The Fierce 44 : Black Americans Who Shook Up the World

A dynamic and hip collective biography that presents forty-four of America’s greatest movers and shakers, from Frederick Douglass to Aretha Franklin to Barack Obama, written by ESPN’s TheUndefeated.com and illustrated with dazzling portraits by Rob Ball.

From visionaries to entrepreneurs, athletes to activists, the Fierce 44 are beacons of brilliance, perseverance, and excellence. Each short biography is accompanied by a compelling portrait by Robert Ball, whose bright, graphic art pops off the page.

Bringing household names like Serena Williams and Harriet Tubman together with lesser-known but highly deserving figures such as Robert Abbott and Dr. Charles Drew, this collection is a celebration of all that African Americans have achieved, despite everything they have had to overcome. 

The Staff of the Undefeated.

Robert Ball has been a practicing graphic designer since 2000, and has illustrated throughout his career. His work carries the dynamism of comic-book art, mixed with an eye for the absurd, influenced by a misspent youth poring over the pages of Marvel comics and 2000AD.