Nicholas McCane
I’m no stranger to D. Watkins. “Black Boy Smile” was the book that got me back into reading. I gave it five stars. I also read “The Cook UP” which I gave three and a half stars.
This one started out really well. He talked about bad things that affect black people in their everyday lives. How alcohol is bad for them, how men degrade women (outstanding chapter), how rap music poisons the minds of children, the corrupt school system, and bad food options (food deserts).
But then somewhere in the middle, he goes on this wild rant about how all police are bad, especially the black ones. He has a chapter titled “Black Cop Down”. I was born and raised on the Southside of Chicago. I understand his pain; I've been there. It’s the reason I decided not to be a doctor, and chose law enforcement instead. The neighborhood needs to see people who are from there and who look/think like them. And who can stop, de-escalate, report, terminate, and/or arrest racist cops. And again, I’ve been there too.
In order to make a change, we need black police officers. And it’s hard out here for us. We catch hell from all sides. Yes, there are corrupt officers, racist officers, and terrible black officers too, but this is not the majority. But as an author, it’s his responsibility to research and tell the entire story. We are out here fighting the fight too.
I love this author’s street-level storytelling. It’s what I enjoy most about his writing. Here’s one of my favorite quotes from the book.
“Even though I was born in America, and my ancestors built its infrastructure for free, I’m not a part of the “Our” when they sing, “Our flag was still there!”… I feel like the “our” doesn’t include blacks, most women, gays, trans, and poor people of all colors.”
I’m no stranger to D. Watkins. “Black Boy Smile” was the book that got me back into reading. I gave it five stars. I also read “The Cook UP” which I gave three and a half stars.
This one started out really well. He talked about bad things that affect black people in their everyday lives. How alcohol is bad for them, how men degrade women (outstanding chapter), how rap music poisons the minds of children, the corrupt school system, and bad food options (food deserts).
But then somewhere in the middle, he goes on this wild rant about how all police are bad, especially the black ones. He has a chapter titled “Black Cop Down”. I was born and raised on the Southside of Chicago. I understand his pain; I've been there. It’s the reason I decided not to be a doctor, and chose law enforcement instead. The neighborhood needs to see people who are from there and who look/think like them. And who can stop, de-escalate, report, terminate, and/or arrest racist cops. And again, I’ve been there too.
In order to make a change, we need black police officers. And it’s hard out here for us. We catch hell from all sides. Yes, there are corrupt officers, racist officers, and terrible black officers too, but this is not the majority. But as an author, it’s his responsibility to research and tell the entire story. We are out here fighting the fight too.
I love this author’s street-level storytelling. It’s what I enjoy most about his writing. Here’s one of my favorite quotes from the book.
“Even though I was born in America, and my ancestors built its infrastructure for free, I’m not a part of the “Our” when they sing, “Our flag was still there!”… I feel like the “our” doesn’t include blacks, most women, gays, trans, and poor people of all colors.”
Wow, Take my Hand sheds light on forced sterilization in America. Medical racism. The main character is Civil, who is a nurse. We follow her as she forms a relationship with two young sisters who have just experienced the unthinkable. True events inspired the book. What happens when two sisters and a nurse take on the government?
This is one of those books that will stay with you. It made me angry, sad, and I can’t stop thinking about it.
“Their bodies were not theirs to give, yet they were taken anyway.”
“History isn’t as far away as we want to believe.”
Wow, Take my Hand sheds light on forced sterilization in America. Medical racism. The main character is Civil, who is a nurse. We follow her as she forms a relationship with two young sisters who have just experienced the unthinkable. True events inspired the book. What happens when two sisters and a nurse take on the government?
This is one of those books that will stay with you. It made me angry, sad, and I can’t stop thinking about it.
“Their bodies were not theirs to give, yet they were taken anyway.”
“History isn’t as far away as we want to believe.”
This was an absolute masterpiece. To prepare for James, I read both The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Although you don’t have to read either, I strongly recommend reading Huck Finn first.
