Author Larry Odell Johnson starts the book by taking the reader to Harlem, New York, where he was born. It is interesting how the author commences the book, as the reader is taken through his birth process and how he came into this world. Larry Odell Johnson is an exceptional storyteller. From the onset, I could follow his tales and appreciate every anecdote he shared.
Reading through What Is We To You? drives the reader to virtually connect with the author, which makes comprehension easier and better. Larry Odell Johnson writes about his family, narrating his days growing up and how his parents and every member of the family related to him and others. I appreciated this part of the book the most as it gave the impression of an autobiography and showed the benevolent side of the author.
Further into this book, it makes one visualize life on Amsterdam Avenue in Harlem and the Fort Greene-Farragut area of Brooklyn, where the author grew up. From his narration, life was not easy, but everyone managed to clutch onto the delight life brought. What Is We To You? keeps getting more fascinating as you read on. The author slowly transitions from the autobiographical-style of writing to a stirring and motivational book. In between are life lessons and nuggets of wisdom the reader had not prepared for. Larry Odell Johnson adopts this writing style called cipher, where he discusses particular subjects and conversations strikingly and straightforwardly in detail.
What Is We To You? is not your typical treatise as the arrangement of the work is impressive and intriguing. Larry Odell Johnson gets to be more sincere with every new topic and enlightens the reader with every subject covered. The author is also engaging, which is one of the best features of his writing. In this book, there are multiple key lessons the reader gets from the narrative. Apart from the life lessons, I like how Malcolm X is portrayed. The narratives about Malcolm X, give the reader a fresh look at the human rights activist and the civil rights movement. I enjoyed reading about Malcolm X through the author’s perspective, as his perception of the civil rights leader is pure and new to me.
What is We To You? is a book every self-conscious and evolving adult needs to read. There are many crucial discussions initiated by the reader, discussions that make the reading more entertaining. Some of the topics that are analyzed in the book include racism, social structures, colorism, religion, friendship, poverty, education, politics, family, and issues like poverty. Larry Odell Johnson also intensely discusses Bible scriptures and gives a profound analysis of the scriptures. I especially admired the illustrations on Able and Cain, as the author made me better understand my spiritual side. The biggest takeaway from this book is that, as individuals, we need to be conscious of what we do and appreciate life as it comes.
Another lesson from the author is a direct quote from the book, “Everything that we as humans can learn to think of is merely an afterthought in God’s preordained purpose.”
