fist stick knife gun

I first heard of Geoffrey Canada as I was driving home to Virginia on a dark Sunday night earlier this year after visiting my then-fiance in Pennsylvania. I was listening to an old episode of This American Life from 1997 called “Guns.” The episode included a 10-minute segment in which a man named Geoffrey Canada talked about his experience growing up in the Bronx and read from his book “Fist Stick Knife Gun: A Personal History of Violence in America.”

Right away, I knew I wanted to read the book, so when I got home, I opened up a little text document I keep on my computer called “Books I Want to Read” and typed in the title.

A month or so later, while driving across Pennsylvania on I-78 eastbound, I was listening to a much more recent episode of This American Life called “Going Big.” The entire first half of the show featured the work of the Harlem Children’s Zone and its president/CEO, Geoffrey Canada.

I soon logged on to Amazon.com and bought his book, but during the craziness of planning a wedding, quitting my job, and moving to Pennsylvania, I let the book sit on the shelf collecting dust for a number of months. I finally picked it up and started reading it back in September, but then became distracted by other fluffier books and temporarily set it aside. When I finished reading it last night, I found myself wishing that it were longer than 179 pages.

Canada spends the first nine chapters describing the codes of conduct that he lived by as a boy in the 1950s and 60s. He writes:

“When I was growing up in the South Bronx there were some natural checks on violent behavior. Most violence on the block was done with the fists in what we called a “fair one”: two people fought until one was too hurt to continue or quit in defeat. There were people around to ensure the dispute was settled according to the rules. No “dirty” fighting was allowed, no kicking or biting, no weapons. If someone violated the rules he might be attacked or ostracized by the group.”

But as times changed and guns became more prevalent, the rules of the streets and sidewalks of the South Bronx changed too.

Canada returned to New York City in 1983 after receiving a masters degree in education from Harvard, ready to make a difference in the lives of poor children in Harlem, along with their families and their neighborhood. “Fist Stick Knife Gun” is full of stories and insights surrounding situations of violence and potential violence, some of which ended quite positively due to the wise decision-making and peace-keeping efforts of Geoffrey Canada.

While violence isn’t something I’ve either studied or experienced in any significant way, the author brings an insider’s perspective that I found incredibly fascinating and valuable. The book is one that makes me wish I were much more gifted at writing a book review, because it’s a book I would highly recommend.