Survival Math: Notes on an All-American Family

A vibrant memoir of race, violence, family, and manhooda virtuosic wail of a book (The Boston Globe), Survival Math calculates how award-winning author Mitchell S. Jackson survived the Portland, Oregon, of his youth. This spellbinding (NPR) book explores gangs and guns, near-death experiences, sex work, masculinity, composite fathers, the concept of hustle, and the destructive power of addictionall framed within the story of Mitchell Jackson, his family, and his community. Lauded for its breathtaking pace, its tender portrayals, its stark candor, and its luminous style, Survival Math reveals on every page the searching intellect and originality of its author. The primary narrative, focused on understanding the antecedents of Jacksons familys experience, is complemented by survivor files, which feature photographs and riveting short narratives of several of Jacksons male relatives. A vulnerable, sobering look at Jacksons life and beyond, in all its tragedies, burdens, and faults (San Francisco Chronicle), the sum of Survival Maths parts is a highly original whole, one that reflects on the exigenciesover generationsthat have shaped the lives of so many disenfranchised Americans. Both poetic and brutally honest (Salon), Mitchell S. Jacksons nonfiction debut is as essential as it is beautiful, as real as it is artful, a singular achievement, not to be missed.