Book Reflection: Shook One

My latest read is Shook One: Anxiety Playing Tricks on Me by Charlamagne Tha God. The book is the author's second piece of work following his New York Times bestseller, Black Privilege. In Shook One, Charlamagne develops an enlightening conversation regarding mental health. He discusses his own experience dealing with mental health issues and encourages readers to embark on their own journey towards healing their mind. He provides deeply personal life stories that express his struggles with anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Further, he relates his experience to others in the Black community. Through this book, Charlamagne advocates for the need of increased attention paid toward the mental health of Black Americans. He analyzes the many factors that deter Black Americans from therapy such as cultural perception, self-medication, and lack of access. Charlamagne dedicates chapters to these factors among others to help readers gain a sense of how we can overcome these obstacles on our mental health journey. It is apparent that Charlamagne did his research in writing Shook One, but the book also contains expert advice from psychiatrist, Dr. Ish Major. Through reading the book, I appreciated the way Charlamagne frames each topic through his own narrative. His willingness to open up about his experiences makes the book a powerful read. His growth from being a drug dealer in Moncks Corner, South Carolina to becoming a nationally-syndicated radio host is certainly inspiring. In Shook One, Charlamagne acknowledges both the good and bad that molded him into the successful public figure he is today. He presents his stories in a way that is both humorous and impactful, which keeps you from wanting to put the book down. Reading this book, I noticed parallels to my own mental health journey. I too engage in counseling, meditation, and regulation of social media to protect and enhance my mental wellbeing. I recommend checking out Shook One, and assessing how you are investing time and attention towards your mental health. Feel free to order a copy using the link below. Thanks for reading!

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/shook-one-charlamagne-tha-god/1128615643?ean=9781982109820#/

Book Recommendation: The Awkward Thoughts of W. Kamau Bell

I recently had the chance to read The Awkward Thoughts of W. Kamau Bell: Tales of a 6'4", African-American, Heterosexual, Cisgender, Left-Leaning, Asthmatic, Black and Proud Blerd, Mama's Boy, Dad, and Stand-Up Comedian by W. Kamau Bell. The book was first published in May 2017 and tells the story of Bell's life from an autobiographical perspective. Bell provides readers with a humorous, but deeply personal take on the whirlwind of events that shaped him. Through reading, we learn about Bell's childhood, which consisted of many moves across the country. We are introduced to his parents, who of course play a large role in shaping his personality. Bell recounts his experiences as an Ivy League student at the University of Pennsylvania and explores the factors that led to him dropping out. In addition, we learn about Bell's unconventional rise in comedy and experiences as a host of his two television shows, Totally Biased and United Shades of America. Throughout the book, there is the common theme of coming up in the world as an outsider. Bell often faced circumstances that veered form the norm. However, this lack of normality provided him with unique opportunities and wisdom. It was interesting to read Bell's thoughts on race, superheroes, television, and Denzel Washington. He offers a perspective that is both humorous and honest. It speaks to the power of comedy as a truth-telling expression that is necessary in our world. The book possesses a nice balance of intelligence and entertainment. The Awkward Thoughts of W. Kamau Bell is definitely a fun read, but you will also walk away with some things to think about. I strongly encourage checking out this powerful book. W. Kamau Bell's story is dynamic and will give you the opportunity to laugh, cry, and learn. Thanks for reading! 

My Awakening

It seemed like any ordinary day in my middle school experience. I had taken the two-hour bus ride from home, with my sights set on finishing my seven-hour shift and returning back to my PlayStation. Little did that young twelve-year-old know, that the perception through which he viewed society and himself would on that day change forever. Up to that particular day in my life, I innocently viewed my world as a place where other’s perception of me was solely based on my character. I had heard of America’s dark past, but I naively believed that we had all overcome the ludicrous sentiments that were prevalent in the time of my grandparents and earlier generations. It was not until that morning period in sixth-grade language arts that I realized my appearance was subject to being associated with cruel and demeaning stereotypes.

My teacher was introducing the class to a new research assignment. It was a paper in which we were to study the neurological effects of any topic of choice. The example provided, which the teacher read aloud, was on a street drug known as “crack”. In one of the sentences of the example, the term “crack baby” was used. I then found out that one of my classmates said my name to a group of kids when that term was read by the teacher. As one of two Black students in the class, it was apparent that this remark was made about my race. Though long ago, I can still recall the painful sensation that took place when I heard those words. I felt isolated from the rest of my classmates, consumed by a combination of anger and sadness. This event marked a dramatic shift in my mindset.

