In the Light of You

I practically judged In the Light of You by its cover, title, and type of story. Well, I did not judge it by its actual cover, but you get what I mean, right, my initial impressions. I was not thrilled to be reading another dismal-type story, and once I started reading it, I thought the author's written dialogue was a cheap attempt to be hip, and the story, not just like American History X, but trying to capitialize on it, instead of being original, in the same genre, like it. Well, first impressions do not always lead to the next most logical progression. And once we really got into this story, American History X is barely comparable and not even in the same neighborhood, besides the white power theme. And even though the synopsis claims this story is about white supremists, it's really just about Mikal trying to find his way, to belong, to create an identity, and grow. I have one criticism, the title never truly fits the book. It seems forced, as does the metaphor connected to it. In the Light of You relates to the fact that, there is a theme in which only some people give off this light. We are blinded by it or bask in it. Niani is obviously one of these people. But what seems to be implied here, at least to me, as that we are dependent upon these people for light. We cannot generate it ourselves. We cannot learn to cultivate it. You either got it or you don't. I couldn't disagree more. We can find our own light. Granted, someone else's light may be a step in discovering the light that we can give off from within ourselves, and if that had been more progressively angled in its communication in the novel, then I might buy into it more, but it seems to be the end all theme, not open-ended.

Nathan Singer's third novel, IN THE LIGHT OF YOU, is amazing. Singer avoids the easy liberal answers and really looks at why kids would embrace racist ideology. What's even better, Singer shows how the same kids grow up-- or, in some cases, don't grow up-- into a much more nuanced, "grey area" world than they thought they would. It's a compelling and very real story of deeply flawed characters and the bad choices they make.

We have in America today a group of young people who are basically throwaways. They don't fit. They may be white kids in an predominately black school. They may be kids kicked out of their homes or kids who have left abusive homes. They may be kids whose families have moved around so often they have quit trying to adjust. They may be poor, illiterate, or foreign born. But for whatever reason, they don't fit into society. Singer's third novel, In the Light of You, tells the story of two such kids, Mikal Fanon and Sherry Nicholas. Both Sherry and Mikal fell in with the Neo-Nazi group because the didn't fit into any other group. It was disturbing how easily they were each sucked into the Neo-Nazi underground by the charismatic leader, Richard Lovecraft. The Skinheads first became their friends, and then they became their family-just swallowing them up into the fold. Later, for different reasons, they each became involved with a radical leftist group of extremists-a group that is the polar opposite of the Skinheads. This powerful book takes readers into these underground organizations and lets us experience what life is like inside these groups. While much of their days are spend doing mundane things like playing computer games and figuring out what they are going to eat, when these groups "get active," much of the activity is quite frankly frightening. It makes for gritty, dark and violent reading that leaves the reader uneasy. While In the Light of You is basically a "coming of age" novel, this book is perhaps the most thought provoking book I've read in a couple of years. While it was an uncomfortable book for me, far from my preferred reading choices, the portrayal of the subversive radical groups made for fascinating reading. As much as I wanted to put the book aside and forget about it, I could not. Sherry and Mikal's story had me hooked until the very last page.