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Street Shadows: A Memoir of Race, Rebellion, and Redemption
Masterfully told, marked by irony and humor as well as outrage and a barely contained sadness, Jerald Walker’s Street Shadows is the story of a young man’s descent into the “thug life” and the wake-up call that led to his finding himself again.
Walker was born in a Chicago housing project and raised, along with his six brothers and sisters, by blind parents of modest means but middle-class aspirations. A boy of great promise whose parents and teachers saw success in his future, he seemed destined to fulfill their hopes. But by age fourteen, like so many of his friends, he found himself drawn to the streets. By age seventeen he was a school dropout, a drug addict, and a gangbanger, his life spiraling toward the violent and premature end all too familiar to African American males.
And then came the blast of gunfire that changed His coke-dealing friend Greg was shot to death—less than an hour after Walker scored a gram from him. “Twenty-five years later, tossing the drug out the window is still the second most difficult thing I’ve ever done. The most difficult thing is still that I didn’t follow it.”
So begins the story, told in alternating time frames, of the journey that Walker took to become the man he is today—a husband, father, teacher, and writer. But his struggle to escape the long shadows of the streets was not easy. There were racial stereotypes to overcome—his own as well as those of the very white world he found himself in—and a hard grappling with the meaning of race that came to an unexpected climax on a trip to Africa.
An eloquent account of how the past shadows but need not determine the present, Street Shadows is the opposite of a victim narrative. Walker casts no blame (except upon himself), sheds no tears (except for those who have not shared his good fortune), and refuses the temptations of self-pity and self-exoneration. In the end, what Jerald Walker has written is a stirring portrait of two Americas—one hopeless, the other inspirational—embodied within one man.
Walker was born in a Chicago housing project and raised, along with his six brothers and sisters, by blind parents of modest means but middle-class aspirations. A boy of great promise whose parents and teachers saw success in his future, he seemed destined to fulfill their hopes. But by age fourteen, like so many of his friends, he found himself drawn to the streets. By age seventeen he was a school dropout, a drug addict, and a gangbanger, his life spiraling toward the violent and premature end all too familiar to African American males.
And then came the blast of gunfire that changed His coke-dealing friend Greg was shot to death—less than an hour after Walker scored a gram from him. “Twenty-five years later, tossing the drug out the window is still the second most difficult thing I’ve ever done. The most difficult thing is still that I didn’t follow it.”
So begins the story, told in alternating time frames, of the journey that Walker took to become the man he is today—a husband, father, teacher, and writer. But his struggle to escape the long shadows of the streets was not easy. There were racial stereotypes to overcome—his own as well as those of the very white world he found himself in—and a hard grappling with the meaning of race that came to an unexpected climax on a trip to Africa.
An eloquent account of how the past shadows but need not determine the present, Street Shadows is the opposite of a victim narrative. Walker casts no blame (except upon himself), sheds no tears (except for those who have not shared his good fortune), and refuses the temptations of self-pity and self-exoneration. In the end, what Jerald Walker has written is a stirring portrait of two Americas—one hopeless, the other inspirational—embodied within one man.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
February 20, 2015
Oh. My. God.
I think this book should be essential reading for every single man and woman in America.
What ostensibly seems like a story of "here's how I survived Gangland and Inner City Chicago" is in fact SO MUCH MORE. Perhaps this shouldn't surprise me; it's written by an academic who is also a creative writer, which means that the ideas he conveys are bigger than himself and his own human frailties and emotions and perspectives; moreover, they are exquisitely and rivetingly conveyed.
What this book is, is essentially a contribution to the conversation of race in America. The race conversation takes place every day, in myriad forms, is fraught with assumptions and miscommunications and subtle undercurrents of tension and resentment and hope and redemption, and it's one that many Caucasians (myself included) pussyfoot around. Professor Walker does NOT pussyfoot around; he honestly recounts his struggles to overcome his own racism (he openly admits that he was given many racist perceptions by his extended family) and his increasing willingness to serve as an "effective escort as [whites make] their important journey...toward racial understanding."
Professor Walker tells his story with courage and dignity, never excusing himself, but always trying to draw some sort of hope. Furthermore, without every explicitly saying so, he implies that race is a social construct: When he travels to Africa and is informed by the Africans that he is NOT black by their perception, he muses, "If my race could change so easily without any fundamental change in me, then race had no meaning other than the false or superficial ones assigned to it. All human behavior associated with race was a myth, a lie." Beautifully stated!
