The Education of Kevin Powell
A Boy's Journey into Manhood
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- £6.99
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- £6.99
Publisher Description
In the spirit of Piri Thomas’s Down These Mean Streets and Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, writer and activist Kevin Powell’s memoir—“illuminating…an education for us all” (USA TODAY)—vividly recounts the horrific poverty of his youth and his struggles to overcome a legacy of anger, violence, and self-hatred.
When Kevin Powell was three, he discovered the volatile nature of his world: a place of pain, poverty, violence, fire, rats, roaches, and a fear that would haunt him for years; but also moments of joy, transcendence, and belonging. By the time he graduated from high school, something his single mother and his grandparents did not do, Powell had survived abuse, abandonment by his father, debilitating low self-esteem, a police beating, and years of constant relocation—from school to school, neighborhood to neighborhood. He was left feeling isolated, wondering if his life had any value, and doubting that he would survive to see old age.
In this unflinchingly honest autobiography, Kevin Powell reflects on his tumultuous, turbulent passage from child to man. He revisits the path that led him to become a successful writer, public speaker, activist, and cast member on the influential first season of MTV’s The Real World. He also recalls the terrible lows he endured of depression, thoughts of suicide, alcoholism, bankruptcy, doomed relationships, failed political campaigns, and the soul-shattering murder of Tupac Shakur.
Time and again, Powell harks back to lessons his mother taught him as a little boy: never stop learning, never stop telling the truth, always strive to be a better man, do what is right. Written with urgency and insight by one of the most gifted voices of our times, The Education of Kevin Powell is a powerful chronicle of healing and growth, survival and redemption. Ultimately, Kevin Powell’s journey is our journey, too.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Powell, an activist and writer, has a reputation for being honest to a fault, which is the key asset of his no-holds-barred, disturbing memoir of pushing himself from hard times to achievement. Raised by his single mother in a poor neighborhood of Jersey City, N.J., he views his life through the jagged cultural stereotypes assigned to children who have been molded by fatherless families and grinding poverty. This outlook leads to a series of risky situations in school, and his relationships are marred by his "destructive behavior and trigger-happy temper." Intelligent and ambitious, Powell runs afoul of the law on several occasions, striking out against authority, social rules, and women, influenced by his mother's statement that he's "just like his no-good father." Despite fighting such demons as alcohol and depression, he bravely pushes himself through a Rutgers University education, a controversial stint on MTV's The Real World, campaigns for Congress, and celebrated interviews with hip-hop entertainers and politicians; ultimately, he makes a redemptive trip throughout Africa, where he embraces his manhood and heritage. Powell's confessional packs a powerful punch, full of urban realness and raw emotions.
