My reaction to reading "How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America: A Remembrance" by Kiese Laymon was shocking. After reading the title, I was intrigued to know the meaning behind it. I like that many personal experiences were included to strengthen the essay. I've heard of people having similar experiences but have never seen any events as similar myself. It gave a deeper insight and showed racial violence not involving African American teens who were shot but everyday life. It seems hard to believe that a student could be suspended for not correctly checking out a library book. It could have been anyone that was in that same situation at Mc Donald's that day. It also demonstrated it's own message without seeming like the only purpose was to place blacks as victims.
The paragraph about the woman bruised outside his friends' apartment stuck out to me. The quote that said" We know that whatever is encouraging them to kill themselves slowly... is probably the most powerful thing in our lives"was the reason. After constantly having to survive and adapt in a world that doesn't accept them, its that unseen defensive mechanism that is put in them. Laymon does note that he has slowed down the killing of himself throughout these events. He didn't resort to violence in any situation expect when provoked by the undercover officer.
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