Finally, this book helped me understand more essentially the roots of "black rage." I never understood it before--and perhaps as a Caucasian will never be able to TRULY grasp it on its most fundamental, root level--but seeing how organically it took root in the men in this book--I really got it.
Please read this book, if only to gain a new perspective.
I think this book should be essential reading for every single man and woman in America.
What ostensibly seems like a story of "here's how I survived Gangland and Inner City Chicago" is in fact SO MUCH MORE. Perhaps this shouldn't surprise me; it's written by an academic who is also a creative writer, which means that the ideas he conveys are bigger than himself and his own human frailties and emotions and perspectives; moreover, they are exquisitely and rivetingly conveyed.
What this book is, is essentially a contribution to the conversation of race in America. The race conversation takes place every day, in myriad forms, is fraught with assumptions and miscommunications and subtle undercurrents of tension and resentment and hope and redemption, and it's one that many Caucasians (myself included) pussyfoot around. Professor Walker does NOT pussyfoot around; he honestly recounts his struggles to overcome his own racism (he openly admits that he was given many racist perceptions by his extended family) and his increasing willingness to serve as an "effective escort as [whites make] their important journey...toward racial understanding."
Professor Walker tells his story with courage and dignity, never excusing himself, but always trying to draw some sort of hope. Furthermore, without every explicitly saying so, he implies that race is a social construct: When he travels to Africa and is informed by the Africans that he is NOT black by their perception, he muses, "If my race could change so easily without any fundamental change in me, then race had no meaning other than the false or superficial ones assigned to it. All human behavior associated with race was a myth, a lie." Beautifully stated!
Finally, this book helped me understand more essentially the roots of "black rage." I never understood it before--and perhaps as a Caucasian will never be able to TRULY grasp it on its most fundamental, root level--but seeing how organically it took root in the men in this book--I really got it.
Please read this book, if only to gain a new perspective.
April 28, 2011
Full disclosure: I went through the Iowa Writer's Workshop with Jerald Walker. I can't say I knew him then. After reading this engaging memoir, I feel I know him now. At least, I know the portion of himself he has chosen to reveal, which is a generous portion, indeed.
Jerald Walker and I were never in the same class at the same time while In Iowa. Nonetheless, I dimly recall hearing rumors that his narrative authenticity was in question. By all appearances, Jerald was a total Cosby-style prep. Yet apparently his fiction strived for a street-vibe. I maintained no opinion on the matter. I had a vested interest in separating author from fictional subject. My own workshop fiction was all about drug addled bi-curious college students. Did that necessarily reveal something about me? One or two fellow workshoppers criticized me for being inauthentic. I was OK with that.
I very much enjoyed reading Jerald's account of this controversy, the definitive answer to the puzzle: Who is Jerald Walker, anyway?
It is worth your while to pick up this book, if you've ever pondered the authenticity of a person you barely know. In the meantime, I am happy to report this much: Jerald Walker is writer who is steering clear of bullshit. I have to wonder, is it a coincidence that Jerald Walker is also a writer who is steering clear of fiction? I can not say. There is some bullshit-free fiction out there, fiction that rings true. And apparently there is some bullshit-laden memoir out there, books that claim to be true, and are later revealed to be riddled with falsehoods. The best a writer can do is steer for the eloquent truth in whatever genre serves the story. I'm willing to bet Walker has done just that.
As it happens, I too, have abandoned fiction for memoir. For my (cross-my-heart-and-swear-to-die) honest account of my Workshop experience, go to:
http://www.mslabrat.com/?p=83
Jerald Walker and I were never in the same class at the same time while In Iowa. Nonetheless, I dimly recall hearing rumors that his narrative authenticity was in question. By all appearances, Jerald was a total Cosby-style prep. Yet apparently his fiction strived for a street-vibe. I maintained no opinion on the matter. I had a vested interest in separating author from fictional subject. My own workshop fiction was all about drug addled bi-curious college students. Did that necessarily reveal something about me? One or two fellow workshoppers criticized me for being inauthentic. I was OK with that.
I very much enjoyed reading Jerald's account of this controversy, the definitive answer to the puzzle: Who is Jerald Walker, anyway?
It is worth your while to pick up this book, if you've ever pondered the authenticity of a person you barely know. In the meantime, I am happy to report this much: Jerald Walker is writer who is steering clear of bullshit. I have to wonder, is it a coincidence that Jerald Walker is also a writer who is steering clear of fiction? I can not say. There is some bullshit-free fiction out there, fiction that rings true. And apparently there is some bullshit-laden memoir out there, books that claim to be true, and are later revealed to be riddled with falsehoods. The best a writer can do is steer for the eloquent truth in whatever genre serves the story. I'm willing to bet Walker has done just that.
