Wednesday, February 16, 2022

Haley Scholars (Group 4) Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah's "The Finkelstein 5"

[Haley Reading Groups Spring 2022]

Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah's "The Finkelstein 5" is one of the most powerful, inventive, and scary short stories we've read for our online reading group.

The tale focuses on the outcome of a brutal and terrible racist situation where a white man was found not guilty, though he admitted killing black children. In response, groups of African Americans begin killing random white people in crazed acts of anger and vengeance.    

There's so much to consider with this story. The racist killing of black children. The violent acts of revenge. The racial profiling. The ways the main character considers levels of blackness. And more. 

What did you find most intriguing, surprising, or unsettling about this story? And why?

53 comments:

Anonymous said...

The thing I find the most intriguing is the way that the main character considers his level of "blackness". I find this most interesting because it lets the reader know that it is something he has to do. It is the first thing he thinks of when he wakes up and he takes it into account for every thing he does, like shopping for clothes and walking outside.

Another part that is intriguing about this is the effect that the Finkelstein verdict will have on him. He will feel even more scared to show his "blackness" after someone got away with murdering five young black children.

-Dayevion M

Valarie M said...

For starters, the most unsettling thing about this story is the trial. I say that because it's crazy how people can come up with a lie and start to believe the lie themselves. I don't know about anyone else but I can see through the whole lie the dad was telling. He was not in danger at all and those kids did not scare him. The father is just looking for an escape to not go to jail for what he did and the thing that makes this really unsettling was how bad he killed the kids and during the trial, he is just on the stand saying how he did it like it doesn't bother him at all. - Valarie M

Cameron K said...

Cameron Kellogg

The main thing I found unsettling was this white man killing black kids. Not only did he admit to it, but he was found not guilty after. It is so disturbing to see a character do something like this and get away with it, with no repercussions.

Cameron K said...

Cameron Kellogg

The main thing I found unsettling was this white man killing black kids. Not only did he admit to it, but he was found not guilty after. It is so disturbing to see a character do something like this and get away with it, with no repercussions.

La’ Raye said...

I am not surprised that the white man was not guilty or innocent. There are so many stories right now in our lives that white folks do a lot of racist and very harmful things to us and don't get our justice for it. It has a lot to do with WHITE PRIVILEDGED. I honestly don't blame African Americans for raging into killing white folks, we are enraged from them killing us and not getting what they deserve for doing it to us. There's so much that this story really shows and we can relate with these happening in our lives a lot recently, especially dealing with racism and racist comments at SIUE and just in this town of Edwardsville, and I personally have dealt with a lot of racism here recently.

- La'Raye Littlepage

Alexis Price said...

What was unsettling to me was the verdict of the 5 children that were murdered. What I found surprising is that there were people who were killing innocent white children kind of the like the "eye for an eye". Another thing that was unsettling was how the people who killed the children were getting killed by police officers before they would get questioned. It just doesn't sit right with me and the fact that things like this has happened in real life is more unsettling.

Audriahna Macklin said...

Audri Macklin

There are two things that I found intriguing about this story. The first thing was the character Emmanuel and how he had to level his "blackness" to fit in or be called normal. Another part of the story would've been on Page 2 When it said "George Wilson Dunn had been indicted for allegedly using a chainsaw to hack off the heads of five black children outside the Finkelstien Library. My question to this quote is why did the author go to the extreme with this part?

Niate Kina said...

What I found most interesing about this chapter was that, the people who were committing acts in the name of revenge for the five who died, would carve fives into their skin. Then, they would proceed to blurt out the names of the child in which they were getting revenge for. This was pretty troubling to read when I first saw it, but then it started to make sense. Also, I was in no way surprised that the Black community as a whole was taking action to the oppression they were facing. When you are constantly pushed and then pushed some more, there is always a point in which action will be made. And that, is exactly what I saw in this chapter. The main character, "Emmanuel" is a perfect example of this. He, a person who would've been my last pick on fighting back, completely surprised me when he joined in on the planned attack of the white couple.

Paul Olubodun said...

The thing I found most intriguing was the way some black people responded to George Dunn not getting the sentence he deserved. I found this intriguing because black people responded by attacking and killing random white people and screaming the names of the children that were killed. I don't believe that they reacted in the right manner, but I can understand why they did what they did.

