Matthew R Morris

I am neither Black nor a boy but I decided to read this book to gain perspective. The author said he'd written this book to encourage a great understanding of Black masculinity. I think he has succeeded, at least in part.

To be honest, there were parts of the book I couldn't fully appreciate, especially discussions of the importance of hip-hop culture. I tried to find analogies in my culture but couldn't. The author describes things well, but I couldn't get it at an emotional or visceral show more level. On the other hand, there were parts I could strongly identify with, especially discussion of passive and implicit messaging steering Black boys into certain activities and away from others.

One really eye-opening discussion was about the form racism takes today. From page 15: "We've seemed to arrive at a racist world without any racists in it....When juxtaposed with overt policies of the past, like separate water fountains and segregated seating on buses, it can seem like we've solved most of the issue. As if actions that spring from racist thoughts but have no power behind them aren't really racist. As if wielding unfounded bias toward another group isn't racism..."

Another thought-provoking discussion concerned how Canada's main story is how we were not racist like the U.S. Our history lessons, if they cover Black people at all, are about the underground railroad. The author says this devalues the experiences of Black citizens, telling them their perspectives on their own lives are "more lies than truth" (page 206).

If you want a better understanding of living as a Black man in Canada today, read this book. show less