Wednesday, February 16, 2022

Haley Scholars (Group 5) 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?

59 comments:

Gabriel Scott said...

I found that the most unsettling part of the story was the jury seriously deciding that the murder of five black children was justified and let the man go. The reason for this being that although it seems outrageous it's fairly too close to reality - Gabriel Scott

Ayanna Townsend said...

While reading Nana Kwame book, the Friday Black, I immediately became intrigued by the storyline in its entirety and because of the prompt that was given for the short story “The Finkelstein 5.” However, what I believe was the most intriguing part is when the author provided the readers insight of the trial between the murder of the five black children. That part of the story was the most intriguing to me because it provided plenty of information as to why acts of violence kept reoccurring throughout the story. Lastly, what I thought was very interesting was towards the very end of the short story when the graphic details were brought about while describing the incidences that occurred once the police arrived and killed Emmanuel. Although the ending was ultimately expected, I was still surprised about the stories abrupt ending.

Townsend.

Heaven watkins said...

What I found very surprising about this story so far Is how the African Americans in the community reacted towards this situation. When situations like this happen many people come together to protest which I thought would happen in this story. Another event in the story that was surprising to me was how many children he had killed and how he killed them. The way he was defending himself in court should not have been accepted in my defense.

Aerin T. said...

What I found surprising about this story is how far the black community was willing to take justice for the five kids. Most often, in situations like these, the community comes together to protest peacefully. That way they don't feed into the narrative that black people are "thugs" and "criminals". I also felt disgusted by the way the case turned out. It just reminded me of all the black people that have been wrongfully killed, and their murderers getting away with it.

Devin Willis said...

One part of the story I liked was how the black community protested against the situation in the story. I most definitely didn’t like how the case turned out about the five kids. This is a situation that could happen in reality.

Jordan W. said...

What was unsettling about this story was that it was a reminder of what a lot of black people are treated when it comes being in the court and being a statistic. It can be annoying having to deal with the same thing of black people getting murdered by white people and they end up getting away with it, just because they felt "threatened" when the black person didn't harm them in any form.

Leea S. said...

One of the most unsettling parts to me is that the jury found the man murdering five children justified. I find this unsettling because this is very close to reality and when you look at things that are still happening in today's society, it makes you believe it could actually.

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.

Shaniyah Robinson said...

What I found most unsettling about the story was that the murder of the 5 black children was justified and set the killer free. That part really rubbed me the wrong way and made me think about how many times that has happened recently in our society. It hit very close to home and no matter how many times I hear about similar situations happening it still makes me angry/sad. - Shaniyah Robinson

A’nya Wilkes said...

I think the most intriguing part of the story was how the black community reacted and turned the tables. Usually, when things like the case in the story happen in real life people protest, but usually, the most violence that occurs is "riots". It was interesting to see a world where people respond with violence. I don't think what they did was right it's just a big contrast to how we deal with things in the real world, and I found it interesting that the author told the story from that perspective. -A'nya Wilkes

Britney Wallace said...



What I found the most interesting about the story was the lack of remorse George Wilson held towards the victims. The scenario he described for what made him perpetrate the crime had absolutely no correlation or reasoning to back up the murder of five innocent children. The jury shockingly concluded he was doing an act of self-defense. During the trial, he could not even remember the names of the children he killed. He justified himself by saying he was protecting his children. I just could not believe what he was saying. If someone had murdered his children in cold blood, he would want justice. This idea of turning the tables is exactly what the Black people in the community did. They wanted to show people how it felt to have innocent people killed just for the color of their skin. I do not believe the violent actions taken were the right ones, but it proved the point of anger and frustration that Black people in the community felt. - Britney Wallace

Unknown said...

SARAH ROLLINS


I found the man killing the kids unsettling, It's tragic how the kids died and no justice was served. He admitted to it with no remorse and was found not guilty after. There is no way a man can feel threatened by 5 children. And If so you should be empathetic to know you were once a kid, there are hundreds of other ways to handle the situation. Also, George did not protect black children also, allowing other kids to see.

Terence Smith said...

The thing I found so interesting about this chapter was at the beginning when they talk about how they found the verdict not guilty and that they found what he did as a self defense and that what he did to those girls was okay. this was mostly interesting to me because it some of the things that happens today, we see it all the time when a person who is not of color gets away with the things they do and a person of color especially if the situation is not as bad as what the other person did gets a worse punishment then they did. This relates to today because we see it all the time, unfair cases and trials so this is very relatable to life today.

Damien W said...

The thing I found surprising about the story is how after the white man admitted to killing all of those black children. Then after he was let go, African Americans went on a purge and started murdering a bunch of caucasian people.

Kehajana Tallie said...

What I found interesting was that they labeled George cutting off the black kids heads with a chain saw as self-defense. Why did he have a chain saw? He was clearly prepared to do this, but they still said it was self-defense. If it was the other way around the black man would have been locked up with no questions asked.

Anonymous said...

The most intriguing thing to me was the man being not guilty for murdering the children because they were loitering. The way people reacted as well caught my eye too because on one end, you have people feeling bad for the kids and on the other,you have people just being flat out racist. This was interesting to me because things like this can happen in real life

-TJ Hunter

Kailiah Williams said...

In the story, the most disturbing part was when the jury decided that the wrongful killing of five black children was excusable and deemed the killer as innocent. I found this disturbing because similar verdicts and situations occur in real life and are often swept under the rug.

Caleb W. said...

The thing that I found the most unsettling was at the beginning of the story. A man not only killed five black children, but also hacked their heads off with a chainsaw. All they were doing was chilling outside of a library. He really has the audacity to say he felt threatened and the judge found him not guilty. The whole situation reminded me of Trayvon Martin and Mike Brown. The black community can Never get the justice that we deserve.

DeAndre Watson said...

What I find unsettling is the gruesome way the 5 black kids were murdered. The murder was "justified" because a white man felt threatened and decided to take matter into his own hands. The sad part is things like this still happen today. Innocent black people are getting killed by white people who feel "threatened" and the white person walks away scot free and is deemed a "hero". I also found it surprising that the black people started killing random white not fearing for retaliation or consequenses.

Sealaya Washington said...

While reading, I found it most interesting that Emmanuel kept placing his Blackness on a scale of one through ten. He would code switch and say that his "Blackness was at a 4.0" or put on certain clothes and it would change to an 8. It reminded me that Black people do not have the luxury of just being people and Black children do not get to just be children. We are seen as Black before we are anything else and that alone makes us a threat. Repercussions for Black people not adapting or using the scale that Emmanuel is using, is life threatening for us and it is sad and scary.

Atayah Smith said...

Something that I found a bit unsettling was a key point that I noticed on the very first page. The narrator immediately changed his tone of voice when talking to the operator to seem less “aggressive”. This is a form of code-switching, and African Americans often do this to come off as a more approachable person. It’s a shame that us black people feel the need to do this in order to be seen as less hostile.

Atayah Smith said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Atayah Smith said...

Something that I found a bit unsettling was a key point that I noticed on the very first page. The narrator immediately changed his tone of voice when talking to the operator to seem less “aggressive”. This is a form of code-switching, and African Americans often do this to come off as a more approachable person. It’s a shame that us black people feel the need to do this in order to be seen as less hostile.

Jayla Walker said...

I found the entire story unsettling. The fact that they claimed self defense and had a not guilty verdict is also unsettling. I find it unsettling because this is the type of things that happen to people everyday. Unfair situations take place like this in real life and although it is wrong, it happens.
- Jayla Walker

Gabrielle S. said...

The most interesting concept was the scale of blackness. Because I can relate to feeling like that and having that mindset, just because that's what it feels society is telling us. To read how meticulous yet realistic the list was. They were living in a world where so much injustice was going on around they just didn't;t know what to do anymore. So in retaliation you see the preaching of Malcom X exhibited.

Sandy Stokes said...

What i found the most upsetting was how thw jury let that man go and made it seem okay for him to kill those innocent kids just because they were black. I wouldn't say that's surprising with how it is for black people in the real world.

Madison Wilkins said...

What I found to be very unsettling about the story is how the jury letting the suspect of the murder of five children to be let go. I thought that was pretty unfair and it was not the act of justice. But, this is a representation of what reality is like.

Unknown said...

The thing I found interesting is that after the white man admitted to murdering those 5 kids, the court practically said that he was using self-defense in the situation. The problem was, they let a murder go and those kids didn't get the justice they need. Once black people have gotten word of what happened in the court room, they retaliated by killing off white kids.


-Sydney Witherspoon

Anonymous said...

What I found most unsettling about this whole story is just how the story eventually started shifting from the case to the main characters eyes. Understanding how upsetting it was for George to get away with killing the 5 black children, it was just more unsettling seeing what Emmanuel had to deal with, and it was only in his final moments he did not feel afraid.

Anonymous said...

what I found interesting was that George Wilson Dunn killed five children with a chainsaw and got away with it. this here is another example of the inequality in today justice system because he felt that he "wasn't safe", gave him the right to killed five children outside of a library with a chainsaw? Those children had lives and families even if he was feeling unsafe, he should have called the authorities and let the law protect him because it's their job. Not only were they children but randomly you don't have a chainsaw to defend yourself, so this is another example of the unjust system in today's society. There is so many other ways this situation could have been handled but because he has white privilege, and he knew he would get away with it he took five children's innocent lives because He's racist.

Damen Ward said...

What I found most unsettling about the story was the fact that this man was able to commit such crimes and not be properly penalized for it. It is shown so much in society how much African American lives are disregarded in the court of law and it has lasted for years. We have constant reminders of how much our lives mean in society and it never changes. An adult man should never be pardoned for taking the lives of innocent children.
-Damen Ward

Xavier Stacker said...

The most unsettling/interesting part of the story was the lack of emotions that was shown for the detestable treatment those kids received. He had confessed to the killing of them and was let go. The reason why it makes me feel this is way is that I know it's not right, so it leaves me feeling in a perturbed state.

Tateaundra W said...

What I found most unsettling about the story was how George killed five children without remorse and reasoned it by saying he needed to protect himself and his family. He stated that they were standing around in front of the library wearing all black. Every time a black person wears all black and stays in a certain location for a long time it's always, they have to be up to something, and they need to do something fast when really, he's just racist and didn't want them on his property. He gets to walk away free and be with his family for the rest of his life while others from the black community who killed white people and got caught most likely get life in prison.

Kiara Umana said...

The whole story is surprising and upsetting. There's honestly too much to say just one thing about it that surprised or upset me, but it was very upsetting to read the defense against George Dunn. I can't assume the truth behind the story, but I don't believe the kids were bothering the white man or his two kids until the white man provoked the kids. Either way, the man didn't have to really go back and grab a chainsaw to attack the poor black children, no matter how wild and savage they could have been. I was surprised to see such a forthput statement to plead the innocence of this murderer and to say "the prosecution has tried to beat you over the head with scary words like 'law' and 'murder' and 'sociopath'"(The Finkelstein 5, Page 5). It was we were supposed to just be reading George Dunn like a book.
- Kiara Umana

Sarai Washington-Bibbs said...

One thing I found interesting but also unsettling was the man used a chainsaw as self-defense. I really want to know why he even had a chain saw nearby and why out of all things did he think it was okay to use it and cut off those innocent children's heads. I just don't understand how he was okay with confessing and admitting to the crimes but not feel guilty about doing it, the lack of emotion was also unsettling to me.

Anonymous said...

What I found most intriguing about this story was the way Emmanuel raised and lowered his own blackness. Similar to levels, he based it on the way he carried himself and on the clothes he wore in his day-to-day. What was surprising about this story was Dunn getting away with his incoherent reasoning behind his murder of five innocent children. The fact that the youngest was seven, and her body was found many yards away from the others is frighteningly unsettling because that means Dunn most definitely chased her after he finished killing her older family members and friends.

- Jaisha Sims

Unknown said...

Why in front of a library? Black kids trying to sharpen they're knowledge and his argument was that they were coming after him. Knowledge is power that they try to take from us.

Brandon Wiles said...

I find the testimony of the murderer the most intriguing. The reason for this is because of how righteous he tries to make the murder sound. When he calls the saw he used things like a holy weapon and the way he just seems to be so happy to end the life of five black children. It's also so jarring that he seems so heavily excited that he murdered the children while in the same birth talking about defending his own children. He speaks as if these black children that he murdered are not someone else's children, as if they don't have mothers or fathers that will grieve them in their death. It's also bewildering how strongly his defense attorney defends him while trying to appeal to morals and emotions that paint this murderer as a good guy. The fact that his attorney said “The prosecution has tried to prove that George Dunn is a monster incapable of love. But what the prosecution has failed to do is prove that he was not a hero save his children from five monsters.” Like no matter how you slice it this man George Dunn was incredibly in the wrong and his testimony didn't make sense. It is heartbreaking that he could get away with murdering five black children and be portrayed as a hero by anyone. In the case of his youngest victim, his testimony really didn't make sense. What's a seven-year-old child or 13-year-old child if you want to go by how old he claimed he thought the girl was, is going to run towards a grown man with a chainsaw after he just murdered four other kids that she knew? It's sickening that it's even a question of whether or not he should be getting time in jail if not the death penalty and then to get off scot-free.

Omari Riley said...

