Last of the Lions: An African American Journey in Memoir

Last of the Lions is two histories woven together. It’s a personal history; the evocative life of Clarence B. Jones, from his Jim Crow-era upbringing living at the "Blessed Sacrament School for Colored and Native American Boys" through the election of the first Black U.S. President and the chaos beyond… and hundreds of amazing moments in between. But it’s also the coming-of-age story of this country, with the kind of intimate and thought-provoking perspectives that unfurl in classics like Soul on Ice, On the Road, and The Feminine Mystique. Jones participated in nearly every one of the most important political and social movements from the ’50s until today, seven crucial decades that have defined the "American Experience."

During that time, the landscape of America’s relationship with her Black citizenry has shifted. Jones’ story is the bridge from one America to another - spanning poverty and prosperity, injustice and acceptance, Harlem and Wall Street, the militant philosophy of the radical Black Nation of Islam and the Gandhian philosophy of Dr. King. His experience is the connective tissue that clarifies our past, explains our present, points the way to the future.

Last of the Lions offers a vibrant perspective on human nature and serves as a valuable guide to the still-unfinished business of America: The erasing of the color line. Jones fought the battles, celebrated the victories, suffered the iniquities. And unlike most, lived to see both the fruits of his labor and its failings. History has never felt so present, philosophy so urgent.