Who's Gonna Take the Weight: Manhood, Race, and Power in America by Kevin Powell

Who's Gonna Take the Weight: Manhood, Race, and Power in America Reviews

• 
  Richie East

  I was in a debate about the toxic masculinity of Tupac Shakur, and a friend told me to read this book. My life was changed. Even as a queer gay black man, I was able to see myself in the rage and toxicity of Kevin's masculinity. It was real. A personal fave.
• 
  thecatchmeifyoucan

  The beginning of this book was a bit lost on me in that I found it difficult to get passed his ego and narcissism though parts of it contain harsh self-criticism it screams brat. It screams of a man who was outwardly an awful human being who has changed but is still driven by some of these awful ways.
  
  His discussion of Tupac made me wish I was older during his brief stint here on earth. It made me want to dig into all of the old metaphorical crates and pull out each album and write about the importance of each song. His discussions of black manhood within a white power system are necessary for a wider audience. His ideas on the problems plaguing the larger black community at times aligned with mine, especially the role that integration played in the current disassociation of social classes within the black community.
  
  In his final essay in the book, "What is a Man?", I finally became glued to the pages of the book. It is here that his narcissism dies down and by using Tupac as a subject and showing how his short life was reflective of that of many man in America proves how America and the the idea of manhood is one that is missing legs, one that leaves much to be desired not for us dealing with these lost souls but for them dealing with themselves and how they interact with the world around them. It is in this essay that Powell hits the nail on the head, conjuring many of the questions that I have asked and like many writers on this subject leaving it all opened ended because, quite frankly, what is the solution. To me nothing short of reprogramming will shift the damage that America has done to the black man and thus the black community more broadly. He also discusses hip hop and why it is a mirror for the black community. As Powell says, hip hop offers one side of the story, which does include sex, drugs misogyny and violence. Rock and roll and other white artists talk about the same in their music but the difference is that their music is counterbalanced with white representation in other forms of media. The same is not so for the black community, our prevailing black voice is hip hop.
  
  Overall, worth a read.
• 
  Nicholas I. Wiggins

  I'm a kevin powell fan...and did appreciate this book for being an interesting take on being male and being black. Adding the complexities of power struggle into the mix seemed like a unique way of taking on this subject but instead came off as a wannabe revolutionary text. A lot of good things that I pulled from it in individual sections but collectively was just okay.
• 
  Heather

  This man is an outstanding public speaker but a very poor writer. Don't read books by former Real World cast members.
• 
  Justin

  Kevin Powell is a talented writer, this book was a great reflection of his life and the comparison to Tupac Shakur's life. Mr. Powell was so good at burning the reality of racism in to the reader. I am grateful for his story and the way he reflects on his life compared to Tupac, my favorite artist. Great Read!