Reveal Being Black in America Almost Killed Me Part 1
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Sep 3, 2025 Trymaine Lee, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and MSNBC contributor, shares his powerful journey after surviving a massive heart attack. He reflects on the impact of gun violence on Black lives, revealing the emotional weight he carries as a journalist. Trymaine also discusses the intersection of his health crisis with his work, illuminating the challenges Black journalists face in addressing systemic issues while navigating their own identities. His transformative experiences underscore the urgent need for empathy and community in storytelling.
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Seed Of The Book
- Trymaine Lee traced the book's origin to a 2003 hospital interview with a paralyzed teenager and his struggling family.
- That encounter seeded the "million dollar bullets" idea linking violence to economic cost.
Years Of Pitching Became A Book
- Lee repeatedly pitched the idea of quantifying the cost of gun violence for years before an agent and timing after high-profile killings made it viable.
- The project evolved from a beat-story to a full book during the 2015 wave of national attention.
Near-Death Reframes Everything
- At 38, Trymaine Lee suffered a massive heart attack that nearly killed him and required stents to clear a major artery.
- The event forced him to reexamine his life, work, and the violence he'd long reported on.