Keenan Norris Books

Exploring Chicago's rich yet tumultuous history, the narrative intertwines personal memoir with cultural critique, focusing on the influence of Richard Wright. Keenan Norris reflects on his family's experiences, particularly his father, while connecting their stories to notable figures like Barack Obama and Ralph Ellison. He addresses the impact of violence and the rise of street organizations, framing the city as a complex symbol of both struggle and resilience. Amidst the tragedies, Norris offers a poignant vision of hope and love that transcends generations.

Focusing on the vital role of community colleges in American higher education, the book highlights the experiences of the diverse student population they serve, particularly Black and Latinx students. Through a blend of policy analysis, cultural criticism, and personal narrative, Keenan Norris addresses the challenges faced by these institutions, including resource scarcity and labor issues. He advocates for significant reforms to enhance their curricula and structure, presenting community colleges as essential to creating a more equitable educational landscape for all students.

"He is also just a regular teenager coming up in a terrifying world. A slightly eccentric, flip-phone loving kid with analog tendencies and a sideline hustling sneakers, the boundaries of Copeland's life are demarcated from the jump by urban toxicity, an educational apparatus with confounding intentions, and a police state that has merged with media conglomerates--the highly-rated Insurgency Alert Desk that surveils and harasses his neighborhood in the name of anti-terrorism. Recruited by the nearby private school even as he and his folks face eviction, Copeland is doing his damnedest to do right by himself, for himself. And yet the forces at play entrap him in a reality that chews up his past and obscures his future. Copeland's wry awareness of the absurd keeps life passable, as do his friends and their surprising array of survival skills. And yet in the aftermath of a protest rally against police violence, everything changes, and Copeland finds himself caught in the flood of history"-- Amazon.com