Walkin' the Dog (Paperback)

Socrates, as many of the readers of this review probably already know, is an ex-convict who was convicted of murder(evidently a crime of passion -- his wife was in bed with his "best friend"), served his time, and is now trying to live out his life working an honest job as a grocery bagger, while serving as a mentor for a teen aged boy, and lovingly caring for his two legged dog, "Killer."

A pervasive problem is that too many people, including a racist cop or two, just won't leave him or his conscience alone. One very bad cop, in particular, has brutalized, raped, and murdered defenseless black victims. In addressing this, Socrates does NOT resort to violence, but, wearing a sandwich board listing the rogue cops acts of violence, walks up and down across the street from a police station. When people begin to take notice of him, the police order him to move. He refuses because he believes his actions are legal. When the police try to remove him from the street using excess physical force a crowd including TV reporters and cameras shows up and a riot ensues. Although Socrates is jailed and manhandled, he is released in three days With apologies from the mayor and police chief, and the rogue cop is let go. In line with his personal philosophy, Socrates, having accomplished his self appointed mission, gives no interviews and does his best to disappear "into the woodwork."

This episode is one of the 12 linked short stories in Mosely's novel.

Socrates, like his namesake, is a bit of a philosopher, but the kind who has more questions than answers. One of the big questions that he has a strong need to deal with, revolves around his own anger. He tries to deal with this omnipresent anger by participating in a discussion group and gradually bringing them around to a discussion of black anger in a white dominated society.

He does, when forced to, resort to what we might call physical violence, but only when severely provoked as in the case of a young, very physical, mugger who is determined to do Socrates severe bodily harm. He does, but Socrated prevails by the end of the confrontation.

I felt that Mosely, in this book, gave me some insight into what life is like for poor members of an underclass (in his books, black) in a society that seems determined to keep the class structure status quo. For this reason, along with its readability, I can recommend _WALKIN' THE DOG_ without reservation.

Central to this is angerï¿a theme that pervades not only Socrates' life, but that of those around him. Throughout the book, Socrates bubbles with an undefined rage at his surroundings, and ultimately he must find some way to accommodate that rage without letting it consume him. Even so, the good side of Socrates is always plainly evident: he's a father figure to a young boy, cares for his two-legged dog, and saves the life of a drunk. That's not to say that he's a "good" person, because he has killed people, but he is a man that's trying to do good things with life despite his past and despite the turmoil within him. Through his interactions with a neighborhood discussion group (a somewhat clumsy device) and a self-styled revolutionary, Socrates comes to discover that he has a right to be angry, but it's how that anger is channeled that will decide his fate. This is played out in a rushed and melodramatic final story that fits thematically with the rest of the book, but is kind of jarring.

Ultimately, the book's message is reasonably clear. Black men need to translate their anger into productive action and free themselves of the mental shackles that keep them from fulfilling their potential. For every person, this means something different, but even those who have committed the greatest sin can live a moral life. Which is not to say their aren't evil people in the worldï¿or in their own communityï¿but just because one lives in a ghetto doesn't mean the only solution is to leave. Rather, stay in the community and try and make it betterï¿even though the man is trying to keep you down.