The Sound of Melanin

The Sound of Melanin (formerly known as The Unpopular Truth) was initially published in 2000 and asked the question which begged to be answered: If I speak the unpopular truth, does that make me a liar? In his first book of poetry, Kirk Nugent brilliantly examines social, political, and relationship issues with a critical eye. He addresses the Bill Clinton/Monica Lewinsky scandal; he ponders how humane we would be if we ever landed on Mars and met little green Martians. Did Thomas Jefferson actually have a ‘love affair’ with his slave Sally Hemmings, or was he just a regular ole’ rapist, revised by history to appear nobler than the brutal slave master that he was? Where exactly is the physical location of heaven? How does unhealed childhood trauma surface to sabotage adult relationships? These are just a few of the questions that The Unpopular Truth initially tackled.

The Sound of Melanin has been updated to include poems such as Too Big to Hate, Gangsters R US (the story of how marijuana became illegal in the United States) The Psychology of Oppression, and You Deserve Better. This volume is a brilliant and timeless examination of the complexities and contradictions that make us human.