I really enjoyed reading Huck Finn through the eyes of Jim (James). Percival Everett gave Jim the voice he deserves. This was more than a retelling. All my emotions paid me a visit reading this one, and there was a twist that I never saw coming. Because of the hype, this book sat on my bookshelf for a very long time. I just knew it had to be over-hyped. But no, I agree with this being 2024’s book of the year and with the author winning the Pulitzer. The writing was excellent, and the pacing was smooth. The readers needed this book. As expected, there are some heavy scenes. But overall, I highly recommend it.
The only thing I had an issue with was how fast Huck turned anti-slavery. I say that because he was off the chain in the original.
This was an absolute masterpiece. To prepare for James, I read both The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Although you don’t have to read either, I strongly recommend reading Huck Finn first.
I really enjoyed reading Huck Finn through the eyes of Jim (James). Percival Everett gave Jim the voice he deserves. This was more than a retelling. All my emotions paid me a visit reading this one, and there was a twist that I never saw coming. Because of the hype, this book sat on my bookshelf for a very long time. I just knew it had to be over-hyped. But no, I agree with this being 2024’s book of the year and with the author winning the Pulitzer. The writing was excellent, and the pacing was smooth. The readers needed this book. As expected, there are some heavy scenes. But overall, I highly recommend it.
The only thing I had an issue with was how fast Huck turned anti-slavery. I say that because he was off the chain in the original.
To prepare for reading James, I read both The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and now The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. This book was first published in 1884. The book follows Huck as he runs away from his abusive father. He travels with Jim (James) who is a runaway slave. They both encounter a series of incidents as they travel along the Mississippi River. This story is heavy on racism and slavery. They both wanted freedom, which looks completely different for the both of them.
I have avoided this book my entire life, and wouldn’t have read it if I hadn’t wanted to read James so badly. The constant use of the n-word was a bit much, though I expected it. Overall, the story was just okay. I couldn’t wait for it to end. Yes, it captured the time, and yes, it did what it was supposed to do. But it just felt like another American classic that catered to white children. Can’t wait to see what Percival Everett has added to this.
To prepare for reading James, I read both The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and now The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. This book was first published in 1884. The book follows Huck as he runs away from his abusive father. He travels with Jim (James) who is a runaway slave. They both encounter a series of incidents as they travel along the Mississippi River. This story is heavy on racism and slavery. They both wanted freedom, which looks completely different for the both of them.
I have avoided this book my entire life, and wouldn’t have read it if I hadn’t wanted to read James so badly. The constant use of the n-word was a bit much, though I expected it. Overall, the story was just okay. I couldn’t wait for it to end. Yes, it captured the time, and yes, it did what it was supposed to do. But it just felt like another American classic that catered to white children. Can’t wait to see what Percival Everett has added to this.
Overall, it was a decent read, but I was so glad when it was finally over. A memoir or autobiography shouldn’t make you like someone less, but it did here. I always liked Will as a TV and movie star, but he appeared extremely arrogant in this one. He repeatedly reminded us of how famous he is. He kept saying, “I’m the biggest movie star in the world”. And I cringed every time he said it.
I also didn’t like the way he treated women (especially his wives), his family, or his fans. And I think he wanted the reader to sympathize with him. The book was enjoyable, but I think it was too early for him to write a book. Seems like he needs a little more self-reflection. I think he was really being honest, but this was too soon. I used to think Jada was the problem, but no, she’s the victim. By the end, I was exhausted. Sorry, Will, but I couldn’t get jiggy with this.
Overall, it was a decent read, but I was so glad when it was finally over. A memoir or autobiography shouldn’t make you like someone less, but it did here. I always liked Will as a TV and movie star, but he appeared extremely arrogant in this one. He repeatedly reminded us of how famous he is. He kept saying, “I’m the biggest movie star in the world”. And I cringed every time he said it.
I also didn’t like the way he treated women (especially his wives), his family, or his fans. And I think he wanted the reader to sympathize with him. The book was enjoyable, but I think it was too early for him to write a book. Seems like he needs a little more self-reflection. I think he was really being honest, but this was too soon. I used to think Jada was the problem, but no, she’s the victim. By the end, I was exhausted. Sorry, Will, but I couldn’t get jiggy with this.