Chris Hewitt | (TNS) Star Tribune
The more private Michael Arceneaux becomes in his book, “I Finally Bought Some Jordans,” the more impressive it gets.
I’m not sure the writer has any new thoughts to share about climate change, Donald Trump or being nice to restaurant servers, all of which he gives his opinion on, but his essay on “How It Feel Outside,” which is about his relationship with his parents, is remarkable.
Starting with Arceneaux thinking about how packed the question “How are you?” is when he asks his dad, “How It Feel” delves into being gay and Black and wondering how his parents will react to meeting a potential partner, but also covers ground most grown children can probably relate to at some point in their relationship with their parents.
Arceneaux describes his frustration with his mom and dad. They accept him for who he is but seem to have erected a few barriers. He also admits his failings as a son, recognizing that, even if there are things they don’t feel comfortable discussing, he and his parents have found a way to have a good relationship.
His mother (who passed away recently) was concerned, for example, about the content in Arceneaux’s previous books, “I Can’t Date Jesus” and “I Don’t Want to Die Poor” (beginning all three titles with “I” suggests Arceneaux knows his own life is his best subject). During a phone conversation, Arceneaux writes, “I listened to her explain that she doesn’t want me to repeat her mistakes of holding on to anger for too long. She said it will make you sick. She said it can and will kill you. She said you will waste too many years of your life being angry.”
Some of the essays, including those about housing and writing, follow up on themes in “Die Poor,” which was about struggling with student loans. Arceneaux is not free of debt yet but he’s in a better position (that’s where the Jordan purchase comes in). And even though he’s not offering advice, his approach to the psychology of debt relief is intelligent and useful.
Arceneaux is a dynamic writer, but I wish he’d received more assistance from an editor. The excessive use of italics in “Jordan” is distracting and there are too many sentences like this one: “At the same time, I sometimes am growing tired of constantly having to prove my value.” The visible frustration is understandable for a man who is, as Arceneaux points out, a double minority. But the sentence is awkward.
Disagreements aside, Arceneaux has an opinion on nearly everything and a sarcastic, unafraid-of-confrontation voice to support it. He expresses uncertainty about writing — specifically, journalism — but it’s clear that, no matter where he decides to focus his abilities, he is a man with something to say.
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I Finally Bought Some Jordans
By: Michael Arceneaux.
Publisher: HarperOne, 224 pages, $19.99.
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