A twentieth-century African-American writer and journalist, he is best known for his 1947 novel, Knock on Any Door, which was made into a film directed by Nicholas Ray and starring Humphrey Bogart. His other works include Let No Man Write My Epitaph and Let Noon Be Fair. Using the pseudonym of "Bud Billikin," he wrote a children's column entitled "Bud Says" for the Chicago Defender.
