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The Trayvon Generation by Elizabeth Alexander

The Trayvon Generation

by Elizabeth Alexander was originally an essay published in the New Yorker.  The essay was a 

reflection/analysis of the dangers facing young Black Americans.  Now the essay has been integrated with art, poetry, and even a letter.  The book looks at America’s unresolved problem with race.  Parts of it broke my heart.  It goes back in history and then ends with current events.  On page 101 of the advanced copy is a 1905 letter from a man at a university asking for information on “whether a negro sheds tears”.  This guy was seriously researching feelings.  I cried at the poem on page 111 titled The Boy Died in My Alley.  The artwork is kind of hard to see in the black and white printed ARC but the pieces of art are easy to look upon the internet to get the full feeling.  My favorite piece is on page 17 by Mary Sibande titled The Reign.  This is a small book that packs a powerful punch to the gut.  Thank you Grand Central for sending me this to open my mind and heart to more understanding.  

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