I had very little idea what I was getting into when I first started reading Buck. The first few paragraphs were amazing; but, I thought I might be in way over my culturally sheltered, Hits-1 listening, head. I tried to look up some of the words in my (not so urban) kindle dictionary, but warily realized I might have to rely on my husband for some of the references. (I was in a car, out of reach of google). He thinks he’s way more hip than I am, which is not really saying much, but he did seem to know an awful lot of the slang. Having grown up in a similarly white suburb as me, I have no idea how he learned all this, but I can admit my shortcomings — and they were not enough for me to give up. I am not proud of my ignorance, so I kept reading, hoping to learn something. I was blown away. This book is graphically violent and brutally honest. It is rough in its language and it is shocking in its story. It is a crushing indictment of our education system and also, somehow, a story of triumph over it. It is the story of how a few people who care can change a life that seems caught in the path of a bad tradition. But more than this, it is beautiful.
I read this book never really believing Malo Asante was going to live to the end; but reminding myself that it is his story, and he wrote it, so he must have. I did not google him until I finished, so I would not know what he made of his life. But after, having lived it with him, I felt like a proud parent as I read his many achievements.
Honestly, I don’t want to say more or offer too many opinions. Just one. Read this book. You will not regret it.
I received this book on my kindle from netgalley, but now, seeing the chunky book with the perfect cover, I kind of want to buy another copy.
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