Nicholas McCane

Earlier this year I read Buck, by the same author. That book was a masterpiece, but it left me with a few questions. The book, Buck, was about a teenager named Malo, whose older brother (Uzi) went to the penitentiary. His dad ended up leaving, and his mother went through severe depression. I was so glad to hear that the author followed it up with “Nephew”.

This book contains a series of letters from Malo to his brother’s 18-year-old son Nasir, who was shot nine times and lay unconscious in a hospital.

This book has the same premise as “The Fire Next Time” by James Baldwin and “Between the World and Me” by Ta-Nehisi Coates. I gave both five stars.

This was a good read, but I had one issue with it. Sometimes it wasn’t clear who the author was talking to. It was supposed to be addressed to Nasir, but it felt like he was talking to the reader. There were a lot of memorable parts, but some felt regurgitated from Buck.

I'll leave you with a quote.

“It isn’t actually Mississippi; it’s America. There’s no Mason-Dixon Line—it’s America. There’s no such thing as the South—it’s America.”

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.”

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.