RESPONDING TO A PERSONAL MEMOIR
BLOG POST #4

        Toure in 'What's Inside You, Brother," is phenomenally written in the sense that he 

effectively creates, and establishes a detaching element by embodying the role of a narrator in 

order to describe, and acknowledge the pros, and cons of his real self. In conjunction with 

becoming a a narrator to realize, and identify issues, and problems of his self, Toure utilizes 

a split alter, not the kind of alter that is usually deemed as a mental disorder by diagnosis or 

perceivable means, but rather as an effective instrument in his piece of writing. Throughout 

Toure's memoir, the reader can fairly become familiar with where Toure is now as an 

individual having matured and escaped from the social-like, and self identifiable prism of 

embracing his ethnic creed (which is of African American blood), and how he formerly 

struggled with identifying with what ethnic group he belonged to, and where he best fitted in 

with. Toure makes it easy for the reader, [including I of course], to see this changing element 

from Toure's past to present. To sum this up, Toure makes it clear, and comprehensible that 

being African American in America is complicated, and can be overwhelming, and that the 

African American group in particular has many obstacles to face.                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

        What grabs me about Toure's writing is his symbolic, and in part realistic description of 

his struggles as an individual is by putting himself in a boxing ring, and correlating all of 

boxing's components thus using and representing it in place for his own obstacles. "Iv'e known 

Toure a long, long time, you could say we grew up together"(725), is an example of 

him becoming another individual in order to explain about himself or at least make it that he's 

been friends with Toure, (again himself), and that he knows Toure well enough to know his 

pluses, and as well his flaws. Secondly in Toure's writing, we have "More of the silly chauvinist-

negrovinist?- joking that we waste time with instead of thinking of ways to get ahead"(726), 

which this line emphasizes, and puts into perspective a source of criticism, and belittlement 

towards the schema of African Americans, and thus bringing to light the sort of 

prejudice existence that surrounds whether African Americans value life, and 

handle responsibilities, which even from having evaluated the theory behind this line, I 

disagree with what this line may entail about African Americans. Lastly in Toure's writing 

which shows that even with taking on the role of an alter to perhaps identify himself once and 

for all, a line in his memoir shows that he still may have not reached total fruition with this 

problem that hes facing in completely identifying with himself on pg 729, where he states 

"Since we've known each other so long, I felt I could be completely honest, I was wrong," 

which shows a bit of growth but burdened with subtle doubt.                                                                              

         Toure's memoir may have been published particularly for Men of 

African American race to read, and perhaps reflect with, and then seek growth from within 

themselves, perhaps using Toure as a role model  to look up to as an African American man, 

and to not give up as a black man in America's society. Toure's memoir is a success because of 

it's innovative formula, and blueprint style of writing where he tells of, and entails of his life of 

problems he faced, and how he eventually became a victor of it all.