Not quite a memoir or a typical collection of essays, Jackson's book skews biographical, its chapters adorned by heady, churchly titles ("Lent: Appraisement of Negroes at the Folly, or Dinner," or "Epiphany: Sunday Boys") and its pages filled densely with antebellum histories, reflections on race relations - some of which are self-directed and unsparing - and revelations on the trials and triumphs of homeownership as a single, Black father.įor a book with a meandering narrative, including lots of excursions by foot, boat or bus and whip-lashing digressions, a story line actually exists, thin yet compelling. To get from beginning to end of Lawrence Jackson's "Shelter," you'll probably need the following: a detailed map of Baltimore's neighborhoods, especially the ones bordering the sprawling campus of Johns Hopkins University, a dictionary to look up the occasional obscure or archaic word, and a great deal of patience.
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