Black Folks Could Fly by Randall Kenan

I had not heard of this man until reading this book, which was on the New York Times 100 Notable Books for 2022 (as an aside, this list may be a little New York centric in places, but it is a very reliably good list of all things published in the year that has passed, and while not the only source of recommendation I use, and I am not able to get too deeply into the list some years, but I am rarely disappointed by it). He writes in a way that is personal, leaving you with a feeling that you would recognize him if you met him--which, sadly, will never happen because he died on pancreatic cancer a couple of years ago. Kenan is very clear: he is black, he is southern, and he is gay. All of these things are important to him, and he wants the reader to remember them about him. Through a profound analysis of food, music, film and literature, he explores the many aspects of African American life in the American South. In doing so, he puts his own history up for observation; he bravely admitting that he, at times, has felt not Black enough, that there are things like prison that are common to the black American experience that he did not experience, but that he is keenly aware of the whole of black culture none-the-less. A memorable read.