Reviews for Black Will Shoot

The average rating for Black Will Shoot based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2015-06-30 00:00:00 Duncan Peters Wow! This book is incredible, and I think it should be read by more white people. Okay, I've brought up race...before you trot out the online equivalent to torches and pitchforks, hear me out. Please and thank you. Having worked in and taught in Detroit for about half of my adult life, I am aware of what this book calls "hiphop culture" (I don't know if I should call it that. I don't know what to call it, so I hope no one is offended.) It is different than white, middle class culture--not better, not worse, just different. (Okay, actually, I have to confess that I think aspects are better but I don't feel like debating that here). In this book, you will read the words that I have heard, read the situations I have heard about, read about things that I have seen. A lot of my former students grew up in homes similar to that of Marq and Dontay (although granted, things got better by the time Marq was born). They grew up with the foster kids in and out, the mom running the streets, different men in and out, having to raise themselves..and then we throw them into a school (the purview of which is still Whitey, even if the schools are majority non-white), and suspend them or label them as special ed or whatever when they don't conform to our white view of society. I think it's safe to say that D's mom didn't read to him, didn't probably worry about whether his meals were perfectly balanced and suited to his tastes, didn't insist that he sit down and follow directions, didn't teach him how to act right...but then we are shocked when that same kid doesn't "succeed" at school or drops out (I think D dropped out?). I don't mean to make excuses for him, but what the hell chance did he have? (Other than The Joint and Large, but that didn't work out). So what I'm saying is that the book "kept it real" (as the characters were quick to point out they always did). It is rare that I read non-white characters who are actually fleshed out and true. (This may be more of a reflection of my white reading habits, and then that is on me). I just felt like I had taught these kids, that I knew them. The only reason that I didn't give the book 5 stars was that I needed a flow chart to keep track of some of the characters, and some of the characters were not necessary (the Felix Billings character comes to mind). But otherwise, this offered a fantastic glimpse into the culture of hip hop (still don't know if I should call it that). I cringed at the violence, at the misogyny, but I figure that's pretty real. (The author wrote for Vibe, so I am guessing he knows a thing or two about that life). I didn't know all of the slang, but I picked up most of it during my work in Detroit, so I was able to follow along. I really, really loved this writer's voice, and I really, really wish that more white people would read this to maybe better understand a world that most of us don't know about.

Review # 2 was written on 2011-06-06 00:00:00 Arthur Fier I bought this book as much of an insight to my upcoming sequel to my Stage novel, so that I had a feel for what went on in the inner city style of music as I am more hard rock and metal oriented. This story piqued my interest for several reasons. It is written in a very cool pair of voices. And you start the story at the ending. I felt the journey to the ending somewhat cumbersome, but at the same time those details were necessary for the flow of the story. Actually written from Marq's perspective, it breaks in with Dontay's version of what was going on from what is supposed to be a tape recording made at the end of the book. Very clever storytelling device, I must use it sometime. I felt it a worthwhile read, even if it really did not give me the research I needed for my sequel...