Kill ‘Em and Leave: Searching for James Brown and the
American Soul is the new book from James McBride, himself a musician
and National Book award-winning author of The Good Lord Bird and The
Color of Water. It’s a perfect fit for those students whose Junior Theme
involves describing an American artist and his/her impact on American values. McBride notes how James Brown sold "more
than 200 million records, recorded 321 albums, 16 of them hits, wrote 832
songs, and made 45 gold records. He revolutionized American music: he was the
very first to fuse jazz into popular funk; the very first to record a 'live'
album that became a number-one record." Kill ‘Em and Leave is
a fascinating look not only at an innovative and influential musician, but also
at race relations and social class in American society.
McBride divides his book into three sections (Countin’ Off,
Hit It! And Quit It!). He begins by
describing the Buzz (“four hundred years of pent-up bitterness”) and writes
about how “Brown was a child of a country in hiding: America’s South” where “the
music [of black artists] is immortalized while the communities that produced
them continue to suffer.” McBride shares a story of money and greed, of
associates and mentees like Al Sharpton, of passion and dedication, through a
series of vignettes. “What was the point, Brown said, trying to play big. Just be
big.” Given the style and power of McBride’s writing, Kill ‘Em and Leave
could also be considered as assigned text for classes like Senior Writers
Seminar and Creative Writing. Starred
review from Booklist.