Paul Olubodun

RYAN PARHAM said...

The craziest thing about this story is the fact that so many people believed the white man but the people who didn't were black people who can see past their lies. I feel like this happens a lot in the real world because black people know what happens to their people. It's always been taught to be vigilant of others due to the fact that we're different skin color. It really hits home that we are the only ones protecting each other in our community that look like us.

Amir Madison said...

I found it interesting that people were willingly admitting to crimes knowing that there would possibly consequences, or maybe they already knew that they would get off easy because of the color of their skin. For instance, the white man who killed the children; he admitted to the crime and was still let off.

Kevyere Mack said...

The thing I found intriguing was that every time Emmanuel did something throughout the story he would rate his level of "blackness" according to how he went about it. When he was out in public he was able to pinpoint every little attire that made his blackness go up. That way he could keep himself less noticeable to the outside world.

-KEVYERE MACK

Jania M. said...

There are a few things that intrigued me about this story but there were two that stood out to me. Is when the character Emmanuel had to level his blackness to fit in with those that didn't agree with how he act. Another thing would be is when he went to the mall. The security guard had been following him throughout the mall and had accused him of stealing a shirt that he had just purchased. How could you accuse someone of stealing something if you were following them around the mall the entire time? I've never understood why people stereotyped someone based on their skin color. - Jania M

Josiah Olden said...

There were two things that I was most intrigued by: the headless girl at the beginning of the chapter and the acquittal of George Wilson Dunn. After reading the first two sentences of the chapter, I was surprised and a little disturbed, considering that the chapter began with a nightmare of a headless girl walking towards the main character, Emmanuel. It became more unsettling when Dunn brutally murdered five children with a chainsaw on the second page of the book. Despite the gruesome imagery from these two events, the first few pages are quite profound in the sense that it uses horrid imagery of horror and murder metaphorically to emphasize the fears that black people experience in reality.
-Josiah Olden

Jarrod Rhodes said...

When Emmanuel's father said, "This is an important thing to learn" (pg. 4) to Emmanuel while he burned his denim jeans was one of the most intriguing parts of the story. I wonder if his jeans represent Emmanuel's heart burning with rage. The most surprising part that I found about the story was where the people on the bus did not act when Boogie punched the white lady. I would have expected someone to try to attack Boogie, but I guess they were afraid of him. The most unsettling part of the story was when George Wilson Dunn chased towards the 7-year-old with the chainsaw, even though she poses no threat to him or his kids. I could only imagine the terror on her face and the savage expression on Wilson's face.

Jarrod Rhodes

Destiny Moore said...

I found most intriguing is the fact that as African Americans they can come together to take action on what is going on. What I found Surprising is the "Blackness Scale" that emmanuel introduced in the first part of the story to tone down his blackness. Even though, as a black person you never feel like you have to do that because it is important to feel confident in your skin. The most unsettling part of the whole story is the fact that the caucasian man had the audacity to kill innocent black children and get away with it and this is why I was kinda happy to see the African American's take revenge.

-Destiny Moore

Makiah Lewis said...

What I found the most unsettling was how Emmanuel had to switch up his level of "blackness". As a black person, I feel like just about everyone can relate to this, especially those of us that attend PWI's. Sometimes we feel as if we need to change how we act to fit in with others. It's sad that to this day we have to feel that way but that's the way it's been for years.

-Makiah Lewis

Nyah Marcano said...

The Finkelstein 5 short story had many interesting stylistic choices, the one that struck me most was Emmanuel's conscicious level change for his blackness. On page three it states, "Emmanuel stepped outside into the world, his Blackness at a solid 7.6." The constant reajustment of him feeling his "Blackness" is a type of self awareness that I have personally felt before. For Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah to intenionally let the audience know how confortable Emmanuel is feeling in different situations with a better understanding.

Rashad Pipkins said...

What I found most interesting is the way that the character had to live in the aspect of an African American. Being black caused the character to have to do things differently than other people. This is actually a real thing that African Americans go through, but it is always more flabbergasting to see it happen in other forms than real life.

Ian Lindsey said...

What I found unsettling was the concept of "blackness". It was like the main character was whitewashed by society. The concept of blackness on a 10-point scale was used to keep himself in check. However, in the end, he didn't care anymore and became fully black because he was able to see the injustice and unfair treatment of his people. Honestly, this is a very relatable story and I would recommend it to anyone who is ignorant of today's racial issues.

