Skip to content
  • Home
  • Shop
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Login
View cart
  • Login
Close
  • Home
  • Shop
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
Home Kill 'Em and Leave: Searching for James Brown and the American Soul - Paperback
Kill 'Em and Leave: Searching for James Brown and the American Soul
  • African American & Black,
  • Biography & Autobiography,
  • Books,
  • Cultural & Ethnic & Regional,
  • Entertainment & Performing Arts,
  • Music,
  • Price Written on Book,

Kill 'Em and Leave: Searching for James Brown and the American Soul - Paperback

Original price $28.84 - Original price $28.84
Original price
$28.84
$28.84 - $28.84
Current price $28.84
| /
Availability: In Stock
SKU 9780812983739
  • Description
  • Reviews ()

Additional information

Report copyright infringement

by James McBride (Author)

"You won't leave this hypnotic book without feeling that James Brown is still out there, howling."--The Boston Globe

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Good Lord Bird, winner of the 2013 National Book Award for Fiction, Deacon King Kong, and Five-Carat Soul

Kill 'Em and Leave is more than a book about James Brown. Brown embodied the contradictions of American life: He was an unsettling symbol of the tensions between North and South, black and white, rich and poor. After receiving a tip that promises to uncover the man behind the myth, James McBride goes in search of the "real" James Brown. McBride's travels take him to forgotten corners of Brown's never-before-revealed history, illuminating not only our understanding of the immensely troubled, misunderstood, and complicated Godfather of Soul, but the ways in which our cultural heritage has been shaped by Brown's enduring legacy.

Praise for Kill 'Em and Leave

"A tour de force of cultural reportage."--The Seattle Times

"Thoughtful and probing."--The New York Times Book Review

"Masterly . . . powerful."--Los Angeles Review of Books

"McBride provides something lacking in most of the books about James Brown: an intimate feeling for the musician, a veracious if inchoate sense of what it was like to be touched by him. . . . It may be as close to 'the real James Brown'] as we'll ever get."--David Hajdu, The Nation

"A feat of intrepid journalistic fortitude."--USA Today

" McBride is] the biographer of James Brown we've all been waiting for. . . . McBride's true subject is race and poverty in a country that doesn't want to hear about it, unless compelled by a voice that demands to be heard."--Boris Kachka, New York

"Illuminating . . . engaging."--The Washington Post

"A gorgeously written piece of reportage that gives us glimpses of Brown's genius and contradictions."--O: The Oprah Magazine

Author Biography

James McBride is an accomplished musician and the author of the National Book Award-winning novel The Good Lord Bird, the bestselling American classic The Color of Water, the novels Song Yet Sung, Miracle at St. Anna, and Deacon King Kong, the story collection Five-Carat Soul, and Kill 'Em and Leave, a biography of James Brown. The recipient of a National Humanities Medal, McBride is also a Distinguished Writer in Residence at New York University.

Number of Pages: 256
Dimensions: 0.5 x 8 x 5.1 IN
Publication Date: November 01, 2016

You may also like

  • !Búscalo! (Look It Up!): A Quick Reference Guide to Spanish Grammar and Usage

    !Búscalo! (Look It Up!): A Quick Reference Guide to Spanish Grammar and Usage - Paperback

    In stock

    Report copyright infringementby William M. Clarkson (Author)"A novel approach--very useful for quick reference." --Mark Goldin, Associate Professo...

    View full details
    Original price $24.92 - Original price $24.92
    Original price
    $24.92
    $24.92 - $24.92
    Current price $24.92
    | /
    Original price $24.92 - Original price $24.92
    Original price
    $24.92
    $24.92 - $24.92
    Current price $24.92
    | /
  • "A Serpentine Gesture": John Ashbery's Poetry

    "A Serpentine Gesture": John Ashbery's Poetry - Paperback

    In stock

    Report copyright infringementby Elisabeth W. Joyce (Author)In "A Serpentine Gesture" John Ashbery's Poetry and Phenomenology Elisabeth W. Joyce exa...

    View full details
    Original price $63.07 - Original price $63.07
    Original price
    $63.07
    $63.07 - $63.07
    Current price $63.07
    | /
    Original price $63.07 - Original price $63.07
    Original price
    $63.07
    $63.07 - $63.07
    Current price $63.07
    | /
  • "Alaska" Is Not a Blank Space

    "Alaska" Is Not a Blank Space - Hardcover

    In stock

    Report copyright infringementby Julianne Warren (Author)This Element supports Gwich'in, Iñupiat, and all Alaska Natives' collective continuance and...

    View full details
    Original price $143.94 - Original price $143.94
    Original price
    $143.94
    $143.94 - $143.94
    Current price $143.94
    | /
    Original price $143.94 - Original price $143.94
    Original price
    $143.94
    $143.94 - $143.94
    Current price $143.94
    | /
  • "Alaska" Is Not a Blank Space

    "Alaska" Is Not a Blank Space - Paperback

    In stock

    Report copyright infringementby Julianne Warren (Author)This Element supports Gwich'in, Iñupiat, and all Alaska Natives' collective continuance and...

    View full details
    Original price $46.78 - Original price $46.78
    Original price
    $46.78
    $46.78 - $46.78
    Current price $46.78
    | /
    Original price $46.78 - Original price $46.78
    Original price
    $46.78
    $46.78 - $46.78
    Current price $46.78
    | /
  • "B" is for Burglar

    "B" is for Burglar - Paperback

    In stock

    Report copyright infringementby Sue Grafton (Author)B is for Burglar, Sue Grafton's #1 New York Times bestselling series reissued for a whole new g...

    View full details
    Original price $33.96 - Original price $33.96
    Original price
    $33.96
    $33.96 - $33.96
    Current price $33.96
    | /
    Original price $33.96 - Original price $33.96
    Original price
    $33.96
    $33.96 - $33.96
    Current price $33.96
    | /
Shop collection
Infinity Light

#TurnPagesLightJourneys


Dedicated to enriching lives through accessible, high-quality books that inspire growth and imagination.

Main menu

  • Home
  • Shop
  • About Us
  • Contact Us

Our Policies

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Shipping Policy
  • Return & Refund Policy
  • FAQ`s

Follow us

Find us on Facebook Find us on Threads Find us on Telegram Find us on Instagram Find us on LinkedIn Find us on Twitter
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Shipping Policy
  • Return & Refund Policy
  • FAQ`s

Copyright © 2026 INFINITY LIGHT, LLC. All rights reserved.

  • Amazon
  • American Express
  • Apple Pay
  • Diners Club
  • Discover
  • Google Pay
  • Mastercard
  • Shop Pay
  • Visa
  • Choosing a selection results in a full page refresh.
  • Opens in a new window.