Walk Like a Natural Man

By M. Dion Thompson

Book Overview

M. Dion Thompson has contributed to the Los Angeles Times, The Miami Herald, and The Baltimore Sun. He has received many awards for his writing, and here delivers a captivating coming-of-age tale set in mid 20th-century America. Skip lost his parents in a car accident when he was just a boy, and since then Grandma Sarah's been watching over him. Now he has a chance to leave the cotton fields of Texas behind and travel to Hollywood in hopes of beginning an acting career. But when he arrives, the drama school that he expects to find does not exist and he is forced to find work washing dishes. The city is fast and bright-a different world than Skip has ever known. He meets many new faces, but determining who to trust is the trick. Thompson captures the colorful language and expressions of early 1900s Hollywood. Acclaimed narrator Kevin R. Free perfectly voices the tones of disappointment and joy as Skip fights to make a name for himself.

• Format: Audio CD
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1664442650
• ISBN13: 9781664442658
• Release Date: June 2012
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Human Race

I loved this book!! and I am a middle aged white woman who usually doesn't care for male coming-of-age stories, and who read enough extremely self conscious specifically Black Literature in the 60's and 70's to last awhile. This novel presents a young man who is profoundly HUMAN--with all the confusion, joy and complexity that humanity is subject to.The author treats the protagonist, and indeed all his characters, with both humor and respect.The young man's struggles:to manage some way to survive in a profoundly imperfect society, to find ways to love and care for people he is close to, and to identify and protect his personal integrity are universal, and they are portrayed with dignity, humor and , yes, with love--as well as some excellent, at moments almost lyrical, writing. This book is well worth the investment of time and money!!

Chasing a Dream

Skip is a young sharecropper who picks cotton for a living, but he has big dreams thanks to an ad he read for Ezekiel Washington's Colored Acting School. He aggressively saves money so that he can send in his five dollar registration and head to Hollywood to make his dreams come true. After an adventurous trek to California, Skip soon discovers that realizing his dream to become a respectable actor will not be as easy as he had imagined. Acting jobs are few and far between, and he is also forced to decide whether he really wants to hold out for respectable roles or settle for more readily available roles that embrace the negative racial stereotypes of blacks. In the process, Skip learns many lessons about life, love, and friendship.WALK LIKE A NATURAL MAN chronicles Skip's journey into manhood. The author weaves an intricate tale that highlights the various moral struggles that one must face in the journey of life. Thompson has done a good job bringing the social issues of the early 1900's to light while telling a story that is deeply emotional for the characters involved. His use of descriptive language paints of vivid picture of the wardrobe, music and social climate and in the process brings the times to life. This is not a fast paced read; rather it is one to be savored. Thompson has brought a fresh new voice to African American fiction writing and indeed is an author to watch.Reviewed by Stacey Seay of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers