4 of 5 stars

The first essay, “My Dungeon Shook: Letter to My Nephew on the One Hundredth Anniversary of the Emancipation”, was excellent, 5 stars easy and reminds me a little of his Notes of a Native Son. Two good quotes from this part are: “The details and symbols of your life have been deliberately constructed to make you believe what white people say about you. Please try to remember that what they believe, as well as what they do and cause you to endure, does not testify to your inferiority but to their inhumanity and fear.” He later adds: “You must accept [white people] and accept them with love. For these innocent people have no other hope. They are, in effect, still trapped in a history which they do not understand; and until they understand it, they cannot be released from it.”

The second essay, “Down at the Cross: Letter from a Region in my Mind”, was good but also felt less focused than his other essays, wandering a little. Maybe if it had been broken up a little more into subsections, I’m not sure. I’d go with 3 stars.

So, overall, I’d give this book a rating of 4 stars.