A Black Man's Blues Volume I - now available for purchase
A journey of healing, identity, and transformation, A Black Man's Blues Volume I: The Introduction is a deeply personal exploration of what it means to navigate Black manhood, masculinity and the untold stories Black men carry but rarely speak aloud.
Written by Rashaad King, from the perspective of a Black man coming to terms with his past, this first volume of A Black Man’s Blues is a blend of creative nonfiction, cultural memoir, poetry and prose. It’s a celebration of vulnerability and resilience, the struggles of growing up without a father and the powerful act of finding healing after trauma.
In this Expanded 12-Year Anniversary Edition, Rashaad revisits 12 years of lessons learned, reflections on grief after losing his mother and the sacred journey of manhood.
This book is a meditation on how to grieve and grow at the same time.
Who Should Read This Book?
- Black men: Especially those who grew up without a father, who are seeking to heal, to understand themselves better and to find peace in the complexities of masculinity and fatherlessness.
- Mothers, sisters, relatives and partners of Black men: Those who’ve nurtured, guided and walked alongside Black sons, brothers or partners.
- Anyone seeking understanding of the unique struggles and triumphs that come with being a Black man in today’s world.
- Anyone that has carried the Blues throughout their lives.
In this poignant collection, Rashaad opens the door to healing, offering a glimpse into the soul of a man who has faced pain, grief and trauma, only to emerge stronger, wiser and ready to face the future.
A Black Man’s Blues Volume I: The Introduction is an invitation to reflect, to heal and to rediscover your essence in the most unlikely places.
Table of Contents
PART I - ESSENCE
The Essential Essence
Father God
Black Madonna
PART II - ABSENCE
Stereotype
The Price of Pain
Dorian Wilson
When Dreams Belive
PART III - PRESENCE
How Do You Hold the Sun?
What Baby Boy Teaches Us About Becoming a Man
Letters
Closure
making his story: A legacy journal for dad will be available for preorder soon
Making His Story: A Legacy Journal for Dad is a guided journal of writing prompts meant to help us learn who our fathers were before they became the men they had to be. It's a space to ask what we often never get the chance to. It’s a journal of prompts for the next generation to give to their fathers while there’s still time. It’s a chance to learn who they were before they had to become providers, protectors or survivors.
It’s a tool to ask:
Who raised you?
Who inspired you?
What broke your heart the first time?
What kind of boy were you, really?
This companion piece is important because it gives a rare lens into the life of a man before the world weighed him down.
It’s for anyone who wonders what shaped their father into the man he became and what might have been different had we known more. It’s a companion piece to A Black Man's Blues, but it also stands alone as a tool for connection, healing or simply understanding.
Whether you use it together or on your own, the hope is the same: that something buried gets brought into the light.
book rashaad to speak
Speaking Topics
The Hidden Blues: What Black Men Aren’t Allowed to Say
From Suppression to Expression: The Healing Power of Language
Rewriting the Narrative: Black Male Identity in Modern America
Culture as Currency: Building Brands People Actually Believe In
The Multipotentialite Model: Thriving with Many Talents in a One-Track Economy
Story Architecture: How to Build Narratives That Move Audiences and Markets
Creative Sovereignty: Owning Your Voice, Vision and Value in the Attention Economy
From Idea to Impact: Turning Creative Seeds into Scalable Systems
The Campaigns You Don’t See: Behind-the-scenes of working with public figures on films that shaped culture
Making Something Out of Nothing: Lessons in resourcefulness and creativity from indie film, grassroots campaigns and starting companies without a net.
book rashaad to facilitate or develop workshops
Prepared Workshops
The Blackest Blues: Emotional Literacy for Black Men
Crowning the Self: Helping Black boys and men define themselves outside of stereotypes
The Price of Pain: Creating safe spaces for expression of pain, grief, mental health and resilience
Infusing Activism into Writing: Addressing community issues and developing compelling characters to tell stories
The Kingdom in You: Reclaiming faith, identity in God, healing wounds and walking in purpose
Beyond the Stereotype: Authentic Leadership for Black Men
Producing Without Permission: How to make films, campaigns or projects outside the system and still reach people
The Multipotentialite Business Blueprint: Designing multiple income streams without diluting your identity
Story, Strategy, Soul: A hands-on framework for creators, entrepreneurs and leaders to build work that resonates
bookings@rashaadking.com