Bianca Harkless
Editor-In-Chief
We are living in a troubling time. Whether you agree or disagree with the Black Lives Matter Movement, BLM, I think we all need to take a step back and think about what we are really fighting about. For this issue of Book Buzz, I will be writing about Devils Within by S.F. Henson.
Before I get into what the book is about and why I think we should all read it at some point in our lives, I want to give a disclaimer. This book talks openly about hate crimes, lynchings, police brutality and white supremecists. If those topics are too heavy, I understand. There were parts in the book where I had to put it down and take a second because it was hard to read. Just be aware of what you are getting yourself into.
The book follows, 15-16 year old Nate, a child who escaped a neo-nazi compound, The Fort, when he shot and killed his father who was in a high position of power at the compound. Like I said, know what you are getting yourself into. Nate is released to his uncle who did not know he existed. The two live in a town where people of different races co-exist peacefully and Nate struggles to find his place as he continues to have thoughts like The Fort conditioned him to. That all changes when he meets Brandon, an African-American kid who treats him like a person. The two become friends but before Nate can find out a way to tell Brandon about his questionable past, it comes to him.
Some themes for the book I want to talk about are acceptance of the past, self awareness, and the importance of forgiveness. Acceptance of the past is kind of self explanatory. In order for Nate to live with his uncle and in a place where racism is not accepted, nor encouraged, he had to come to the terms with the past to leave all of that behind him. He also feels extreme guilt about shooting his father, even if his father was a terrible guy. Something happens later in the book due to his past, and he had to forgive himself in order to help out the new people he has befriended.
Self awareness is something that pledges other peoples and never crosses the mind of others. For Nate, the contemplation of his life is something that is constantly happening. Throughout the book, he is aware that his thoughts are wrong and often corrects himself when he finds himself thinking something racist. He is aware that he is wrong at times and he will admit that. He is aware that people see him as a monster due to the media potrraying his father’s ‘murder’ as something horrific. His self awareness found me thinking about my own self awareness. I know that at times I am not always the most correct person and after the book, I found myself thinking about what was happening around me and what was in my own control and what was not.
Forgiveness is something that does not come easily to people. We are programmed to think that we are right all the time. I am definitely one of those people. I almost always stand by what I think until I am proven absolutely wrong and it goes the same way with holding grudges. I have been holding the same grudge against my sister since 2014 because I beat her in a bowling tournament until she cheated (her handicap was higher than mine). I am working on it, but I am known for holding grudges. Nate has to forgive The Fort and himself for everything that has happened in the past.
Devils Within is an amazing book and offers a lot of insight and understanding that apply to the time that we are in. Although the book and what is happening in real life are not the same, it brought me to a place of better understanding on why everything is happening. I highly suggest the S.F. Henson book, but please, be aware of what you are reading due to the serious content.
Image Credit: Glen Noble on Unsplash
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