-Ian Lindsey

Amarie McCleary said...

The most unsettling thing I read in this story was that fact that George Wilson Dunn had murdered 5 black children and felt justified by doing so because "he was protecting his children" however instead of protecting them he murdered 5 children in front of them with no problem. Its also the fact that Dunn kept saying "She looked at least thirteen" (20) like this would justify you killing a child just because they are of such age.

-Amarie McCleary.

Unknown said...

The part I found the most unsettling was the fact that a white man who worked in a library saw 5 black kids and felt “threatened” enough to chop their heads off. I wasn’t surprised when he was found not guilty but the way they made it seem like he was just “protecting” himself says a lot.

Unknown said...

The part I found intriguing was the way the the black Americans were carving 5s into their skin for the 5 children who died. It was written in a very disturbing way.I also found Emmanuel's talk of the levels of blackness to be intriguing because I feel that a lot of people can relate to trying to tone down their "Blackness" to fit in with White people and White culture.

Unknown said...

what I found unsettling was the description of how the people who went to get "revenge" for the 5 murdered children would carve 5s into their skin. The description of this was very disturbing and added to the already gruesome atmosphere. I also found it intriguing that Emmanuel started talking about the levels of "Blackness" and how he had to switch the levels up. i feel like the need to switch between the levels of "Blackness" can be related to today because many Black Americans feel like they must act "White" to be treated with more respect.

-Cierstin N

Dakahi said...

What I found most unsettling about this story is how the white man admits to killing the children, yet he still was found innocent. Another thing that was unsettling to me is when the main character talked about the blackness scale and how at certain times he would have to tone down his blackness.

-Dakahi Leflore

Tamia Goodlow said...

I was surprised that the he got away with murder after admitting to the killing, The fact that it was 5 children was just crazy to me. There were no consequences or anything. We see this all the time in history, the only thing different was that there were multiple victims.
-Tamia Goodlow

Jercura Kindred said...

The thing I found the most intriguing was the fact the the white man who killed the 5 black children was found not guilty. Another thing that was interesting is that the people who killed in retaliation carved a 5 into their skin as symbolization. Yet another thing that intrigued me was the "blackness scale" Emmanuel uses. He went around and literally rated every action he had on this scale and tried to make himself "less black" so he would have no problems.

-Jercura Kindred

Jalen Q. said...

The thing that was most unsettling to me was how excited Emmanuel and Boogie were at the thought of beating and scaring that couple. You can be angry at injustice all you want, but when you are actively trying hurt people to spread a message that is never a good thing. Especially when you are actually taking pride in it.

Marquis P said...

For starters, what stood out to me was how much Emmanuel questioned his existence in the world (society). Throughout the story, I found it interesting how he weighed his blackness by using a 10-point scale. Personally, I think this is certainly one of the biggest takeaways from this short story, along with the bias black people face when it comes to legal system. Overall, there's quite a few significant issues to take away from this story.

Omari Riley said...

What I found disturbing is the outcome of the trial. The white man killed black kids with a chainsaw and fully intended to do so. That is manslaughter and first degree murder. But the white man was found not guilty. It was not so suprising because of the racism black people face today and similar cases happen.

Unknown said...

The most unsettling thing about this story was the mention of switching the level of blackness. I say this because many times we tell people that there is no such thing as acting black or talking black. Although I think this is unsettling it is also significant today because many young black people are told by their parents how to act "less black". -- Meikiyia Roberts

Jason Newman said...

The most unsettling thing about this story was when people went and killed innocent white children because of the verdict and the non guilty verdict. Another unsettling detail about this story was when Emmanuel went to the mall and was followed around by security who still accused him of stealing.

Devin Perry said...

The short story had many interesting parts and a lot to pull from. But the part that I found the most interesting was the response of the black people killing the random white people. Now I can't say if I really agree or disagree with their actions but it is just interesting to see. Usually black people are known for turning the other cheek and taking the high rode. But as community when do we reach that breaking point were that is no longer an option.

-Devin Perry

Isiah Miller said...

I found this story unsettling because it has very violent tones to it. It's scary to me that the white man was not only killing children, but specifically targetting black children. It's also saddening (yet understandable) that the black people decided to retaliate with killing as well.

Erin Myers said...

Ciaunna M.:

The thing I found intriguing was the white man killing black kids with nothing being done to him. Even after he admitted he got no charges or anything. This story shows an example of white privilege

Erin Myers said...

Sophina K.:

The part I found the most unsettling was the fact that a white man who worked at the library had seen 5 black kids minding their business and he felt so "threatened" enough to the point he decided to chop off all their heads. I wasn't really surprised either when the court let this man walk free because he was just "protecting" himself.

Erin Myers said...

Sierrea McNiff said...
The most unsettling part of this story is the defense's case. The defense attorney believes that George Wilson Dunn's beheading of 5 innocent children was reasonable because he is American (The Finkelstein 5, PG.5). Furthermore, the defense attorney argues that Americans have the right to believe. And because Dunn believed that he and his children were in danger, his actions are justified. This argument is unbelievable and false. We do have freedom in America but we also still have to follow the laws placed by our government. There is no way a man can feel threatened by 5 children. Even if he was, there are hundreds of other ways to handle the situation. Also, George did not protect his children but, instead, committed a traumatizing crime in front of them.

February 16, 2022 at 9:41 PM
(Originally posted to https://www.culturalfront.org/2022/02/haley-scholars-group-5-nana-kwame-adjei.html)

Chris Rhodes said...

What I found most intriguing about this story was when the black people began killing random white people out of anger and vengeance. Obviously, it’s not the “right” thing to do, and those white people didn’t deserve to die, they didn’t do anything wrong. But neither did those black children. This part of the story is a real “eye for an eye” situation that really tests your morals and values and made me think. I found it to be quite interesting. What I found surprising about this story was the “blackness scale.” I’ve read about this in the media but I never realized how critical it is, the way Emmanuel describes it in the story really surprised me especially since he felt more inclined to hide his blackness after a white man got away with murder. What I found unsettling about this story was the trial. Based on my knowledge and what’s been going on around the world I could predict that the murderer was not going to be punished because he’s white. What was more unsettling was how he lied and attempted to make excuses about how those black children deserved to die? It’s baffling to me how white people can commit these illegal acts and simply deny responsibility for their actions.
- Chris Rhodes

Chris Rhodes said...

What I found most intriguing about this story was when the black people began killing random white people out of anger and vengeance. Obviously, it’s not the “right” thing to do, and those white people didn’t deserve to die, they didn’t do anything wrong. But neither did those black children. This part of the story is a real “eye for an eye” situation that really tests your morals and values and made me think. I found it to be quite interesting. What I found surprising about this story was the “blackness scale.” I’ve read about this in the media but I never realized how critical it is, the way Emmanuel describes it in the story really surprised me especially since he felt more inclined to hide his blackness after a white man got away with murder. What I found unsettling about this story was the trial. Based on my knowledge and what’s been going on around the world I could predict that the murderer was not going to be punished because he’s white. What was more unsettling was how he lied and attempted to make excuses about how those black children deserved to die? It’s baffling to me how white people can commit these illegal acts and simply deny responsibility for their actions.
- Chris Rhodes

Samuel Msengi said...

The most intriguing thing I foudn was the violence presented within the tale. It left me with mixed feelings of what was right and who was truly within the right--all those people, or rather none of those people deserved to die. Human life is precious. But that white man should of been convicted and found guilty...but does the means justify the ends? Was it truly beneficial to kill all those people to get a message of strife and bloodshed--justifiable? Is that morally correct? It's a morally gray story which left me reconsidering events.

Mar'Taejia Murphy said...

One thing that didn't sit right with me and that I found unsettling was the white man killing the black kids. Its crazy because he actually admitted to it and still got any discipline or consequences . This kind of relates to the real world as well , because there has been plenty of killings where someone has admitted to it and still are not found guilt. It disturbing to know someone has done something wrong and get away with it.

tyra OLIVER said...

The unsettling thing to me is that the black kids was getting killed by a white man. That is wow to me because that is going on in the world in real life

Kizito Nwauwa said...

