I found myself reliving many conversations, often in tents on the other side of the world, where my eyes - away from the myth of American exceptionalism and innocence, were opened. Guilty of the privileged sin of thinking I knew more than I did. The America not seen at tables of privilege was always a poorly kept secret. But still.

Still, I got to the essay titled 'Reasonable Doubt and the Lost Presidential Election of 2012' - and the sentence, "I also assumed most of those folks were wondering how retribution for this splendid Black American Achievement would be played out on their bodies" and realized the ugliness of American mythology was uglier than realized - centuries of seeing every moment of progress repaid with a violent backlash. And the need to stop overtalking what's being said and to just shut up and listen.

Kiese Laymon lays down these truths in a way that rips the veneer off the myth. It's storytelling at its finest that resists the urge to compartmentalize discussions of justice from discussions of family from discussions of joy from discussions of grief - showing how pervasive hate is. Even after a person has come to terms with its destructiveness, that's only the beginning of the learning process.

Kiese Laymon needs to be read at every level. ( )

Hell yes. ( )

I discovered Laymon in Scratch and laughed out loud over the frustrations of the publishing business. Before I finished the essay, "You Are the Second Person," I ordered all of his books from Copperfield, my locally owned bookstore. Heart achingly true but told with wit, grace, and wisdom, these essays will become part of who you are forever. ( )

Great stuff. A first book to be sure and some of the pieces don't belong in here. But Kiese Laymon on race, pop culture and family, I'd follow anywhere. When do we get essay collection the second? ( )

I think this collection is a love letter written by a black man to, and for the African-American community.

It's gritty, painful, and at times surprising. I did not leave it learning very much more about my own black journey. I left it understanding that in Laymon's writing exists healing, life, and ultimately self-preservation. ( )