Honky

Honky, by Dalton Conley (2000)

Conley writes of his experiences growing up white in an overwhelmingly black and Hispanic housing complex. Much of this memoir reads more like the sociologist he would eventually become than the child who grew up as a minority in a poor neighborhood.

From a young age, Conley relates that he was aware of the many advantages that his race gave him. Indeed, after he attends an area school—in which he is the only white student—his parents game the educational system and enroll their son in a school in Greenwich Village.

The clash of cultures looms larger in Conley’s life as his new friends begin to ask about coming to his apartment. The author relates his embarrassment about his neighborhood and his contempt for his less fortunate neighbors as he gets older and begins to focus on his own academic future.

In spite of the book’s title, Conley only relates one incident in which the title epitaph is used against him. He also only describes one instance during which he worried for his own safety in his old lower East Side neighborhood.

The climax of young Dalton’s story is the shooting and maiming of his black friend, Jerome. Conley’s parents make the decision to leave the old neighborhood for subsidized housing in a better part of town.

Dalton’s memoir doesn’t read like a personal account as much as a sociological elucidation of the events that shaped his young life. In spite of this fact, it is still an interesting, quick read. Recommended.

Mississippi Sissy

Mississippi Sissy, by Kevin Sessums (2007)

Sessums writes his extraordinary personal story of growing up in the Deep South in the 1960s and 1970s. The author loses both of his parents at an early age and ends up in the care of his grandparents, who struggle to raise a young man who seems to have so little in common with those around him.

The author’s father is a star athlete, which puts greater strain on the effeminate Kevin. One of Sessums’ earliest memories is of one of his father’s coaching assistants making snide remarks about him in the locker room after a game. It is the boy’s mother who encourages him to embrace who he truly is and to not worry about the frequent name calling to which he is subjected.

Compounding Sessums’ struggles to find himself are some disturbing encounters with men who take advantage of the boy. The author is victimized by a prominent pastor and, on another occasion, by another man in a public restroom. Young Kevin struggles with what it means to love and be loved, in addition to the hardship of being a gay person in a society that is anything but supportive of the concept.

One of the more interesting aspects of the book is Sessums’ association with Eudora Welty and her circle of friends in Jackson. The young man finds strength and support from this group, especially from doomed cultural critic Frank Hains.

The author spares few details in describing some of his early sexual experiences, which may make for challenging reading, but Sessums' story is often moving and hard to put down. Recommended for adult readers.

Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid

Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid, by Jimmy Carter (2006)

The former president, who has been engaged in Middle East politics for nearly 35 years, casts a spotlight on the ongoing conflict between Israel and her neighboring states. While Carter acknowledges that there has been tension in this region since the beginning of recorded history, he ties most of the current conflict to the 1967 Six-Days War and its aftermath.

It was this round of hostilities that resulted in Israel’s occupation of the Golan Heights, the West Bank and other territories. Carter turns repeatedly to U.N. Resolution 242, passed six months after the Six-Day War, which calls for the “withdrawal of Israeli armed forces from territories occupied in the recent conflict.”

The same resolution calls for “termination of all claims or states of belligerency and respect for and acknowledgement of the sovereignty… of every State in the area and their right to live in peace…” In other words, it asserts the right of Israel to exist. But Carter cites what are, in his view, numerous Israeli violations of Resolution 242 and subsequent decrees. The end results of these actions have been to geographically and economically isolate the Palestinian people, and to stall the peace process. At the same time, Israeli civilians have continued to settle in occupied lands, which has further fanned the flames of hatred and distrust between the two sides.

The former president describes the multi-pronged offensive Israel has waged against her neighbors as often excessive. With American military backing and the U.S.’ permanent presence on the U.N. Security Council, Carter challenges Americans who have tended to look the other way when Israel ignored international agreements. While the view of Israel as a Goliath in this sensitive region is more common in Europe and much of the Middle East, it’s clear that a number of American critics took issue with this charge by the former president.

Whether or not one agrees with the author’s conclusions, Carter’s short book is an excellent brief history of the conflict in the region and should be required reading for anyone looking to gain a better understanding of this troubled land. Highly recommended.