What’s Going On: Personal Essays

242 Pages·1997·12.547 MB·English

by  Nathan McCall

FPT U.S.A. $21.00
Canada $28.95
After the publication of his acclaimed autobio-
graphy, Makes Me Wanna Holler, a shattering
and eloquent account of one man's journey from
prisoner to reporter, Nathan McCall traveled and
spoke to audiences across the nation. What he
saw and heard from people of all backgrounds
moved him to write this eye-opening exploration
ofthe politics ofrace in America. In What's Going
On, McCall firmly establishes himself as a com-
mentator for our times, drawing on personal
experience and current events to deconstruct the
social, cultural, and political tensions that, in
clearly seen and not so obvious ways, affect us
every day.
With his trademark blend of honesty, original-
ity, and insight, McCall takes on some of today's
most complex and controversial issues. In the
chapter "Gangstas, Guns, and Shoot-'Em-Ups,"
he advances the debate over violent rap lyrics
with powerful firsthand evidence of the harm
macho pop culture does to young minds. In "The
Revolution Is About Basketball" he shows how
the stereotype of blacks' sports supremacy makes
a casual game between blacks and whites turn
gravely serious. "Old Town" looks at the racial
unfairness present in the gentrification of historic
African-American neighborhoods. Whether dis-
Muhammad
cussing the cultural significance of
Ali, defending Alice Walker and Terry McMillan
(continued on back flap)

ALSO BY NATHAN McCALL
Makes Me Wanna Holler:
A Young Black Man in America
WHAT'
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NATHAN
McCALL
WHAT'»©>
ON
PERSONAL
ESSAYS
RANDOM HOUSE
NEW YORK
Copyright© 1997 byNathanMcCall
All rights reservedunderInternationalandPan-American
CopyrightConventions. PublishedintheUnitedStates byRandom
House, Inc.,NewYork,andsimultaneouslyinCanada byRandom
HouseofCanada Limited,Toronto.
Gratefulacknowledgmentismadetothefollowingforpermission
toreprintpreviouslypublishedmaterial:
Neutral GrayMusic:Excerptfrom "Basketball" byRobertFord,
JimmyBralower,KurtisBlow, ShirleyWalker,FullForce,J.B.
Moore &cWilliamWaring. Copyright© 1984 byNeutral Gray
Music/FancyFootworkMusic/MokojumbiMusic/OriginalJB
Music/MofunkMusic. Allrightsreserved.Usedbypermission.
TheNewYork Times:Excerptfromanarticle byBobHerbert
fromtheApril 18, 1997,issueofTheNew York Times. Copyright
© 1997byTheNewYorkTimes Company. Reprintedby
permissionofTheNew York Times.
The WashingtonPost:Excerptfrom "Middle-ClassBlackFolks
ofP & GCounty" byKevinMerida (October9, 1995). Copyright
© 1995 byTheWashingtonPost. Reprinted bypermission.
LibraryofCongress Cataloging-in-PublicationData
McCall,Nathan.
What'sgoingon: personalessays/NathanMcCall.
p. cm.
Includesindex.
ISBN0-679-45589-2
— —
1.Unite—dStates Racerel—ations Politicalaspects.
2. Racism Politicalaspects UnitedStates. 3. Afro-
— —
Americans Socialconditions 1975- I. Title.
E185.86.M386 1997
305.8'00973—dc21 97-18520
RandomHousewebsiteaddress:
http://www.randomhouse.com/
Printed in theUnited StatesofAmericaonacid-freepaper
98765432
FirstEdition
To my baby brother, Bryan
July 26, 1964-October 3, 1995