Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Two on the River | 1988 | Wil Haygood | Buy |
| 2 | King of the Cats | 1993 | Wil Haygood | Buy |
| 3 | The Haygoods of Columbus | 1997 | Wil Haygood | Buy |
| 4 | In Black and White | 2003 | Wil Haygood | Buy |
| 5 | Sweet Thunder | 2009 | Wil Haygood | Buy |
| 6 | The Butler | 2013 | Wil Haygood | Buy |
| 7 | Showdown | 2015 | Wil Haygood | Buy |
| 8 | Tigerland: 1968-1969 | 2018 | Wil Haygood | Buy |
| 9 | I Too Sing America | 2018 | Wil Haygood | Buy |
| 10 | Colorization | 2021 | Wil Haygood | Buy |
Wil Haygood’s nonfiction output spans more than three decades, beginning with Two on the River (1988) and continuing through Colorization (2021). His early books include King of the Cats (1993), a biography of Harlem congressman Adam Clayton Powell Jr., and The Haygoods of Columbus (1997), a family memoir. In Black and White (2003) is a thorough biography of Sammy Davis Jr., tracing the entertainer’s life from vaudeville stages to the Rat Pack and beyond.
Sweet Thunder (2009) tells the story of Thurgood Marshall’s career as a civil rights lawyer, while The Butler (2013), the book that brought Haygood his widest audience, recounts the life of Eugene Allen, who served as a White House butler through decades of American history. Showdown (2015) returns to Marshall for his Supreme Court confirmation battle. Tigerland: 1968-1969 (2018) and I Too Sing America (2018) further broaden his scope, and Colorization (2021) takes on the full history of race in American film. Together, these ten books form a body of work that covers American culture, politics, and identity from multiple angles, always grounded in specific lives and specific moments.