Hell of a Book

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes depictions of anti-Black police violence. 

William notices Soot becoming sadder each day because of the news reports of Black boys being shot and killed. William knows he must have “The Talk” with his son about the unfair treatment that he will face because he is Black in society. He delays this conversation because he wants to protect Soot’s sense of hope. The two watch the news of the latest incident of a boy shot by the police. The report shows the bloody sidewalk where the incident occurred. Soot asks about it, but William answers vaguely, avoiding the topic of racism. Soot is consumed by the news report. He asks the boy’s name, but it has not yet been released to the public. When William asks why Soot wants to know, Soot replies that he wants to remember the name. This makes William anxious and sad because he knows that there will be many more names of murdered people after this. He is aware of the anti-Black violence that causes many deaths, but he does not have the heart to explain it to Soot. He imagines his own son dead on the sidewalk, like the many others.