The Root Recommends: 'My Times in Black and White'

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Released almost four years after his death in 2006, My Times in Black and White: Race and Power at the New York Times is the memoir of Gerald M. Boyd, the first black managing editor at the New York Times.

The ambitious and determined journalist recalled what it felt like to be black in an all-white newsroom and carry his entire race on his back. He also addresses whether or not he acted as a mentor to Jayson Blair, the Times reporter who was caught plagiarizing stories in 2003, and how that relationship cost him his job. This book has been on the shelves for a while, but if you're a news junkie the way we are, it's an interesting read.

Previous recommendation: Aretha Franklin's 'Take a Look.'

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