Bama Boy

Bama Boy depicts the author's humble beginnings on a sharecropper's farm in North Carolina. One of 12 children, he picked cotton from the time he was six and went to school only on rainy days. "If your teacher ever feeds you, you can go to school every day," his mother told him. However, the book is not one of racial deprivation nor victimization, but one of achievement. Bobby's family moves up, and Bobby is the first in the family to graduate from high school.

This is a story of Americana, coming-of-age, and personal achievement. The author chronicles the 70s and 80s in the Nation's Capital. He realizes his dreams of driving a good car, raising a son and sending him to college, winning tennis trophies and writing his first book.

Some chapter headings are, "Easy Money" which explores the numbers racket, before and after it became legalized, as the lottery and asks the reader to think about the magic and mystery of numbers. See how it's done. "Cars, Cars and More Cars" depicts Bobby's passion for wheels. One chapter involves an interlude in Vietnam. The memoir ends with the author returning to his roots at North Carolina family reunion.

Bama Boy depicts not only the black experience but also the human experience. It is a reading experience for people of all ages. it is especially inspirational for the teenager or young adult. Morrison has an easy, pleasing, graphic way of storytelling. the stories move swiftly and freely from one episode to another, explore the period, giving the reader an easy vicarious identification.

Riding with the author from Washington to Atlantic City, a 17-year-old nephew, who is not an avid reader, devoured the book from cover to cover and wanted more.