As it happens, I too, have abandoned fiction for memoir. For my (cross-my-heart-and-swear-to-die) honest account of my Workshop experience, go to:
http://www.mslabrat.com/?p=83
October 15, 2016
Decent memoir but I expect more from a graduate of the Iowa Writer’s Workshop.
Dr. Walker’s life story is remarkable: born to two blind parents, he eventually drops out of high school and joins the gangster life of drugs and petty crime. Following the murder of a good friend, he turns his life around, eventually marrying, becoming a father, and getting his PhD along the way. That alone would make the book worth a read, but it’s a bit shallow and lacks a central focus. The chapters alternate between before and after his conversion, but the memoir lacks the larger narrative arc needed for a story of redemption. It’s a series of sketches and in many of those sketches, Dr. Walker hits on the suggestion of rich themes, and I kept waiting for him to stop skating along the surface and go deeper, but the memoir never gets to that central, emotional core.
Ironically, Dr. Walker himself provides the perfect explanation for why the book falters when he recaps a critique while a student at Iowa. His story is largely panned for lacking an emotional connection and seeming to rely on stereotypes of black urban life. He’s understandably upset – he’s not some white suburban kid fantasizing about the urban life, this actually was his life – but I felt the same sort of disconnect here. Quasi-recommended.
Dr. Walker’s life story is remarkable: born to two blind parents, he eventually drops out of high school and joins the gangster life of drugs and petty crime. Following the murder of a good friend, he turns his life around, eventually marrying, becoming a father, and getting his PhD along the way. That alone would make the book worth a read, but it’s a bit shallow and lacks a central focus. The chapters alternate between before and after his conversion, but the memoir lacks the larger narrative arc needed for a story of redemption. It’s a series of sketches and in many of those sketches, Dr. Walker hits on the suggestion of rich themes, and I kept waiting for him to stop skating along the surface and go deeper, but the memoir never gets to that central, emotional core.
Ironically, Dr. Walker himself provides the perfect explanation for why the book falters when he recaps a critique while a student at Iowa. His story is largely panned for lacking an emotional connection and seeming to rely on stereotypes of black urban life. He’s understandably upset – he’s not some white suburban kid fantasizing about the urban life, this actually was his life – but I felt the same sort of disconnect here. Quasi-recommended.
November 1, 2018
I'm interested in memoirs and heard this one is very good. Judging from the title, I expected this one to be about a hard childhood, street life and overcoming challenges. But Jerald Walker went beyond the title. True, he did grow up in the black ghettos of Chicago. But he was also a gifted child with a very talented, unusual family. He blamed himself more than the environment for the terrible events of his life (the death of his brother, a best friend put on death row, his crimes). Walker's journey through very different worlds -- that of his family (two blind parents), that of the drugs, violence and crime in his neighborhood, going to Africa as a black American, and that of a university professor -- is not unlike traveling through different countries. Walker knows the language, values, and even clothing of these different worlds and helped me see what he had to go through to succeed professionally and personally. I'm grateful Walker shared his unique stories to expand my world. I enjoyed the non-linear structure of the book and the surprising chapters. I only wish the title was better.
November 6, 2020
A very enjoyable memoir of a bright kid, seduced in the ghetto by drugs, alcohol, and crime. What sets this memoir apart is that Walker followed the advice from one of his writing instructors, Alan McPherson, "Stereotypes (of ghetto dwellers) are valuable, but only if you use them to your advantage. ... But once (your readers) are in, you have to move them beyond stereotype. You have to show them what's real. ... You." Walker calmly and quietly describes how easily he slid from a model student to a teenager into burglary and coke and bad friends. It is almost as if it were the most natural thing to do.
January 8, 2021
This is a clear-eyed account of the author's near-miraculous escape from the Chicago ghetto to Boston academia. A braided memoir, a non-linear journey, to be sure. This is the anti-Hillbilly Elegy, in which the author/narrator is honest, wry, and humble. He casts neither heroes -- least of all, himself -- nor villains. With unflinching treatment of race and class, he presents no platitudes, no easy answers, no patience for cliches. Jerald Walker wastes no time trying to woo his reader. He's not trying to impress with either toughness or charisma. He's spare, and he's real -- and there's a certain beauty in that.