When reading “The Finkelstein 5” by Nana Kwame Adeji-Brenyah, what was most intriguing to me was the argument the defense attorney used when defending George Wilson Dunn, the white man that killed 5 black children outside of the Finkelstein Library. The attorney starts by using an equivocation fallacy, saying that because he is an American, he has the right to protect himself in situations of need. Even though that situation is not one of them. The attorney then goes on to start gaslighting the prosecution, personifying them into being manipulative and oppressive beings. Then he goes on to utilize a false dichotomy fallacy by asking the question making it seem like there are only two choices. He specifically asks “ ‘So I ask you, what do you love more, the supposed ‘law’ or your children’ “(5). It’s tricky arguments like these, along with the background of the defendant that doesn’t make it surprising that Dunn got away with this crime.

Erin Myers said...

Kaylin P.:

What I found most intriguing about the story was the blatant racism that is expressed throughout the story. While many cases like this has happened in real like I believe the author exaggerated the violence and oppression in this story just for others to understand the perspective that black people go through all the time. I think it’s amazing how the author set the plot up like this. I also like the rating of the blackness scale Emmanuel constantly uses. As a black person in America he is constantly trying to belittle his skin color to feel more acceptable. As sickening that ideal is, lots of minorities in today’s society do it subconsciously to become more accepted in society

Erin Myers said...

Lauren M.:

what i found most unsettling about the story is that the white man admitting to the killings but still went unpunished. i also found it interesting that emmanuel felt the need to scale his blackness and shape it based on his surroundings. this is true for a lot of people in the real world as people are told not to act too black in professional settings. but why is blackness seen as inferior. emmanuel shaped his blackness becasuse he feared for his life

Akuchukwu O said...


The most unsettling thing I found was how Emmanuel would change up his degree of blackness. This stuck with me because as a person of color, it's quite often to change how you act just to fit and not be seen as different.

Erin Myers said...

Leroy P.:

The thing that was unsettling for me was the verdict of the 5 children that were murdered. What I found surprising is that there were people who were killing innocent white children kind of the like the "eye for an eye." I am honestly not surprised that the white man was not guilty or innocent. White privilege is a real thing and this is an example of it.

Erin Myers said...

Trista M.:

the thing that I found most unsettling was that the white man got away with the murder of black kids. While unsettling, this was also the thing that I found not surprising. Things like this happen even still to this day. White people get away with the killing of black people with no repercussions or jail time.

Vashanti Reynolds said...

The thing I found most upsetting was the verdict about the 5 children being killed. The verdict was announced early on in the story but still rubbed me a wrong way and set the tone of the story early on. Same goes for him rating his blackness on a scale.

emyia kirksey said...

Emyia Kirksey

What's unsettling about this story to me is how this man was able to get away with chainsaw the head off of five children. It's inhumane and disgusting.. What kills me the most is the prosecutor talking about love for his client when his client doesn't have a ounce of love in his heart. I feel like they're all sick minded. To hate someone so much because of skin color and kill them take away they life and humanity and get away with it makes me not feel sorry for the people who were getting killed.....

Erin Myers said...

Taniah P.:

There was something I found surprising to me it was about , people willing to admitting The crimes that they have done in knowing they can have an easy breakthrough. Just because of the color of their skin and how they approach others with their looks. If you ask me, I think that’s a slap on the wrist in my eyes. Some of the Caucasian “ Aka White Peoples” Think that they can get away with their crime. And that is all just because of their skin. And in the inside they are laughing, And smiling within, because they don’t get in trouble like African Americans people. Overall white men is in power, from anyone in the world.

Zariyah Reid said...

Zariyah Reid Blog Post #1

The thing I found most intriguing about this short story was the depth of it. Every sentence has jaw dropping details that allow you to nearly feel like you’re in the story yourself. The details down to the part where Emmanuel sees his childhood friend Boogie and gives him a hug are just so precise. Being a part of the black community you know exactly what that greeting was and how much it meant. Something that I found surprising is how we are able to read such talented detailed short stories knowing how hard it usually is to get books like this in schools. For a novel such as this one to be labeled as a New York Times Best Seller is simply amazing.

Erin Myers said...

Theon'Janae P.:

What I really found disturbing about this story was the fact he used a chainsaw to slotter kids and the outcome of the trial. The white man killed kids with a chainsaw and fully intended to do which is manslaughter. He was found not guilty which isn't surprising considering the fact of the special privileges whites have. Things like this are still happening today things will never change.