From that day on, I never truly felt accepted into American society. It showed me that no matter how intelligent, successful, or well-mannered I thought myself to be, I could still encounter people that sought to confine my existence within their lines of distasteful preconceived generalizations. I was moved to discover how such generalizations could be made on something as trivial as skin color. I began to read books that elevated my consciousness of the Black American experience. It was comforting to see how others have encountered similar experiences to the one I had on that day in sixth grade. I became more aware of the atrocities that have affected Black Americans for centuries and I even viewed myself in a different light. With my life I was working to prove a more positive perception of Black Americans.

Though spawned from a negative experience, I consider my altered state of perception to have had a desirable impact. It motivated me to discover more about my identity as a Black American. It taught me that America’s dark history still seeps through the cracks into our current society. This altered state of perception was vital for my growth towards viewing the society in which I live through a more enlightened lens.

The Man Within Me: A Singular Perspective of the Collective African-American Struggle

A man has been abducted from his home, and is displaced into a foreign land. He is stripped of all ties to his home; and is forced into a language, a religion, and a law to abide by. He is also forced to labor for his kidnapper. This labor is excruciating, and takes a toll on him physically, mentally, and spiritually. He labors for so long that he builds wealth for the kidnapper and others in the land, with nothing to show for himself. He tried many times to escape. He tried to run away, he tried to articulate his struggles to the masses, he even tried to kill his kidnapper. These attempts only led to worse punishment. It wasn't until outside forces realized this situation was wrong, and joined him in the fight to achieve freedom. This achieved freedom is worth celebrating, but his struggle doesn't stop there.

Upon freedom, he is set out into the world. He has no remembrance of life before the kidnapping. All he knows is this foreign land, and the struggle he has endured. Now, his best option is to try to make it in this foreign land. There's a problem though. The people of this land do not accept him. They refuse to associate with him, and regard him as inferior. They refuse to eat with him, refuse to go to school with him, and even refuse to use the same bathroom as him. How can he succeed in a society that doesn't allow him to participate? He is forced on his own. He is able to do some amazing things on his own. He starts successful businesses, creates beautiful art, and is even able to invent. There's a problem though. Anytime he builds a business, creates a piece, or invents; his work is destroyed, stolen, and he never receives due credit. He realizes he's in a lose-lose situation. Things must change.

He begins to organize, and advocate for his fair treatment. This organization is pivotal, but he still faces internal struggles. Part of him wants to continue to fight for equality in this land, and part of him wants to go back to the land he was abducted from. Nonetheless, he expressed his struggle to the world. He's been mistreated, excluded from society, and disconnected from his history. This land he made wealthy has treated him like anything but human. He was even forced to fight for this land in war, knowing that they treated him like an enemy. It was important for his story to reach a wide audience. The word is spread, and his story becomes a highly publicized issue. Others join him in the fight for equal treatment in this land, this land which ought to be considered his home after all these years. This battle for equal treatment is hard-fought. It takes protests, arrests, and even deaths for him to receive the rights of a human being. It's a slow process, but eventually the government of this land prohibits discrimination against this man. Another step in the right direction, but it doesn't stop there.

Although it's now unlawful to discriminate against him, he still faces injustice. It turns out that the hate against him is engrained in the society. The society has painted him as a villain, someone to be feared. He now faces an institutional struggle. It's hard for him to attain a job, find quality housing, and receive proper education. It seems that the law wasn't able to rewire the perception of him among citizens of the land. He realizes he is still not accepted. He has to find an alternative way to survive. This causes him to fall into all sorts of traps. One of his biggest traps was drugs. Drugs led him to multiple arrests, and nearly destroyed him internally. This continued mistreatment led to frustration, which he sometimes expressed through violence. Although the government now called for his equal treatment, this was still a dark period for him. He had to develop consciousness, and learn to love himself despite all the madness he faced. This included looking back on his struggle, finding some peace within himself, and building off the great contributions to society that he never received credit for. Things have improved from this period, but the struggle continues.

The man still lives today. He lives with anxiety that the pattern of his history will repeat itself. He lives with curiosity of who he was before the kidnapping. He lives with pressures of society that try to box him in. He lives with an education system that tries to marginalize his contributions to society. He lives with those that try to disregard his struggle, and encourage him to simply move on. He lives with those that tell him to leave the land he helped build, and go back to the land he was abducted from. He lives with the scars and internal struggles of his journey. Most importantly, he lives. He lives in my ancestors. He lives in my family. He lives in me.