Trudell is an independent scholar with a bachelor's degree in English literature. In the following essay, Trudell examines the theme of identity in Fires in the Mirror and how it relates to the racially motivated violence in Crown Heights.

The main subject of Smith's commentary in Fires in the Mirror is the specific historical event of the 1991 racial tension and violence in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Each character provides a unique perspective about how feelings such as rage, hatred, misunderstanding, and resentment were formed in individuals, and how they eventually manifested themselves in a massive community conflict. Smith is able to penetrate the nature and meaning of this conflict so provocatively, however, only by exploring the key broader issues at its roots, particularly how people develop and understand their religious, ethnic, cultural, sexual, and class identities.

Identity is a definitive issue in Fires in the Mirror; it preoccupies...