August 25, 2021
Such a good writer. This memoir is told in short, 2-5 page vignettes from his life, and not in order, but it works really well. It took so long to read because I put it down for a bit while I read another memoir, but once I picked it back up I was caught. I so appreciated the author's letting me into his world to watch as he struggled and worked to leave his delinquent youth in Chicago's south side ghetto for writing, marriage, fatherhood, and finally academia.
April 6, 2024
This is one of the funniest books I've ever read (which was quite unexpected) while deftly weaving in impactful human interactions, trauma, and tragedy. I loved this and couldn't stop reading the clean prose and fantastic storytelling, finishing it in one sitting. Walker's nuanced views, especially when talking about race and racism, are usually funny, but always entertaining and thoughtful.
Now one of my favorite books. This is so good, and definitely my favorite memoir.
Now one of my favorite books. This is so good, and definitely my favorite memoir.
February 17, 2022
I was impressed with parts of this memoir, but other parts not so much. I go into detail in my video review: http://youtu.be/N8_bqHnOrPQ.
August 11, 2010
Jerald Walker is an Associate Professor at Bridgewater State College in Massachusetts. His memoir is not a set straightforward line from birth to death but more like a memory. A chapter may cover a more current situation in his life and that may lead to a reminiscence of his life in the South Side of Chicago where he was born. An African-American, he lived with Evangelist Christian parents, both of the who were blind, and became another street thug, stealing, selling drugs and doing drugs for a living. He enters Community College several times and leaves often. His change comes when he gets a medical job cleaning test tubes and an encounter with a Hematologist who suggests he might be interested in doing something else with his life. At first he merely gets trained to write doctor's orders which helps him fuel his drug habit with prescription drugs but eventually he finds himself back at Community College and meets a professor who will change his life. The English professor helps him with his passion for reading and then takes him to the University of Iowa at Iowa City to begin his Bachelor's Degree. There some famous writers continue to mentor him. A meeting of a woman who is half white American and half black Zimbabwean allows him to travel to Zimbabwe for research and the woman becomes his wife. While the circumstances of Jerald's life is fascinating. HIs attitude makes the memoir even more worth reading. He comes out to be a well rounded, happy, secure human being who is as human as the reader and has made as many mistakes. Wonderful book and I spent 3 days reading it and doing nothing else. I was reluctant to go to bed and had to make myself, knowing I could read it again in the morning.
August 12, 2010
Jerald Walker is an Associate Professor at Bridgewater State College in Massachusetts. His memoir is not a set straightforward line from birth to death but more like a memory. A chapter may cover a more current situation in his life and that may lead to a reminiscence of his life in the South Side of Chicago where he was born. An African-American, he lived with Evangelist Christian parents, both of the who were blind, and became another street thug, stealing, selling drugs and doing drugs for a living. He enters Community College several times and leaves often. His change comes when he gets a medical job cleaning test tubes and an encounter with a Hematologist who suggests he might be interested in doing something else with his life. At first he merely gets trained to write doctor's orders which helps him fuel his drug habit with prescription drugs but eventually he finds himself back at Community College and meets a professor who will change his life. The English professor helps him with his passion for reading and then takes him to the University of Iowa at Iowa City to begin his Bachelor's Degree. There some famous writers continue to mentor him. A meeting of a woman who is half white American and half black Zimbabwean allows him to travel to Zimbabwe for research and the woman becomes his wife. While the circumstances of Jerald's life is fascinating. HIs attitude makes the memoir even more worth reading. He comes out to be a well rounded, happy, secure human being who is as human as the reader and has made as many mistakes. Wonderful book and I spent 3 days reading it and doing nothing else. I was reluctant to go to bed and had to make myself, knowing I could read it again in the morning
March 17, 2011
We just had Jerald Walker as the featured speaker at our 24th annual North Shore Young Writers' Conference at Waring School. He captivated the assembled students and mentors with his memoir, which I just finished reading to my delight. Walker's youth was so dark and his current life so successful that I feared that reading the book might suggest that such risks can be overcome (and perhaps diminish the value of the book as a warning); however, I was wrong, since Walker's story of redemption is a story of extreme luck, love, and fortitude. Although the students at the writer's conference were most impressed with the gang stories in the piece, I really enjoyed the commentary on race and higher education. Walker is, to me, a post-racial author, one who speaks to us in the Obama era. In his chapter, "Dragon Slayers," he explains that his African American literature classes focus not on the oppression of the white dragons but rather on the ingenuity and courage of the oppressed in creating the swords they used to slay the dragon. The book is nuanced, brilliant, and original. I wish that I could take one of Walker's classes at Emerson. And of course, a lot of the book is a shout out to great teachers, from Professor Homewood to James Alan McPherson, who saw the real Jerald Walker and enouraged him to become himself. By modeling such teachers himself and by encouraging those of us teaching to do the same, Walker inspires our profession.
