I hosted a book club yesterday on this book and I must say that my peers were overcome with questions about the LGBTQ experience (many of them are cis-gender heterosexuals) and what it means to be a gay black man in society and in the south (a contrast from Moore's northern upbringing). I asked them to provide one word to sum up the book and their responses were diverse: Generational. Exhausting. Situational. Resilient. Discerning. Overshadowing. Incomplete.I dare say that there were so many parallels I drew from the book and was able to uncover in my life:-- father/son relationship-- black women and their service to others-- macro and micro level oppression-- historical accuracy-- system depravities as a result of structures-- black boy magic-- spirit of discernment-- identity negotiation and wearing of masks-- religious symbols and influence-- sexuality and sexI could go on and on but the most important piece of this work is that it was honest and sought to express to the reader an intimate view of the life and lives that exist on the fringes of blackness, gayness, and maleness. It was a riveting account of male dominance and patriarchal designations and how the people in our lives possess a Jekyll and Hyde persona with the ability to love and hurt and help and hinder.Moreover, the sociopolitical underpinnings discussed in the book further illuminated how these aspects were at work to further misconstrue our narrative, re-write our past, and augment our present milieu to take away our strength and pit us against each other. "They tried to bury us, but they didn't know we were seeds." As a result, my generation has rose and blossomed with a renewed sense of direction and a passion to help our culture progress and elevate. I had the opportunity of seeing Moore on a panel at my alma mater which highlighted a conversation about religion in the black LGBTQ community and how this induces silence and comatose, or inactive, presence. He discussed the importance of the realization of "whose necks our feet are on as there are feet upon our necks" and how the ability to exercise humanity is more important that retaliating against someone who is just as scarred and hurt as you are. It was powerful and led me to read this work. We are having a second session to unpack the concept of "unseen hands" that shape and influence our lives particularly in the LGBTQ experience.Thank you Darnell for this! I'm now ready to walk through the fire and plan to leave no ashes behind!