Summary Of MK Asante's Memoir 'Buck'

Buck, a memoir, written by MK Asante narrates the story of his rebellious life in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with a self-destructive family―a father who left, a depressed mother, and an imprisoned older brother. His mother, particularly, has given up with life. Unsynced with the world around her, she’s loveless; lost in a fog of loneliness, confusion, and untouched by affection from her family. After a self-inflicted near death experience, she rediscovered the love her family had for her and began her recovery. Her depression was a manifest of lovelessness and, in turn, was cured because of the display of love.

Having battled depression for most of her life due to the absence of love from those around her, Amina began to recover after being hospitalized because she finally felt the love
Amina was able to get back to teaching dance and living her life after being hospitalized: “She’s wearing a leotard and looks good. Her face glows like it’s backlit. She stops the music and tells me they're preparing for some big dance competition. I can hear it in her voice―she wants it” (Asante 208). Amina’s recovery is beautiful; she evolved from the deepest depths of darkness into a sunny, bright world full of light and joy. She grew into a more confident woman, “wearing a leotard and [looking] good.” Moreover, she filled her time with passion and determination, “preparing for some big dance competition.” Clearly, she strived to recover and grow from her depression. Likewise, emerging from my depression was difficult as well and I made great efforts to improve my life to the standard that I wanted it to be. I became more confident in myself and independent with what I did. Additionally, my mentality grew stronger and more positive. Equally, Amina and I took a leap in a better direction in our