Summary

In Chapter 11, which is titled “Banging Over Bacon,” the author discusses his experiences with fighting. He begins with a description of the last fight he can recall being in, a school-age encounter with a bully named Ricky Nelson who had attempted to steal his bike. That fight ended with the author on the ground in tears, and with a determination to avoid physical alteration wherever and whenever possible.

The author then describes how most black people are viewed as fighters, particularly those who were “from the hood” (205). He says, however, that the reality is that people survived being in the hood by not fighting, by pretending that they could fight, by learning how to read danger signals, and by doing whatever they had to do avoid getting hurt or killed. Also, he says, he maintained a sense of power and reputation with his...