The Black Sheep Collection is a series of short stories written by Ramelle Kamack. Kamack has been incarcerated since the age of twenty-one and, in that time, he has received degrees in Business, American Studies, and Social and Behavioral Sciences. Kamack uses his writing as a catalyst for change in his community. He states that, “As a writer, if I wanted to use my craft to make a difference in the community, I chose to tell them a different type of story.” Kamack’s collection of short stories demonstrate that he has a strong grip on storytelling. Each story is unique in its perspective, theme, and setting. Kamack takes the reader through journeys from multiple perspectives, including that of a little girl on her first day of school; an orphaned woman’s quest to find the man that saved her life as a baby; and, a grandmother’s quest to save her community and her family. Each story is unique and inventive, while providing commentary on society, race, justice, relationships, and parenting.
The “Introduction” provides a personal perspective of race and how Black people are perceived by others. Kamack describes his frustration and embarrassment after his co-worker, a white man, asks him where he is from. When Kamack responds Southern California, he is immediately bombarded with racially stereotyped comments and jokes; “Have you ever met Snoop Dogg…? Do you guys, down there, be flippin’ switches in low-lows? …Have you ever drove through Compton and seen Kendrick Lamar?” Further along in the conversation, the co-worker says to Kamack, “K-Mack, you don’t act like other Black guys.” It is at this point that Kamack dives into what he feels are the social and cultural forces that create Black stereotypes. This story articulately describes a situation that many Black people in largely white spaces commonly deal with, whether they are aware of it or not. It is also at this point that the groundwork for the other stories is laid out as each story confronts a stereotype or highlights a struggle that many in the Black community face daily.
The second story, “Tilting the Scales,” examines race, justice, and police violence. The story centers on the trial of a white police officer in the death of a young Black teenager. The story is complicated when the presiding judge, who is Black, is confronted with his own ideas on race and justice after he learns that his own grandson was murdered by the police. The next two stories, “I Believe in You” and “Brand Mark 101” look at childhood development, positive reinforcement, self-esteem, and growing up in a culture of materialism. The next two stories, “Why the Red Rose” and “The Sides of the Dreary Road,” tackle issues of love and masculinity, old age, death, and change.
The story “AU•DI•BLE” is probably the most creative and inventive of Kamack’s stories. The story is told from the perspective of young girl on her first day at a new school. However, the narrative is told as adults speaking to the girl, Layla. Layla never gets to speak. Not even in school or when she hears what sounds like gunshots outside her aunt’s boyfriend’s apartment. Layla’s mother, friends, teacher, and family members never “hear” what she has to say while she struggles to navigate an emotionally changing day. This is truly a remarkable and interesting short story. It is tragic commentary on the helpless silence of children in situations where they have no control, particularly the voicelessness/helplessness of young Black girls.
“Without a Home” is another powerful story about poverty, isolation, abandonment, and redemption. I found this story to be the most emotional of all. Kamack does well to establish an emotional father/daughter relationship between the two protagonists. But the ending was anti-climactic and could have been drawn out more to show the emotional trauma that they experienced. “Motown Betty” contends with alcoholism, depression, family relationships, and post-industrial urban decline. The final story, “the Monster’s Lair” is a commentary on police violence and community trust. Kamack tells that particular story from the first-person perspective, which gives it a biographical feel. It opens with a child watching the Los Angeles uprising and the Rodney King beating on television with his family, It then follows his life as the violence of policing moves from the “bright lights” of the T.V. to personal tales of friends being shot and being pulled over and detained by the police for no reason. Ultimately, Kamack uses the police and police violence as a mirror through which to view himself and how he responds to them.
Together the Black Sheep Collection is a collection of well-written and powerfully told stories on life in Black America. Kamack does well to move beyond the “ghetto” or “gangsta” story to look at issues of gender, class, ageism, and emotional trauma.
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