As a millennial, I personally never really got into audiobooks. I prefer tangible things like I’d always choose a physical planner and cute pens over jotting everything down in my Google calendar. A Kindle won’t even cut it; I need to feel the pages turn under my fingertips. That all changed when I came across The Talk by Darrin Bell, a personal account of one man’s struggles with growing up as an intellectual Black male in America.
It’s gone on to win a countless amount of awards from Pulitzer, NAACP Image, Ignatz, and so many more. I can’t stress just how much the book is more than just a story; it’s an experience that can’t be portrayed solely by reading text. The elements that were used in the audiobook immersed the reader into the very moments Bell was describing, causing you to feel exactly what he was feeling as he recounts the events that took place. It plays like a production as if you’re listening to a man narrating a movie that you can’t see, but the images it leads you to envision are powerful.
Bell begins his story by detailing how his mom wouldn’t allow him to carry a water gun when he was six years old out of fear that it would appear real to the police and make him a target of a racist act. It was a moment that made you truly sad that a kid couldn’t simply be a kid today the way they once were.
One thing that remains constant throughout The Talk is the metaphor Bell uses to represent police: the sounds of aggressive dogs barking. The first few references would initially have you thinking there are really dogs present, but as the story unfolds, you see what his true intentions were. It’s thought-provoking when you see how different life was for him and get a true glimpse of what it is for most Black men today.
His autobiography is raw inside and out from the graphic descriptions to the way white people spoke to him as though he was not their equal. While he realizes the discrimination he experiences in school and workplaces is unfair, he battles with how or if he will even give his own son “the talk.” His little one had deep questions worthy of honest responses like, “Dad, who is George Floyd?” Bell recalls getting nervous and all the feels of wanting to paint a picture without being overly descriptive. While he goes on to briefly discuss the issues he faced throughout his life, he gives a rather sugar coated breakdown so that his son understands.
There are moments in the book where Bell could elaborate more and sacrifice some of the relationship details he chose to share. It would have been a great and relevant addition to include a deeper dive into his conversations with the girlfriend he had who was white. He touches on how she didn’t understand the times that he would panic or seem uneasy around cops such as an incident when they got pulled over. Seeing how biracial couples are a norm today versus earlier times, it would have been worthy to explore that a little deeper.
The other important woman he discusses is his mom, who is extremely relatable and sounds just as strong and protective of her son as any Black woman you may know personally. When Bell tells her things a teacher would say to him, she doesn’t hesitate to drag him to the school to point out the teacher and confront her. While embarrassed and unable to understand at the time, his recount is heartwarming in a way, knowing he has a mother that didn’t let anyone walk over him or disrespect him just because of the color of his skin.
Having a bit more understanding of what was going through his mind during some of the pivotal moments would have been a nice touch. He seems to shrug off some major moments due to his discipline and self-control. Although he is very mature and carries himself well, you are constantly waiting for the moment he explodes or goes off on someone. But that moment doesn’t come and you’re left wondering, “Why didn’t he snap on them?” Nonetheless, you grow to respect his ability to shake things off and take the high road, which is something a lot of men have a hard time doing when they feel they’ve been tested.
Overall, The Talk is a great recollection of one man’s journey through life as he finds his place within society as a well-established comic strip cartoonist and later down the line, a dad. His details about his experiences with police is something that needs to be told because he lived through it. It teaches what it means to make smart choices to avoid causing any excess attention and giving a reason for a cop to see you as a threat.
While the text is profound and leaves you feeling mixed emotions of sadness, ache, and rage, you finish the book being proud of Bell for enduring what he went through and not “popping off” at the many times he was very much pushed to do so. The audiobook truly is next-level and adds a cinematic tone that is worthy of listening to even if you have already read the book. The voice actors coupled with the background noise and sound effects really toss you right into the mix of Bell’s life. More novels should take this approach as it really brings the story to life.