Background Resources for "They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us"

The Orientation Book Partners will compile resources to provide context for and extend the book throughout the summer. Follow CSWIMstagram and check back on this page for updates!

Listen to the music from They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us Until They Kill Us

In almost each of Abdurraqib’s essays, there is a particular kind of music or moment where music happens that he is drawn to — a certain song, album, or artist that his attention directs the reader toward. You can find these pieces through our CSWIM Spotify playlists. Each playlist is based on one of the essays from the book.

Poems by Hanif Abdurraqib

Other than an essayist, Hanif Abdurraqib is also an acclaimed poet. His poetry books include The Crown Ain’t Worth Much (2016) and A Fortune For Your Disaster (2019). Many of the artists and songs he writes about in They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us have also appeared in his poems. Here is a short list of Abdurraqib’s poems (performed and published) that are connected to essays within or outside of They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us:

Poems related to artists within the book:

Poems related to artists outside the book:

Abdurraqib’s Marvin Gaye interludes

Abdurraqib begins each of the six sections in They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us with an interlude about American singer, songwriter, and musician, Marvin Gaye. Here is some context about Marvin Gaye’s work and life: