The title essay, “ How To Make A Slave,” (available online) follows McPherson’s advice as it bounces off the Frederick Douglass quote, “You have seen how a man was made a slave you shall see how a slave was made a man” by way of Walker’s recollection of making a popsicle-stick Douglass for a school project, wishing “black history had some funny parts.” And now that he has children of his own, children who are growing up in a lovely middle class white suburb instead of the South Side of Chicago, he wonders how he can parent them effectively. Yes, there’s racism, and there’s rage and injustice, but there’s also the grace to handle it (sometimes in better ways than others), the wisdom to learn from one’s experience, the courage to admit he doesn’t know how to handle some things, and the humor to laugh at oneself – and others – when appropriate.
As McPherson told him later, “Less time needs to be spent on the dragons, and more on our ability to forge swords for battle.” It took Walker a while to figure out what this meant, but when he got it, he really got it: yes, he got in with a bad set, did drugs and watched a friend die and could’ve gone down that same road, but now here he was in the most prestigious writing program in the country. It was one of those things that you instantly recognize as profound, and then, because you don’t quite understand it, try to forget as quickly as you can. But once they’re in, you have to move them beyond the stereotype. They present your readers with something they’ll recognize, and it pulls them into what appears to be familiar territory, a comfort zone.
“But only if you use them to your advantage.
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