Kevin Young

Forty years after covering his only homicide case as a rookie newspaper reporter—the unsolved and long-cold hometown murder of a vibrant and popular eighteen-year-old in Upstate New York—the now semi-retired university professor turns his time, energy and skills to researching and writing Tess McCarthy's life's final chapter. For readers of true crime non-fiction.

"Award-winning poet and critic Kevin Young traces the history of the hoax as a peculiarly American phenomenon -- the legacy of P.T. Barnum's 'humbug' culminating with the currency of Donald J. Trump's 'fake news'. Disturbingly, Young finds that fakery is woven from stereotype and suspicion, with race being the most insidious American hoax of all. He chronicles how Barnum came to fame by displaying figures like Joice Heth, a black woman whom he pretended...

"Taking its title from Danger Mouse's pioneering mashup of Jay-Z's The Black Album and the Beatles' The White Album, Kevin Young's encyclopedic book combines essay, cultural criticism, and lyrical choruses to illustrate the African American tradition of lying-telling tales, fibbing, improvising, jazzing up, "storying." What emerges is a persuasive argument for the many ways that African American culture is American culture, and for the centrality...

A decade after the sudden and tragic loss of the poet's father, we witness the unfolding of grief. Capturing the strange silence of bereavement, Kevin Young acknowledges, even celebrates, life's passages, his loss transformed and tempered in a sequence about the birth of his son. Ending this book of both birth and grief, the gorgeous title sequence brings acceptance, asking "What good/are wishes if they aren't / used up?" while understanding "How...

"Emile loves the field close to his home--in spring, summer, and fall, when it gives him bees and flowers, blossoms and leaves. But not as much in winter, when he has to share his beautiful, changeable field with other children ... and their sleds"--

Bestselling Author Kevin DeYoung Offers Hope for Those Who Feel Like Christianity Has Become Hopelessly Crushing and Complex The apostle Paul described the Christian life as a race, but to many believers it feels more like a punishing obstacle course. Fearing they'll never be able to do enough or give enough or be enough, they see themselves as spiritual failures. But Scripture offers good news: even in ordinary life,...

Christians know the importance of prayer, but the act of praying can be a real challenge. Some have the desire, but not always the will, others worry they don't do it well. Books about prayer usually emphasize spiritual discipline, but that can foster more guilt than reassurance. So how can Christians improve their prayer life, embracing the privilege of communicating with God? In The Lord's Prayer, Kevin DeYoung closely examines Christ's model for...

This book presents the case for loving the local church. It paints a picture of the local church in all its biblical and real life guts, gaffes, and glory in an effort to edify local congregations and entice the disaffected back to the fold. It also provides a solid biblical mandate to love and be part of the body of Christ and counteract the "leave church" books that trumpet rebellion and individual felt needs.Why We Love the Church is written for...

I'm too busy. We've all heard it, we've all said it. Sometimes being busy seems like the theme of our lives. Yet this frenetic pace poses a serious threat to our physical, social, and even spiritual well-being. In this mercifully short book about a really big problem, best-selling author Kevin DeYoung rejects the "busyness as usual" mindset, arguing that a life of constant chaos is far from what God intends. DeYoung helps us figure out a better way...