The Talk

"A moving portrait . . . funny and touching, intellectually and emotionally stimulating. There's pride and prejudice, family drama, and a love story. I loved this book. You will too."
--Victor LaValle, author of The Changeling

Darrin Bell was six years old when his mother told him he couldn't have a realistic water gun. She said she feared for his safety, that police tend to think of little Black boys as older and less innocent than they really are.

Through evocative illustrations and sharp humor, Bell examines how The Talk shaped intimate and public moments from childhood to adulthood. While coming of age in Los Angeles--and finding a voice through cartooning--Bell becomes painfully aware of being regarded as dangerous by white teachers, neighbors, and police officers and thus of his mortality. Drawing attention to the brutal murders of African Americans and showcasing revealing insights and cartoons along the way, he brings us up to the moment of reckoning when people took to the streets protesting the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. And now Bell must decide whether he and his own six-year-old son are ready to have The Talk.

Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Henry Holt & Company
Published: 06/06/2023
ISBN: 9781250805140
Pages: 352
Weight: 1.00lbs
Size: 10.00h x 7.06w x 1.00d

Review Citations: Library Journal 01/01/2023 pg. 12
Kirkus Reviews 03/01/2023
Publishers Weekly 03/27/2023