Cuz: The Life and Times of Michael A. (e-book) (used book) | bookbook.eu

Description

Michael Alexander Allen, baby cousin of
an extended family, was first arrested
at fifteen for an attempted carjacking.
Tried as an adult and sentenced to thirteen
years, Michael served eleven. Three years after
his release, he was shot and killed. Why? Why did this gifted
young man, who dreamed of being a firefighter
and a writer, end up dead? Why did he languish
in prison? And why at fifteen was he in an
alley in South Central LA, holding a gun while
trying to steal someone’s car? “Cuz” means both
“cousin” and “because.” Danielle Allen grew up
with Michael and, in 2006 when Michael got out of
prison, was cousin-on-duty, shouldering the responsibility
to support his fresh start while juggling the
demands of her own promising academic career.
In this Ellisonian story of a young African American
man’s coming-of-age in late twentieth-century
America, and of the family who will always love
Michael, we learn how we lost a generation.