Letters to the Sons of Society: A Father’s Invitation to Love, Honesty, and Freedom

Criminal justice activist Senghor (Writing My Wrongs) explores in these raw and intimate letters to his two sons themes of masculinity, fatherhood, trauma, and redemption. Convicted of murder at age 19, Senghor spent nearly 20 years behind bars. He describes meeting his older son, Jay, for the first time in prison (“there you were, just ten months old, a beautiful brown ball of curiosity and energy”); the mistakes he made when he was finally released and “showed up as a mentor, not a father”; and the wake-up call that came when he mistakenly believed that Jay had been murdered. Addressing his younger son, Sekou, Senghor reflects on how Black men in America are seen “as trouble or danger or a problem to solve.” Elsewhere, he recounts a visit to San Quentin’s death row, and admits to using sex to help “fill the void” he felt during his first five years out of prison, when publicizing his first book meant being “repeatedly dragged back into my worst experiences, reopening and revisiting profound traumas with no idea how to process them.” Shot through with evocative language and openhearted authenticity, this is a memorable tribute to the pain and joy of Black fatherhood. (Jan.)