School and academy
From the time he was young, Laymon's mother showed him the path to freedom: Academia. He is encouraged (or perhaps forced) to use intelligent speech, and his behavior at home must be academic in nature. His mother demands that he perform an intelligent personality, knowing that such people can sometimes overcome the prejudices that often prohibit Black people in their community from opportunity. He does succeed in academia.
Writing and publication
The imagery of achievement in writing is part of how Laymon attains freedom, but even so, it is an arduous battle. Because he is Black, his writings are labeled "Black academia," and considered niche or secondary, making it hard for him to attain mainstream attention. Through writing, he shows the reader what disenfranchisement looks like, and he shows the stakes of success. When he manages to get any acclaim whatsoever, the death threats start pouring in.
Life at the bottom
This memoir starts at the bottom of the social totem pole. There are both internal and external issues. The external issues are systemic injustice, which he explains and demonstrates through anecdote. The internal issues are culturally reinforced ideas about community that verge on cultish, which he also demonstrates. If one is to "fit in," they typically must abandon any hope of escaping the 'hood for a better life. Such people are often regarded as traitors.
Anger and injustice
Laymon doesn't enjoy the frustration that anger brings his mind, but then again, what other emotional response would be appropriate? He sees the world through the lens of frustration, noticing injustice that other people ignore. When he tries to explain it, he is often dismissed. He finds himself chronically disenfranchised from opportunity, and when he tries to pursue a better life for himself, it is silent, easily concealed racism that stops him. The imagery of anger is a sixth sense telling him what other people choose to ignore, sometimes deliberately.
