Texts from Bennett
Kansas City rapper Lethal presents a well-intended, albeit a little uneven, first novel. The voice is inconsistent, and the story line seems forced at times, but the heart of the novel is pure. Mac is a 30-year-old professional white rapper who is self-educated and making a living by working on the road and in the studio. He has a beautiful and wealthy fiancée, lives in a new home, and enjoys a good glass of wine. The conflict begins when his down-and-out aunt and cousin Bennet move in. Seventeen-year-old Bennet is all “gangsta.” He is not black, although he contends, “I’m thirteen percent black, man!” And although Mac intends to help Bennet, it is Bennet who educates Mac on accepting people for who they are.  This is a necessary novel that follows the phenomenon of poor white teens diving into black cultural stereotypes. The language is rough but true, and tough issues are addressed with care and understanding. --Mark Eleveld