SURVIVAL
The truth about institutions, addiction, incarceration, and homelessness.
THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF JAMES HICKMAN
LIVINGLEGEND
The world wrote him off.
He decided to rewrite his story.
LIVING LEGEND
THE WORLD
WROTE HIM OFF.
HE REWROTE
THE ENDING.
Before James “Bullet” Hickman became a successful entrepreneur, author, publisher, and champion of African American history, he was a young man fighting to survive a world that had already decided his future.
Born in Alton, Illinois, James spent much of his childhood moving through mental institutions, group homes, and juvenile correctional facilities. By adulthood, his life had spiraled into addiction, crime, incarceration, and homelessness. With limited formal education and a past that seemed impossible to escape, the odds were stacked against him.
But James Hickman refused to let his past become his destiny.
Your past may explain where you’ve been. It doesn’t have to determine where you’re going.— JAMES HICKMAN
FROM SURVIVAL TO OWNERSHIP
PRISON CELLS.
BOARDROOMS.
ONE LIFE.
Armed with determination, street-earned wisdom, and an unshakable belief in himself, James transformed his life from prison cells to boardrooms, from hustling on the streets to building his own publishing empire.
As the founder of Bent Publishing, he turned a passion for education into a national movement, producing books, documentaries, and historical calendars that have reached audiences across America. His groundbreaking Barack Obama calendar became a cultural phenomenon, selling hundreds of thousands of copies and proving that a powerful vision can overcome extraordinary obstacles.
REDEMPTION
The decision to reject the future others had already written for him.
OWNERSHIP
Building a publishing enterprise and preserving history on his own terms.
THE BOOK
RAW.
UNAPOLOGETIC.
DEEPLY
INSPIRING.
In Living Legend, James delivers a raw, unapologetic, and deeply inspiring account of survival, redemption, entrepreneurship, and purpose. More than a success story, it is a testament to the power of self-belief, ownership, and the courage to become something greater than your circumstances.
This isn’t just the story of a man who beat the odds. It’s the story of a man who refused to accept them.
CHOOSE YOUR EDITION