First published 2023
James Alan McPherson abandoned his law degree to pursue writing, becoming the first Black author to win the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1978. This collection gathers his essays spanning decades of American life. McPherson examines his early education under segregation, where authorities discouraged Black students from reading and exploring ideas. He profiles comedian Richard Pryor at the start of his career and pays tribute to his mentor Ralph Ellison. The author recounts his battle with viral meningitis and his experience as a reluctant landlord to an elderly Black woman. He reflects on taking his daughter to Disneyland and observes neighborhood debates over naming streets after Malcolm X or Martin Luther King Jr. Throughout these pieces, McPherson searches for ways to transcend America's racial divisions while remaining rooted in African American culture. His essays demonstrate how love for Black life can coexist with mastery of standard English and genuine participation in American democracy. The collection reveals a writer seeking connections that bridge human differences and offering readers insight into both personal experience and national identity.
Genres: essays, literary-fiction, american, african-american, non-fiction, biography-memoir
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, personal-journey
Setting: America, Disneyland
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
256 pages · Paperback · Nonpareil Books