Fooled

by Mr Jaymes W Davis

For Roderick Thompson, growing up in South Central LA has been burdensome. From the guys drinking beer on the porch to the young teen moms in his neighboorhood who he feels are gaming the system, Roderick feels disconnect from his community and his people- Black people. His resentment towards black people causes him to drift outside of his community where he feels more at peace but when he finds himself of the campus of UCLA as a freshemen, he discovers that everything he yearns for is already present.

142 pages, Paperback

Published May 21, 2021

Reviews

[Taneda Hailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fooled is a provocative coming of age tale about Roderick, a young black man growing up in Los Angeles who has a disdain for his community and his people. We meet Roderick as he is graduating from high school and preparing to attend UCLA. His arrogance hits you within the first few paragraphs of the book. As we meet his parents, we learn that he doesn’t think very highly of them because they decided to stay in the community. His ungrateful attitude is what seems to fuel his hatred toward his community and his people. As he makes his way through his first year at UCLA and experiences a personal tragedy fuel by racist hate, his eyes begin to open to the true diversity of his people and his community. As he begins to embrace his blackness, he also begins to explore his sexuality. Through this, we see Roderick’s vulnerability which elucidates his growth as a black man.

Author Jaymes Davis effectively uses first person narration which gives us the opportunity to see the world from Roderick’s distorted point of view. The exaggerated emphasis of Roderick’s personality works well to draw us in and witness his transformation over the course of the novel. Fooled is a must for your summer reading list.