Daniel Black

As Jacob Swinton lies dying, he begins to write a letter to his only son, Isaac, from whom he has been estranged for many years, as he attempts to reconcile with the gay son he was not able to accept. Jacob tries to explain himself, telling stories about his childhood in rural Arkansas on land purchased by his great-grandparents after they were emancipated from slavery. Through the telling, we come to see how certain values and perspectives were instilled in him about manhood and family. Through this letter, he attempts to construct a place in which he and his son might find peace with each other. This fictional confessional illuminates the lived experiences of Black fathers and queer sons through a reckoning and reconciliation. Beautiful prose; so beautiful that it made it hard to believe they were meant to be the words of a barely educated man, even if he did take to reading later in his life.… (meer)