RAWSISTAZ Review of Before I Forget by Leonard Pitts

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Reviewed: May 22, 2009

Before I Forget by Leonard Pitts
Agate Bolden, March 2009
336 Pages, Paperback, $16.00
ISBN: 1932841431
Genre: Fiction

RAW Rating: 5.0 (out of 5)

In BEFORE I FORGET by Leonard Pitts, Mo, a well-known musician from the 70s, gets lost on his way to a gig. He goes there every week so he can't figure out what happened. He goes to the doctor and finds out. At age 49, he has early onset of Alzheimers. Mo is shattered but is referred to a group of others just like him. They tell their stories, give each other comfort and make life better for each other. Mo realizes he has some unfinished business, mainly with his son, Trey, whom he has ignored most of his life. There were always jobs to be done, recordings to be made, trips on the road and so he really doesn't know Trey.

Meanwhile, Trey has taken a wrong turn. He has a four-year-old son whom he ignores, he wants to be a rapper and become famous like his Dad. Trey doesn't have the money to get started, so he agrees with his fellow rappers to rob a neighborhood store. Things go terribly wrong but fortunately, for once, his father is there for him and bails him out. His friends are afraid he was released because he blamed them. What will they do to Trey? How will they make him pay?

Mo finds out his father is dying of cancer. He and Trey take a road trip to California. Along the way, Mo confesses to Trey what his issues are - Alzheimers and warns Trey it could very well happen to him also.

BEFORE I FORGET is a wonderful story of the generations of Black men who have definitely not been the best fathers they could be. Will Trey be able to take his father's advice and change how he is treating his son? Will the neglect end with him? Trey's character shows he can change and really isn't happy with how he has been behaving. Even Mo begins to change. It was a real page-turner. Once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down. It would be a great book for many young black men to read and take to heart.

Reviewed by alice Holman, RAWSISTAZ.com
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Alice Holman is an avid reader, a writer and a community activist. She lives in Denver, Colorado with her husband Ray and her little dog Boo.

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