"Fear and What Follows" is a riveting, unflinching account of
the author's spiral into racist violence during the latter years of
desegregation in 1960s and 1970s Baton Rouge. About the memoir,
author and editor Michael Griffith writes, "This might be a
controversial book, in the best way--controversial because it
speaks to real and intractable problems and speaks to them with
rare bluntness."
The narrative of Parrish's descent into fear and irrational
behavior begins with bigotry and apocalyptic thinking in his
Southern Baptist church. Living a life upon this volatile
foundation of prejudice and apprehension, Parrish feels
destabilized by his brother going to Vietnam, his own puberty and
restlessness, serious family illness, and economic uncertainty.
Then a near-fatal street fight and subsequent stalking by an older
sociopath fracture what security is left, leaving him terrified and
seemingly helpless.
Parrish comes to believe that he can only be safe by allying
himself with brute force. This brute influence is a vicious,
charismatic racist. Under this bigot's terrible sway Parrish, turns
to violence in the street and at school. He is even conflicted
about whether he will help commit murder in order to avenge a
friend. At seventeen he must reckon with all of this as his parents
and neighbors grow increasingly afraid that they are "losing" their
neighborhood to African Americans. "Fear and What Follows" is an
unparalleled story of the complex roots of southern, urban,
working-class racism and white flight, as well as a story of
family, love, and the possibility of redemption.
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