What Expressions of Resistance does this memoir highlight? What “call to arms” is found within this text? Is this resistance specific to certain groups or individuals, or is it more wide ranging in scope?

Coates is not optimistic or hopeful about things changing in America, but he does not counsel apathy or ambivalence. He tells Samori that he must continue to struggle everyday. He must not let his guard down or become complacent; he must fully confront himself as a black man in contemporary America even if it is difficult and seemingly senseless at times. The struggle is what makes life bearable; it keeps one sane and grounded in a world that is capricious and callous toward black people. The struggle can be mitigated by the study of black intellectuals as well as the embrace of one's community of fellow black men and women.