Veteran journalist and award-winning professor at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, Samuel G. Freedman is the author of several books on teaching, religion, and American social life, including The Inheritance, a Pulitzer Prize finalist, and Upon This Rock, recipient of the 1993 Helen Bernstein Award for Excellence in Journalism. A former staff reporter for the New York Times, he currently pens the “On Religion” column. Breaking the Line captures a pivotal time in the civil rights movement in telling the story of the 1967 Orange Blossom Classic—the championship game of black college football—where two rival football teams, two legendary coaches, and two star quarterbacks broke the color line and revolutionized American sports.

Ericka Blount Danois writes about race, politics, music, sports, and culture for the New York Times, the Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Sports Illustrated, Spin, and Vibe magazine, among other publications. She began her career at the Philadelphia Tribune with a cover story on Kenny Gamble, the king of Philadelphia International Records. Her debut book, Love, Peace, and Soul is a celebratory collection of anecdotes and stories from behind the scenes at Soul Train—the cultural phenomenon that launched the careers of legendary artists including Tina Turner, Stevie Wonder, the Jackson 5, Aretha Franklin, and Gladys Knight.