposition, he makes it to college and earns a degree. "My dual personality was killing me.
On one side of my brain I wanted to be a gangster, someone who'd fit in with the majority of the black people I'd grown up with, but the other side of me wanted to be an intellectual and freedom fighter," said Bradley. Bradley's book, The King of Compton—The Assassination of a Dream describes a situation familiar to many blacks who attempt to escape the fate of the ghetto- the struggles with duality, and difficulty finding work and fitting in. We follow as Bradley overcomes his obstacles and proves a force to reckon with. The balance of this work takes the reader through a series of extraordinary ups and downs that, in great depth, describe Bradley's rise and fall.
The reading is raw in language and full of actual names, places and events. The King of Compton- The Assassination of a Dream asserts the author was setup and defamed unjustly. The details of his circumstances- his run for mayor, his time in office and the thrilling circumstances of his trial are disclosed.
Bradley's story is an interesting look at the cut throat antics of politics and his personal account on his demise. The King of Compton is a captivating autobiography that reads like a work of fiction. Copyright (c) 2008 Rosie Milligan.
Dr. Rosie Milligan, author, publisher, business consultant, multiple streams of income consultant, and counselor. Author of Negroes, Colored People, Blacks, African American in America; founder of Black Writers on Tour; owner of Express Yourself Bookstor, 1425 West Manchester Avenue, Suite "C," Los Angeles, California 90047 Telephone: (323) 750-3592; Fax: (323) 750-2886 E-mail: Drrosie@aol.com Web site: http://www.DrRosie.com
