What is the author's tone in the book, Heavy: An American Memoir?

The narrative is written and presented as a letter from the author to his mother. His writing from beginning to end includes language like “I did not want to write to you” (1), “When the officer told you to speak up and claimed you changed lanes without signaling” (81), and “After you hugged my neck, said you were so sorry, and asked questions about what the officers did to me in the interrogation room” (224-5), all of which clearly suggests the author is reaching out to his mother in a way that he has not done so far. There is a sense that he is telling her aspects of his story, sharing his experiences, and revealing his understandings in a way that is new to them both – that his writing is, as suggested above, something of a confession.

At the same time, the narrative also comes across as being something of a manifesto, or proclamation of how the author wants to live his life. There are references to this throughout the book, but in the book’s epilogue, they come through most clearly. There, the author develops a litany, or series of claims, each starting with “I will” and stating ways in which he intends to live, work, and interact with those in his inner circle (i.e. family and friends), individuals he encounters as he lives his life (i.e. both black and white), and with the ideals and ways of America as a whole.

Ultimately, all these aspects of the work (the use of “you,” the sense of confession, the sense of manifesto) take on additional layers of meaning – specifically, the idea that the author is not only addressing his mother, but is also on some level addressing the reader and/or other black people and/or America as a whole.