hillcountrymagic
$50.00
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, eight former Boomskys establish brilliant adult careers as magicians, musicians, and comedians.
Herrmann’s protégés entertain millions, but their achievements go unrecorded by the segregated press, condemning them to obscurity. More than a century later, magic’s greatest untold story is finally revealed in this rollicking tale of adventure, success, betrayal, and perseverance.
"Margaret Steele has restored an important lost chapter from the Golden Age of Magic in a thoroughly researched, entertaining tale that reads like an adventure novel—rare magic indeed."
– David Copperfield
"With storytelling prowess and an unflinching commitment to the truth, Margaret Steele presents an illusion-shattering narrative that unfolds like a cinematic odyssey. Don't miss the astonishing tale of 'Boomsky’!"
-Michael Carbonaro (The Carbonaro Effect)
"Margaret Steele compassionately and defiantly presents the story of someone whose existence was deliberately and almost completely erased. Now it has been restored, exposing the real history that will be forever told and embraced by all of us. In my view, this book is a genuine form of atonement."
- Dr. Lynn Jones. Activist/Member of the Order of Canada
BookLife/Publishers Weekly (Editor's Pick)
"Any reader interested in the history of magic or show business in the U.S. will appreciate this fascinating exploration of Black performers, their craft, and what it took to perform in a society built to exploit them."
Takeaway: Deeply researched, detail-rich history of Black magicians of the vaudeville era.
Genii Magazine
"Just as she was charged to do, Steele did it all the way; she has done proud the descended family, the predecessors, and the successors of The Great Boomsky."
$19.98