The result is a bracing and often humorous examination by one of America's most acclaimed essayists of what it is to grow, parent, write, and exist as a black American male. Whether confronting the medical profession's racial biases, considering the complicated legacy of Michael Jackson, paying homage to his writing mentor James Alan McPherson, or attempting to break free of personal and societal stereotypes, Walker elegantly blends personal revelation and cultural critique. Finalist for the 2020 National Book Award in NonfictionĪ Book of the Year pick from Kirkus, BuzzFeed, and Literary Hub "The essays in this collection are restless, brilliant and short.The brevity suits not just Walker's style but his worldview, too.Keeping things quick gives him the freedom to move he can alight on a truth without pinning it into place." -Jennifer Szalai, the New York Times For the black community, Jerald Walker asserts in How to Make a Slave, "anger is often a prelude to a joke, as there is broad understanding that the triumph over this destructive emotion lay in finding its punchline." It is on the knife's edge between fury and farce that the essays in this exquisite collection balance.
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