Makes me Wanna Holler

A truly insightful and helpful read, only a few days after reading a qualitative study on Puerto Ricans growing up in the Bronx, now reading about the life of African Americans in Portsmouth, Virginia.  The book, Makes me Wanna Holler by Nathan McCall, provides a harrowing story of life in the 1970s as an African-American teenager trying to cope with life in a segregated city.  We learn of his challenges attending the vast majority white school, where he didn’t last, and then being asked to assimilate into an all-black school where fitting in was paramount.  McCall’s story was another learning lesson for me as it was a huge departure from my growing up in upstate NY.


The role of fitting in, yes self-esteem (the number one issue facing young and old alike – in my opinion), doesn’t seem to ever go away.  It started with how one dressed to fit in, then how one walked, danced, and acted like the rest.  This lifestyle of “fitting in” led to rape, drugs, robbery, and yes, going to jail, three years in all.  While this story does have “learnings” and change of the author/main character, a stark departure from “Random Family” and the Puerto Rican community in the Bronx.  McCall has a metamorphosis while in jail and directly after being released through reflection (either through the Bible, seeing his friends hitting rock bottom, or having children), though he continued to make mistakes along the way.  Clearly McCall is showing himself as completely human.  The last reflection summarizes it all when he has his estranged son move in with him (after a separation of 16 years) coupled with the re-engaging with a daughter he didn’t know he had (18 years old) and delivering her first baby (similar to McCall’s own story) where he sheds his biggest concern for the African American community that this cycle just doesn’t stop, and “makes him want to holler!”


Jail was not easy, nor was working through the guttural anger that keeps biting McCall throughout his life until he seemingly finds the important role of counseling (talking through issues) in his life.  Like McCall, I have turned to reading (RA favorites) and McCalll shares some really nice well known passages from scripture and poets like Kipling…

If you can dream 

And not make dreams your master, 

If you can think and not make thoughts your aim. 

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster 

And treat those two imposters the same…

Brilliance…     McCall has an interesting journey after jail and working as a journalist at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution before moving to The Washington Post in 1989. Neat to see he is now in the role of teacher, good for you!, at Emory University.  Great perspective for those who never experienced racism and hate as McCall had.  Read it, though some difficult and painful sections.