The Talk

"A moving portrait . . . funny & touching, intellectually & emotionally stimulating. There's pride & prejudice, family drama, & a love story. I loved this book. You will too." — Victor LaValle, author of The ChangelingDarrin 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 & less innocent than they really are.Through evocative illustrations & sharp humor, Bell examines how The Talk shaped intimate & 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, & police officers & thus of his mortality. Drawing attention to the brutal murders of African Americans and showcasing revealing insights & 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 & Breonna Taylor. And now Bell must decide whether he & his own six-year-old son are ready to have The Talk.°°° Bell writes an incredibly moving graphic memoir, full of vignettes from his life that offer a critique of the prejudice he’s experienced. All are evocatively drawn in mostly two-tone shades, with effective occasional flashes of additional color—some absolutely stunning, such as when a cop’s face morphs into the dog that terrifies Bell. The powerful story of Bell’s life and his commentary on racism are made even more impactful by his poignant illustrations. — Library Journal "This graphic memoir by a winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning offers a deeply personal meditation on the "the talk" parents must have with Black children about racism and the brutality that often accompanies it, a ritual attempt to keep kids safe and prepare them for a world that-to paraphrase Toni Morrison-does not love them. Darrin Bell was six years old when his mother told him he couldn't play with a white friend's realistic water gun. "She told me I'm a lot more likely to be shot by police than my friend was if they saw me with it, because police tend to think little Black boys-even light-skinned ones-are older than they really are, and less innocent than they really are." Bell examines how "the talk" has shaped nearly every moment of his life into adulthood and fatherhood. Through evocative original illustrations, The Talk is a meditation on this coming-of-age-as Bell becomes painfully aware of being regarded as dangerous by white teachers, neighbors, and strangers, and thus of his mortality. Drawing attention to the brutal murders of African Americans like Trayvon Martin and Eric Garner, and showcasing his award-winning cartoons along the way, Bell takes us up to the very moment of reckoning when people took to the streets protesting the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor and when he must have "the talk" with a six-year-old son of his own"-- Provided by publisher "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.