Parallel Time: Growing Up in Black and White - Softcover

Staples, Brent

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0380724758 ISBN 13: 9780380724758

Publisher: Harper Perennial, 2000

Synopsis

In this evocative memoir, Brent Staples poses some compelling questions: Where does the family end the self begin? What do we owe our families and what do we owe ourselves? What part of the past is a gift and what part a shackle?

As the oldest son among nine children, Brent grew up in a small industrial town near Philadelphia. Scholarship opportunities pulled him out of the black world where he had grown up into a world largely defined by whites. Meanwhile, as the industries that supported his hometown failed, and drug dealing rushed in to fill the economic void, news of arrests and premature deaths among Brent's childhood friends underscored his precarious perch in a mostly white environment. The death of his younger brother -- a cocaine dealer murdered by one of his "clients" -- propelled Brent into a reconsideration of his childhood that offers vivid portraits of family values that supported, pressures that tore apart, and the appeal and pain of living as an adult in a world that was literally and figuratively miles away from the one he knew as a child.

About this title

Review

""Parallel Time is superb. . . . The story of who Staples is at heart and how he got to be that way is written in clear, vivid prose. It is funny and sad and deeply moving."--Lorene Cary, author of "Black Ice"A powerful, personal memoir from an extraordinary storyteller. . . . The reader is priviliged to share the inner turmoil, and the startling eloquence, of a man bent on saving himself."--"Philadelphia Inquirer"Poignant . . . rewarding . . . vividly realized. . . . A writer of edifying elegance. . . . Staples reveals a resolutely distinct voice as he negotiates the treacherous shoals of racial identity in American culture."--"The New York Times"Eloquent and skillfully crafted. . . . Staples's fresh descriptions have a breathtaking brilliance. . . . He puts flesh and blood on the people who are being signified about during this nasty and cold-hearted period of our history and explores the conditions in depth, bringing insights that only an outsider-insider can see. . . This book is for the 90s what James Baldwin's "The Fire Next Time was for the 60s."--Ishmael Reed"An elegant, affecting memoir. . . . Staples has turned his alienation to powerful account, bringing us living proof that this society cannot afford to bet its future on the laws of chance."--"Chicago Tribune"A wonderful storyteller. . . . Brent Staples writes with eloquence, passion and grace about the most important things in life, and one can ask no more of a writer. . . . We must gratefully welcome this powerful new voice."--Robert Stone, author of "Outerbridge Reach"A painfully honest account of the conflicts and choices caused by growing up and away from one's roots. Staples's book is less an autobiography than ameditation on a universal question: what makes us who we are?"--"Entertainment Weekly"Refreshing. . . ironic. . . . affecting. . . . a superbly crafted memoir."--"Chicago Sun-Times"Funny and terrifying and heartbreaking. . . . Brent Staples has written one of the best memoirs I've ever read about growing up in America."Russell Baker, author of "The Good Times

From the Back Cover

'Eloquent and skillfully crafted...Staples's descriptions have a breathtaking brilliance...He puts flesh and blood on the people who are being signified about during this nasty and cold-hearted period of our history and explores their conditions in depth, bringing insights that only an outsider-insider can see...This book is for the '90s what James Baldwin's The Fire Nest Time was for the '60.'--Ishmael Reed

Edition details

• Publisher: Harper Perennial
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0380724758
• ISBN 13: 9780380724758
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 288