Respected writer Darnell L. Moore has come out, or invited us in, with a new novel.
Back in 2014, Moore was deeply affected by the schooling of 18-year-old Michael Brown. He then immediately sprung into action and organized bus trips from New York to Ferguson, which resulted in him becoming a big part of the Black Lives Matter movement.
On top of that, he has maintained a career as an influential black and gay writer within the Philadelphia region. He now writers for several media outlets like Feminist Wire, Ebony magazine and The Huffington Post.
But most recently, Moore is celebrating the release of his latest work titled “No Ashes in the Fire: Comin of Age Black and Free in America.” Moore wrote the autobiography with the intention of helping young people in similar situations to the one he was raised in.
In a recent interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer, Moore shared how he wants to realistically present his experience because there isn't a lot of truthful representations out there.
Specifically, he talked about how news sources frequently cover Black and Latino stories with a biased and unfair agenda. He says they often focus on violence and crime and not as much on positive aspects of either communities.
The Camden, New Jersey-born writer noted while speaking in the interview:
“When I would read the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Courier-Post, what was reported about Camden often read as a deficit analysis. Black and Latinx folks were portrayed as the people responsible for the shaping of Camden, as if there wasn’t a long history of political neglect, political malfeasance, white flight, racial supremacy, and so much else.”
That said, Darnell L. Moore does recognize the struggles that people of color go through, especially LGBTQ people of color.
In an interview with the Grio, he revealed that the titled of his book is a reference to a violent moment in his past.
“They doused me with gasoline and tried to light a match. The title is a reference to that moment—a metaphor about survival amid violence. Black people, Black queer and trans people, are often violated and encounter 'fires' in our lives. Some of us survive, bearing the scars, but some of us don’t make it out alive.”
Not only is the book meant to connect with Black and Latino youth, but its also meant to connect with queer youth as well.
As Al Dia news reports, the book explores the focus on masculinity in Black and Latino people.
“All boys are taught that the world is theirs. But black boys learn early on that the world they are required to rule is the home—the place often sustained by the visible and invisible labor of black women and girls we share homes and relationships with. The home is likened to a kingdom black boys are expected to provide for, fight to protect, and lord over. Outside the home, the streets black boys navigate are controlled by the state and the wealthy, and black boys’ freedoms are restricted and policed."
If all of this sounds interesting to you, the autobiography “No Ashes in the Fire: Coming of Age Black and Free in America,” is available to read now.