January 18, 2011
I'm a total memoir snob, so my 3-star rating is really about the form and not so much the contents. The writing in this book is really good - but the book is a collection of essays (at the end of the book there's even a list of places where pieces were previously published as essays) and not a cohesive memoir with an arc. It took me a while to sort out why the book felt so disjointed, but its basically because this is a personal essay collection. The book left me wanting a deeper examination of Walker's struggles, especially related to family - I think the essay format helped him avoid that, which is a bummer because he's a gifted writer.
April 6, 2010
This book was a fast, enjoyable read, but I felt that it didn't fully explore all of the tensions it raised. Jerald Walker, a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop, has enough life experience to provide material for several Iowa graduates—a young adulthood full of petty crime and drug abuse, two blind parents, life as a black man in a mostly white academic world, a biracial wife, a trip to Africa... Yet the pieces in this relatively short memoir are themselves quite short, at times unsatisfyingly so.
May 29, 2010
Will be using this as an outside reading book for my Eng. III class next year, the quarter on "The American Dream." It'll bring up good discussion topics relating to race and class.
From a more 'writerly' perspective, it's sloppily structured with lots of unfinished parts. Practically every scene is underdeveloped, almost as if Walker didn't have faith in the strength of his material, which is a shame. (He admits to being nervous about exploiting his background in his fiction, and I suspect that something like that nervous has also suppressed parts of this memoir.)
From a more 'writerly' perspective, it's sloppily structured with lots of unfinished parts. Practically every scene is underdeveloped, almost as if Walker didn't have faith in the strength of his material, which is a shame. (He admits to being nervous about exploiting his background in his fiction, and I suspect that something like that nervous has also suppressed parts of this memoir.)
February 21, 2010
This is one of the reasons I wish we could grant 1/2 stars. I would rate this as 4.5/5. Masterfully told with a careful and clever voice, Walker allows us a glimpse at a life filled with crime, race and redemption--though I'm not sure how comfortable he would be with the term "redemption." The pacing is natural and makes for a enjoyable and quick read. Well done!
March 24, 2010
Reviews I've read of this book promise an inspiring tale of a turned-around life. I was put off in an early chapter by an excerpt the author included from some pornography he'd been given to read as a child. While it undoubtedly illustrates the crummy care he received from his elders, I couldn't get past it. Can't imagine what the rest of the book would be like.
June 23, 2011
I really enjoyed this book! I found the author's experiences with race quite interesting, and some of his insights were quite profound. I wish he had provided more details about his childhood, what pulled him into thug life, and how he was able to break free. Not a page-turner, but a well-written book with an interesting perspective on race.
April 17, 2010
chapters alternate between scenes of poverty, drugs and alcohol on the streets of south side Chicago and experiences in the academic world both as a student and a professor - the best book I have read this year
July 27, 2011
Interesting memoir of a former drug-dealer, growing up with blind parents who belonged to an apocalyptic death cult, who becomes creative writer professor at Bridgewater State and later Emerson. Nicely written, exposing the ironies and dynamics of our suposed "post-race" society.
August 12, 2011
I found this book inspirational and well-written. I recommend it to anyone, especially anyone touched by the ravages of drugs, alcoholism, peer pressure and depression. The books gives an account of a person who went through it all and went on to a better life. Enjoyed it.
March 9, 2010
This is terrfic.
April 8, 2010
This author's story sounds compelling from the excerpts, but is poorly told in such a dispassionate manner that I couldn't get involved.
July 16, 2010
Boring.
Read
February 22, 2011This boook is very good. It explains how a character can turn his life around, and start going on the right track of life.
Want to Read
September 6, 2012I read an excerpt. The style is captivating and I would like to read more about the author's attitudes and work.
September 7, 2012
Wry and powerfully written. Enjoyable to read. The organization is interesting, but does not push the reader to finish the book because we know he's okay from the start.
August 5, 2014
Double-barreled
April 21, 2017
Excellent read. Amazing journey. For those who think life for black men is easy this reveals the two Americas. That he emerged from such chaos and danger in his early life, ended up at Iowa's writing program, married a lovely young woman, is a professor, despite so much prejudice in the larger society is amazing and wonderful. A must read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews