Summary

In Part 3, “Bearing the Flaming Cross,” Coates recalls the time he found his old school papers in his father’s former study. The negative comments on the papers made him think about himself as a student. In retrospect, Coates did not enjoy school. He struggled to earn good grades although he loved reading independently. He often felt ashamed that he was disappointing his parents and teachers. At 48, he still has trouble focusing and writing by hand. It is curious to him that a child who struggled in school “would become a writer” (68).

Coates reflects on the American education system. He references Paulo Freire’s idea about “the ‘banking’ system of education,” holding that students should not simply be receptacles of information (73). He refers to Kathryn Schulz’s essay “The Really Big One” and her unique way of describing the impending West Coast earthquake. Her...