Book review
As we enter week 4 of the Covid-19 pandemic, nothing seems to ease the pain of longing for normalcy. Out of all the bits of normal I miss, the one I long for the most is the Sunday afternoon barbecues my friends and I always seem to have for as long as I can remember. We all wake up around noon after a long Saturday night, meet up at a predetermined rotating location, and we just spend all day without responsibility; meat on the grill, music and laughter in the air, sun in the sky. There’s no set in stone schedule for these meet ups, but they generally happen from around spring break until Halloween every year, so to have missed the unofficial kickoff this year has been a pretty big bummer. While we’re all for the most part a responsible set of adults within my friend group, and realize the purpose and necessity of needing to stay in, one thing that a few of us (myself included) still can’t get over, is the lack of accessible hair cuts during the stay at home edict.
‘Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut’ by Derrick Barnes spoke to me in these dark times more than it probably would have two or three months ago. The feeling described of a young man going to the barber shop, getting a fresh haircut, and going into the world as a new person is beautifully and vividly captured both by the authors words, and illustrator Gordon C. James’ paintings. The story follows a young man’s trip to the barber shop, as he describes in great detail the euphoria and self-esteem boost he receives each time he goes. The cute girl in class may give him another look, he may have the self-confidence to ace the next English test, people with stop and cheer as the see him leave the barber shop chair, or at least they want to, but you know, they have to stay cool.
The powerful imagery and usage of warm, naturalistic colors makes the world of the narrator feel lived in. Any boy or man that has been to the barbershop will know the feeling of what a good haircut can do, and to see the emotion behind the pictures only adds to that feeling.The youthful exuberance paired with the mature, cool, refined imagery reminds me of the times when I was at the barbershop as a kid, and home it was one of the few places I could feel older than I was. The narrator points out the other adults in the building with him and describes them as royalty or superstars deserving of adulation, which only adds to his feelings of thinking he’s just as cool as them.
If there was ever a better time to remember the good of the world, and how much a bit of self confidence can bring, ‘Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut’ fills that void and can inspire many others outside of myself to stay strong in the coming months. Because as soon as things clear up and get better, as soon as we can all be back to normal, I’m sure the collective self-empowerment felt from barbershops and beauty shops will only make the meaning of this book ring even more true.
- Goodreads rating – 4.38
- REVIEW – Patrick Matthew