Fire Shut Up in My Bones

Blow grows up poor in the rural South in a community coping with the disastrous results of segregation. But rather than becoming embittered individuals looking out only for themselves, the community is tightly knit: neighbors care for neighbors, and children run unsupervised through the neighborhood because an adult somewhere will always have their backs. Explain the relationship between privation and communal cohesion.

Chester’s manipulation of Blow begins when Chester “chooses” his young cousin. Why is this manipulation effective? What does Chester see in young Blow that he knows he can take advantage of?

With no one to turn to or help him, Blow is virtually on his own, hiding his shame beneath layers of emotional bedrock. In what ways does he compensate for his trauma and distract himself from his pain?

What convinces Blow to use religion as the antidote for his pain? Is it effective? Why or why not?

As a teenager, Blow learns of an exorcism of a neighborhood girl. Such rituals—seers, magical talismans, voodoo—are not unusual in his community, and even the most practical individuals sometimes fall victim to the temptations of superstition. What effect does this extreme “mystical fanaticism” have on Blow’s faith?

Blow’s journey from introverted mama’s boy to the top of the “male hierarchy” is a years-long process and includes many phases. What are some of the important chapters in this transformation? What natural gifts help him along the way?

What are some of the experiences that open Blow’s eyes to the reality of race relations in the world outside of Gibsland? Describe the racial dynamics that maintain a fragile truce in his hometown.

The hazing Blow and his fellow pledges undergo is often brutal and sadistic. Why do they tolerate it? What are some of the social factors that contribute to this willing victimization?