Makes Me Wanna Holler: A Young Black Man in America by Nathan McCall

From the Publisher

In this "honest and searching look at the perils of growing up a black male in urban America" (San Francisco Chronicle), Washington Post reporter Nathan McCall tells the story of his passage from the street and the prison yard to the newsroom of one of America's most prestigious papers. "A stirring tale of transformation."—Henry Louis Gates, Jr., The New Yorker.

Publishers Weekly

McCall's autobiography-a seven-week PW bestseller-tracks his trajectory from the streets of Portsmouth, Va., to prison, rehabilitation and a job at the Washington Post; features a new introduction by the author. (Feb.)

Library Journal

McCall pulls out all the stops to tell the story of his rise from poverty to success as a journalist at the Washington Post . He uses graphic language, blunt descriptions, honest expression, introspection, and careful observation to describe his early years in Portsmouth, Virgina, as a young black male, the recipient of a 12-year prison sentence for armed robbery, whose life was dangerously out of control. Insensitivity, alienation, racial hatred, drugs (especially crack), guns, rape, robbery, the black American as an endangered species--McCall covers it all in a depressing yet spellbinding documentary of a contemporary American problem so complex as to be almost intractable. The power of this strong narrative transcends McCall's personal struggle; each reader will ``wanna holler'' about the situation.-- Suzanne W. Wood, SUNY Coll. of Technology, Alfred

School Library Journal

YA-An autobiography that captures the pain, anger, and fierce determination of a black journalist writing today for the Washington Post. McCall's open and honest description of his life as a boy in a black neighborhood in Portsmouth, VA, his participation in violent criminal acts, and his eventual imprisonment for armed robbery seem somehow to be an expression of the rage of so many young people in America's urban areas. While imprisoned, he worked as inmate librarian and was so moved by Richard Wright's books that he became fascinated by the power of words and decided to become a writer. Though he's made a successful career against great odds, he makes it plain that he doesn't feel completely at ease with his peers in the establishment or those on the streets. His difficult story is told in such an immediate and compelling fashion that young people will be caught up in this strong narrative and gain real insight into McCall's growth and change and, thus, contemporary urban issues.-Patricia Noonan, Prince William Public Library, Manassas, VA

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