A Gathering of Heroes: A Personal Memoir of the Los Angeles Riots - Softcover

GregAlan Williams

On April 29, 1992, Baywatch star GregAlan Williams walked into the intersection of Florence and Normandie avenues (the heart of South Central Los Angeles) and into the midst of the worst riot in modern American history. Summoning courage born from the examples of his own personal heroes, Williams rescued Takao Hirata from an angry mob armed with bottles and rods. Through an endless shower of projectiles, he managed to drag the nearly lifeless man to safety. A Gathering Of Heroes is the account of that traumatic event and its complex, fascinating aftermath. Williams vividly captures the sights and sounds of that tragic day, setting them against the background of his own life. He recalls his own experiences with racism and his own violent behavior when he was in the Marines. All of these experiences are grist for Williams' mill as he reflects on the consequences of rage, on the ambiguity of attitudes about race, and most importantly, on the obligation we all bear when confronted with the mindless face of violence. A Gathering Of Heroes is more than a simple tale of one man's rescue of another, it is a vividly written portrayal of the social, physical, and cultural price of stereotypical racism, of economic depravation, and of the human spirit overcoming the chains of hatred, their own as well as others. A Gathering Of Heroes should be on the shelves of every highschool, college, community center, and public library in the country. -- Midwest Book Review