Originally published in 1972, Gil Scott-Heron’s striking second novel, The Nigger Factory, is a powerful parable of the way in which human beings are conditioned to think, drawing inspiration from Scott-Heron’s own experiences as a student in the late 1960’s and early 70’s. Earl Thomas, student body president at Sutton University, is in a difficult position: struggling with the fact that even a historically black college could be part of a system that still privileges whites, he’s also threatened by his fellow students, members of radical activist group MJUMBE. Claiming the time has come for revolution, not reform, the leaders of MJUMBE are poised not only to bring Earl down personally, but also to instigate larger scale acts of violence. An electrifying novel, The Nigger Factory is a penetrating examination of the different forms of resistance and the motivations behind them, and a major document of an era of black thought.

The Nigger Factory

Literature & Fiction

Scott-Heron, Gil

Humor & Satire

GROVE PRESS

The stunning memoir of Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winner Gil Scott-Heron, The Last Holiday has been praised for bringing back to life one of the most important voices of the last fifty years. Now in paperback, The Last Holiday provides a remarkable glimpse into Scott-Heron’s life and times, from his humble beginnings to becoming one of the most influential artists of his generation. The memoir climaxes with a historic concert tour in which Scott-Heron’s band opened for Stevie Wonder. The Hotter than July tour traveled cross-country from late 1980 through early 1981, drumming up popular support for the creation of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. King’s birthday, January 15, was marked with a massive rally in Washington. A fitting testament to the achievements of an extraordinary man, The Last Holiday provides a moving portrait of Scott-Heron’s relationship with his mother, personal recollections of Stevie Wonder, Bob Marley, John Lennon, Michael Jackson, Clive Davis, and other musical figures, and a compelling narrative vehicle for Scott-Heron’s insights into the music industry, the civil rights movement, governmental hypocrisy, and our wider place in the world. The Last Holiday confirms Scott-Heron as a fearless truth-teller, a powerful artist, and an inspiring observer of his times.

The Last Holiday

Humor & Entertainment

Now back in print, The Vulture is the first novel by the legendary poet, musician, and so-called godfather of rap” Gil Scott-Heron, written while he was still a university student. First published in 1970 and digging the rhythms of the street, where the biggest deal life has to offer is getting high, The Vulture is a hip and fast-moving thriller, set in lower Manhattan. It relates the strange story of the murder of a teenage boy called John Leetelling it in the words of four men who knew him when he was just another kid working after school, hanging out, waiting for something to happen. Just who did kill John Lee and why?

The Vulture

United States

In the autumn of 1980, Stevie Wonder invited Gil Scott-Heron and his band to join him on a tour of 41 cities across America. The purpose of the tour, which included a major rally in Washington on the anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr's birthday, was to galvanize popular support for the creation of a national holiday in honor of the great civil rights leader. The Last Holiday is Scott-Heron's fascinating account of what took place and how he came to be there. Raised by his grandmother in Tennessee, Scott-Heron's journey from humble beginnings to becoming one of the most uncompromising and influential songwriters of his generation is a remarkable one. Politically savvy and socially conscious, savagely satirical yet deeply compassionate, he is regularly cited as the godfather of rap, and his unexpected death in May 2011 marked the loss of one of the world's most eloquent musicians. In the words of Sarah Silverman, "he mirrored ugliness with beauty, audacity and valour." Chuck D of Public Enemy remarked, "we do what we do and how we do because of you," and Eminem felt that "he influenced all of hip-hop." A heartfelt and beautifully written memoir, The Last Holiday is full of bright insights into the music industry, New York, the civil-rights movement, modern America, governmental hypocrisy, Stevie Wonder, and our wider place in the world. It is also a fitting testament to the generous brilliance of Gil Scott-Heron and to the spirits that have guided him.

Last Holiday

Biographies & Memoirs

Arts & Literature

CANONGATE BOOKS *

Sutton University, West Virginia, is one of the last black universities in the US to wise up to the changing attitudes of the 1960s. But MJUMBE Members of Justice United for Meaningful Black Education intend to put things right. They don't wait for the revolution to be televised, they get it on.

Interlink Pub Group Inc

A body lies on New York's West 17th Street between Ninth and Tenth Avenues. A crowd gathers, horrified, curious, staring at the corpse on the pavement. It is July 12, 1969, and John Lee is dead. This is the story of John Lee's murder in the words of four men who knew him.

Canongate Books Ltd.

One glance at Now and Then and it becomes evident that this is not merely a collection of a songwriter's lyrics. The song-poems of this undisputed "bluesologist" triumphantly stand on their own, evoking the rhythm and urgency which have distinguished Gil Scott-Heron's career.
This, the first ever collection of his poems to be published in Britain, carries the reader from the global topics of political hypocrisy and the dangers posed by capitalist culture to painfully personal themes and the realities of modern day life. His message is black, political, historically accurate, urgent, uncompromising and mature and as relevant now as it was when he started, back in the early seventies.

Now and Then (Canons)

Canongate Canons

Gil Scott-Heron's highly successful two novels from the early Seventies are packaged together for the first time. Digging the rhythms of the street, where the biggest deal life has to offer is getting high, The Vulture is a hip and fast-moving thriller. Relating the story of John Lee's murder through the words of four men, the reasons behind the death of the teenager slowly begin to emerge. The Nigger Factory is a scornful statement on the way in which human beings are conditioned to think. On the campus of Sutton University, Virginia, the students are trying to carry forth the message of reconstruction to a university resistant to change. The failure of Sutton to embrace the changing attitudes of the Sixties has necessitated extreme action and the revolution is nigh.

The Vulture and the Nigger Factory

Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Mystery

A collection of poems written by the progressive jazz artist, Gil Scott Heron. These works are very political in nature and comment on the current matters of interest during the period of the 1970s and 1980s. The artist shows himself to be a keen analytical observer of the society and its impact upon the people.

So Far, So Good

THIRD WORLD PRESS +

Raised by his grandmother in Tennessee, Gil Scott-Heron's journey from humble beginnings to becoming one of the most uncompromising and influential songwriters of his generation is a remarkable one. In this, his heartfelt, beautifully written and posthumously published memoir, we are given bright insights into the music industry, New York, the civil-rights movement, modern America, governmental hypocrisy, Stevie Wonder and our wider place in the world. It is also a fitting testament to the generous brilliance of Gil Scott-Heron and to the Spirits that guided him.

The Last Holiday: A Memoir (Canons)

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Scott-Heron, Gil. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Scott-Heron, Gil

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Scott-Heron, Gil. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

The Nigger Factory

The Last Holiday

The Vulture

Last Holiday

The Nigger Factory

The Vulture

Now and Then (Canons)

The Vulture and the Nigger Factory

So Far, So Good

The Last Holiday: A Memoir (Canons)