You, reading this, have made it to Friday. Me, writing this? I am slightly in the past. We, collectively, are in the beginnings of spring, aka one of the most confusing times in Chicago, weather-wise. So I hope it\u2019s a nice morning, but who knows, y\u2019know? <\/p>
What I\u2019ve Been Reading This Week: <\/strong><\/p> A book that took the author 25 years to write, and it\u2019s easy to see why. A book that is one of the most painful and difficult-to-get-through set of pages I\u2019ve ever read, and you know I don\u2019t shy away from shit when I read. A book I am nevertheless glad to have read, a book whose existence I am grateful for. A book, hey cool, that was recommended to me on The Line Break<\/a><\/em> by the homie , during the all-influence starting five portion. I\u2019m talking, of course, about The Black Notebooks<\/em> by Toi Derricotte. <\/p> The Black Notebooks<\/strong><\/em> by Toi Derricotte: <\/strong>I picked up this book on Isaac\u2019s recommendation because it is a lyric memoir about the experience of being a white-passing Black person. A bit of honesty: I did<\/em> think this was going to be poems, literally until I cracked it open. No matter. Isaac\u2019s recommendation made me realize that I don\u2019t think I\u2019ve ever read something by a white-passing Black person, though I do read Black authors with some regularity. My son, of course, is Black, but with nearly my same skin tone (\u201ccan enjoy the beach white\u201d), and not that books\u2019ll teach you everything you need to know in this world, but I was ready to do some learning, here.<\/p> It might be the subject matter, it might be the stress in my own life right now, but this book is tough. Being a white person, I know how painful it is hear what some white people really<\/em> think about people of color, what some white people really<\/em> think is cool to say when \u201cthe coast is clear.\u201d The added dimension of having to choose whether or not to reveal she\u2019s Black to these people (always met with either \u201cI\u2019m not racist\u201d defensiveness or presumptuous \u201cwhat makes you<\/em> Black\u201d audacity) is brutal. The first section, which I alluded to a week ago<\/a>, sees Toi and her family trying to fit in to the all-white suburb of Upper Montclair, NJ. Where\u2019s Lil Rel shouting GET OUT when you need him? Another section has Toi at an artists\u2019 retreat, where a painter patronizingly shows her a collection of jazz records, another writer keeps telling her to read \u201cthis one New York Times <\/em>article\u201d because she\u2019ll \u201creally like it\u201d and it\u2019s \u201cabout racism.\u201d There\u2019s also the complicating factors of Toi being a recovering victim of pretty violent child abuse, Toi having pretty severe depression (understandable!), and Toi\u2019s marriage collapsing as this book is being written. <\/p> I came away from this book feeling awful for its author, wishing that just about everything in the world was completely different. White supremacy is a hell of a demon, and it has reverberations for generations. I do hope my kid reads this book when he\u2019s ready, and I\u2019ll read it with him. Before that day comes, it\u2019d be great if we could make a better world. I\u2019m not holding my breath, though. <\/p> LINKS!<\/strong><\/p> Something to listen to while you browse? George Lowe, voice of Space Ghost, passed away this week (you might\u2019ve read Wednesday\u2019s column<\/a>). Here\u2019s a great obit from Barry Petchesky<\/a> (bonus link, lucky you). I loved Space Ghost Coast To Coast<\/em> in middle school and high school. Shoutout to my oldest and dearest Canadian friend who lives in Scotland and is totally real, Devon, for really helping me appreciate Brak\u2019s School Daze. Shoutout to my old Taco Bell coworker, Deon, for singing the Minky Boodle song during closing shifts with me. Shoutout to MF DOOM, for also loving Adult Swim. Please enjoy this fan video for \u201cSpace Hos.\u201d<\/p>![\"The](\"https:\/\/substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/images\/de9c34ce-ccaf-4b28-a92c-f88fd4a33419_3024x4032.heic\")
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