The Great Boomsky: The Many Lives of Magic's First Black Superstar

Thirteen-year-old Milton Hudson Everett loves his job as Boomsky, the clumsy sidekick of the great magician Alexander Herrmann (1844- 1896). Beloved across America, Boomsky falls on top hats and drops trays of borrowed watches, bringing screams of laughter. But Boomsky is himself a magician's ruse- a skilled secret assistant hiding in plain sight.

For a series of African American teens, the role of Boomsky becomes a training ground and launching pad. Against all odds in segregated America, e...