'Buck: A Memoir'

In this lyrical work, the reader rides shotgun as a young Asante negotiates the fine line between what it means to be a man, when he is not interested in following his father’s model, and being a knucklehead who shuns his first love when forced to choose between her or the streets.

In my opinion, Asante’s memoir is a perfect example of how a student’s level of engagement in school directly impacts their behavior outside of it. When he was unhappy with school and home, he sought to escape them by spending more time in the world but as soon as he found a school that fit him and spoke to his needs, the streets lost their appeal.

Today, M.K. Asante is a tenured professor at Morgan State University in Baltimore. He is also the award-winning writer of It’s Bigger Than Hip-Hop: The Rise of the Post Hip-Hop Generation and filmmaker of The Black Candle: A Kwanzaa Story.
If asked, I would recommend this book to young men between the ages of 12-18 but even if you do not fit into that category, there is no need to deny yourself the pleasure of such an insightful read.