What I really found disturbing about this story was the trial and the outcome of it. The white man killed kids with a chainsaw and fully intended to do so. That is manslaughter. But he was found not guilty which is not so suprising. Cases similar to this happens today.

Brandon Wiles said...

I find the testimony of the murderer the most intriguing. The reason for this is because of how righteous he tries to make the murder sound. When he calls the saw he used things like a holy weapon and the way he just seems to be so happy to end the life of five black children. It's also so jarring that he seems so heavily excited that he murdered the children while in the same birth talking about defending his own children. He speaks as if these black children that he murdered are not someone else's children, as if they don't have mothers or fathers that will grieve them in their death. It's also bewildering how strongly his defense attorney defends him while trying to appeal to morals and emotions that paint this murderer as a good guy. The fact that his attorney said “The prosecution has tried to prove that George Dunn is a monster incapable of love. But what the prosecution has failed to do is prove that he was not a hero save his children from five monsters.” Like no matter how you slice it this man George Dunn was incredibly in the wrong and his testimony didn't make sense. It is heartbreaking that he could get away with murdering five black children and be portrayed as a hero by anyone. In the case of his youngest victim, his testimony really didn't make sense. What's a seven-year-old child or 13-year-old child if you want to go by how old he claimed he thought the girl was, is going to run towards a grown man with a chainsaw after he just murdered four other kids that she knew? It's sickening that it's even a question of whether or not he should be getting time in jail if not the death penalty and then to get off scot-free.

Zaria Wiley said...

Zaria Wiley

Upon first hearing the description of this story, I was angry that this story was assigned to us, as I felt like as black students, this type of story only exacerbates the trauma that we're already forced to experience as a community. After reading the story, I'm not quite sure how I feel.

I thought that it was really interesting and important to the story that Emmanuel constantly used ratings for his blackness. Although I've never personally used or heard of anyone rating their blackness, I think it's a good depiction of how black people have to think about how they present themselves to the world. So many things stuck out to me in this story. The time Emmanuel's family found out about the verdict reminds me of the many times that I've seen verdicts of white men and police officers being acquitted after committing an unprovoked killing. While I don't believe in harming innocent people, I felt as though I knew exactly how Emmanuel felt at the end of the story. The pain, the anger, and the hopelessness that he felt, and even the relief.

Deaunzze T said...

What I found most intriguing about this story is the relevance it has to real life. A white man not only slaughtered black children, but admitting to it, and was able to walk away. This is nothing new nor is it surprising.
I also find it intriguing that no matter what, as Black people, our traumas seem to be the only form of entertainment for some people. Some students don't necessarily enjoy reading about or seeing hateful things like this -- its almost as if we've had enough.

Niobe Young said...

What I read that was the most intriguing or interesting was actually when one of the characters, Boogie, would say certain things that didn't necessarily add up with how Emmanuel would describe him. I think that Emmanuel is actually hating that he's black and doesn't like the hatred that he has to deal with while being a black man. He feels like he has to be less aggressive and really live in fear and I think that he has this perception of boogie likes as if is scary and a killer which he is but I think that in a weird way Boogie has a lot of common sense. Especially how he talked about being on a bus and helping a homeless man and letting him sleep and protecting people who are just minding their business instead of being rude and being a bystander.

Erin Myers said...

Anozha S.:

The most surprising part of this story was the courts finding George not guilty. As a society we depend on law enforcement and courts to be unbiased and to aim for justice. It blows my mind that a white man can say he felt threatened by children and the court would find that a just reason for murdering them.

Anonymous said...

What I found most unsettling about the story was how the suspect that killed the five black children got away with it. Even though in our present day many black people still get treated poorly by others, it is disturbing to see that it was once at the degree in which a black persons life could be taken and the suspect was able to walk away free. Just the fact that one of the black children's body was found far away from the rest of the bodies just shows how it was pretty obvious that the suspect was not acting under self defense yet still gets away with it.
- Madisen Wilkins

Erin Myers said...

Demarco S.:

The most unsettling part of the story to me was how the court found a man who killed 5 black children not guilty. Me personally i have never felt threatened by a kid that much to where i feel the need to hurt or kill them. Now what surprised me is how the black community responded to this incident. Now a days you see world wide protests but these people went back to the older days like "an eye for an eye" but in this case a life for a life. It may have not been the best decision but I do believe they got their point across.

Erin Myers said...

