Vinnie: a love letter

by Ronald Preston Clark

‘Vinnie: a love letter’ reconfigures what manhood truly entails through the creative and critical mind of 14-year-old, Vinnie Smith. Through poetic, lyrical and unapologetic prose, Vinnie and his inner thoughts crush the stereotype that femininity and masculinity cannot co-exist, while translating his desire to both love and be loved. A black boy dealing with the loss of his mother and his emotionally distant father, Vinnie attempts to cope with this void by continuously critiquing the constructs of masculinity and embracing divine femininity as a strength rather than a weakness. Vinnie shows us that beautiful revelations can come from loss and teaches us that it is never too late to come of age.

272 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 11, 2018

Reviews

[Michele Byrd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vinnie is remarkable in its ability to deeply entrench you in the head of its main character. The book is pure poetry from beginning to end, and my personal copy is full of highlighted passages that I will revisit later just to take in the sheer mastery of the written word.

The main character, Vinnie, is a completely brilliant know-it-all, but is still somehow marked with the immaturity of a 14 year old (though he doesn't really know it). You will feel so many things while in his head: frustration, sympathy, annoyance, happiness, and anger to name a few. The complexity that the author is able to capture both within the character of Vinnie and his relationships with the people important to him is really unlike anything I've read before.

It's a story that explores the complexity of black manhood and boyhood, emotional trauma, growth, and redemption, and it was an absolute joy to read.

[Hayley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A conceptually beautiful novel, rich with a lens I have never before experienced. This inspired me to order several of Baldwin's and hooks' works. What a powerful and moving tribute.