Senior students have come together for the first meeting of their independent book group. They chose as a group to read: A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James.

wickipedia:

A Brief History of Seven Killings is the third novel by Jamaican author Marlon James.^[1] The novel spans several decades and explores the attempted assassination of Bob Marley in Jamaica in 1976 and its aftermath through the crack wars in New York City in the 1980s and a changed Jamaica in the 1990s.^[3]

It’s not brief–700 pages.

The students are perturbed:

-If I don’t read enough black on black crime, and you want me to read this? People talking about Treyvon Martin and now I have to read this?

-Reaper, burns a building down, then stands outside and shoots the people coming out. Y’all want me to read this?

-Amy: all these crimes are brought up in a broader context–within the history of Jamaica. Russia, Cube, US–there are global forces at work, white forces, having influence and power over this neighborhood

-broader forces but also violence in the ghetto. Structure of the community where there’s black on black violence is because of a history of white power. Why do neighborhoods like this exist?

Reading historically–black on black, the house slaves against the field slaves. The inner violence is helpful to the oppressor. You see it everywhere.

mention of: Z. N. Hurston: Their Eyes Were Watching God

Where did the violence start? It didn’t just suddenly show up. What’s carried over?

Discussion on strange language, hard to follow “why don’t they speak plain english”

Amy: I like to read cross culturally bc it reminds me there’s a whole other world–so maybe to reframe instead of feeling mad. You could be humbled. A world that’s not me/mine.

Amy: Look at female character and where she finds her power–at the edges. What happens? How are decisions made when people are high?

I appreciated the writing from dead person’s perspective. It gave me insight. Maybe this is too personal, but I’ve been raped a few times, and I always wanted to know what the rapist was thinking. When he said “wipe that smile of the face” I never would’ve know that if I hadn’t known this.

Tony Morrison: God help the child

Prison gang, ghost-face vs. bloods; click up–you’re in for life (or death)

tatoos on the heart

Jessica’s addition: ethnography/ detroit varied living communities, John Hartigan

{show them Nikki S. Lee?}

changing conomic disparity would lead to better race relations; socio economic more impt than race;

the mayor who hired mimes to change the percentage of people hit by cars. They mocked jwalkers with playful cards. traffic accidents of people went down 65%.