May 17, 2022 - News

New George Floyd biography explores systemic racism and global movement

his name is george floyd book cover

Image courtesy of Viking/Penguin Random House

A new biography of George Floyd hits the shelves Tuesday.

The big picture: "His Name is George Floyd," written by Washington Post reporters Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa, seeks to show "how systemic racism shaped George Floyd's life and legacy... telling the story of how one man's tragic experience brought about a global movement for change."

Zoom in: The 432-page book is based on hundreds of interviews with Floyd's friends and family, "civil rights icons" and political leaders, according to the publisher.

What they're saying: Associated Press book reviewer Jeff Rowe writes that the authors did "a masterful, thorough and even-handed job" of achieving their goal of analyzing the policies that impact Floyd's life without "[absolving him] of responsibility for his actions."

Of note: Next week marks two years since Floyd's death under the knee of then-Minneapolis Police Department officer Derek Chauvin sparked protests across the nation.

Go deeper: Read an excerpt of the book via The Washington Post.

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