Me-Na S.:

what I found interesting was that George Wilson Dunn killed five children with a chainsaw and got away with it. this here is another example of the inequality in today justice system because he felt that he "wasn't safe", gave him the right to killed five children outside of a library with a chainsaw? Those children had lives and families even if he was feeling unsafe, he should have called the authorities and let the law protect him because it's their job. Not only were they children but randomly you don't have a chainsaw to defend yourself, so this is another example of the unjust system in today's society. There is so many other ways this situation could have been handled but because he has white privilege, and he knew he would get away with it he took five children's innocent lives because He's racist.

Erin Myers said...

Calviana S.:

I was stunned that the killing of black children was being justified in the trials by the white man. There was no reason why he should’ve been let off. His excuse of feeling threatened makes me angry because it’s always the same excuse in the real world.

Unknown said...

What I found really interesting was the measuring of Blackness that was displayed throughout the story. It was downright stereotypical as to what increased "Blackness" and it was portrayed in the story that the blacker you are the more of a threat you become which could also be a representation of today's society as many people believe what is part of African American culture will be a representation of a threat. I also enjoyed the ending as Emmanuel didn't stray into a path of vengefulness towards innocents as the young couple appeared to be frighten yet empathetic to Emmanuel's cause.
-Jonah Wolfe

Erin Myers said...

Arterrious T.:
I found it surprising that the author used ratings of "blackness" in numbers. Although I did find it confusing how one's "blackness" is rated. This was surprising to me because I never thought of anyone to ever rate someone's blackness level in everyday lifestyle.

Erin Myers said...

Kancy U.:

Unknown said...
Why in front of a library? Black kids trying to sharpen they're knowledge and his argument was that they were coming after him. Knowledge is power that they try to take from us.

(Originally posted February 18, 2022 at 10:49 PM)

Starteese Scott said...

What I found so surprising about the short story The Finkelstein 5 is how the ending turned out. It gave some expressive details about before and after when the police arrived and killed Emmanuel. I also felt kind of unsettled about how the community of African Americans handled the situation.


ps. this is my fourth time posting this comment and it's because I got an overdue email. I'm not sure what's wrong but please let me know if it has been seen.

Anonymous said...

The part of the story that was unsettling for me was when the white man was found not guilty of killing those black children. It's unsettling for me because this is real life. There are white people getting away with the murders of black people and it's sick because when the roles are reversed, and a black man kills some white children, he gets life in prison. It's not even about people being killed. It's about white privilege and people still being racist til this day. It's been going on for eons.

Abigelle Washington said...

The part of the story that was unsettling for me was when the white man was found not guilty of killing those black children. It's unsettling for me because this is real life. There are white people getting away with the murders of black people and it's sick because when the roles are reversed, and a black man kills some white children, he gets life in prison. It's not even about people being killed. It's about white privilege and people still being racist til this day. It's been going on for eons.

Janya Sanders said...

The part I found most unsettling is that how there was no justice served for those black men that were killed innocently. This scene signifies the lack of equality in the "justice" system African Americans still face today. It shows how the white man will always be more superior than any other race, and the racism that takes place.

Anjel Vela said...

What I found most interesting about this story is the reflection of the story with today's events. The white man in this story symbolizes Kyle Rittenhouse. Killing innocent people for obvious hatred, but disguising it at self defense. That is the world we live in in reality and in stories. I think it's interesting how the author uses the vulgar killings and the reaction of the African Americans to highlight our real life frustrations with the justice system. I feel like the response of the African Americans in the story was to show the overall rage that black people hold towards events similar to the one in this story.

-Anjel Vela

Erin Myers said...

Nikiyah T.:

The part of the story that was most unsettling for me was the part where the white man didn't get charged for killing those black children. this is something that happens in the world today. whether its black-on-black crime, police on black crime, or white on black crime. killings against black people are over looked all the time and its actually sad.

Erin Myers said...

Preston W.:

What I thought was unsettling about the story was that the murder of the 5 black children and the justification of the killer and how they set the killer free. That part really angered me because it happens so frequently in our society and it has now become a common thing. From the police brutalities to random people on the street it is now becoming more an ordinary thing and it is almost as if we are being desensitized and dehumanized by it. A lot of times we see that another killing and all we can do is shake our heads because we feel helpless.

Janelle W said...

the most unsettling part for me was how justice was not serves to those 5 innocent black children. Even after he confidentaly admit to it but was some how still was not found guilty. It hurts to read about it cause a family member was in a terrible altercastion with an white officer that parlized him and later he died from it and he never got justice because the officer still has his job. This is why it was so unsettling because never in any circumstance was it right for this man to get away with those murders.