Unchallenged Mind: Growing Up Black, Poor, and Smart in New Jersey – A Memoir

Unchallenged Mind provides a bittersweet account of my personal tribulations growing up as an intellectually gifted, but poor African-American kid in New Jersey. Part One describes my often-painful quest to understand why I failed to fulfill the intellectual promise I had shown as a child prodigy. Part Two documents my decades-long struggle to recover, but never quite successfully recapturing, the intellectual prowess I once possessed and enjoyed. Although the story mainly takes place in mid-20th century, many of its themes still are relevant. The consequences of racial inequality, poverty, child abuse, single-parent homes, and a dysfunctional public education system remain part of America’s 21st century inner-city narrative.