They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us

Nonfiction | Essay Collection | Adult | Published in 2017

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Introduction and Part 1

Part 6 and Afterword

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 6, Essay 1 Summary: “After finishing, Marvin Gaye bowed lightly to thunderous applause before walking slowly from center court. Almost a year later, Marvin’s fading body was resting in his brother Frankie’s arms after being shot by his father. Before dying, he told Frankie, ‘It’s good. I ran my race. I’ve got nothing left to give.’”

The single sentence that follows the bolded text explains that Gaye’s brother didn’t get to him sooner, because he mistook the gunshots for fireworks.

Part 6, Essay 2 Summary: “On Summer Crushing”

This essay a explores the beauty of crushes, especially in the summer—the time when Abdurraqib lets himself fall in love most willingly. The essay explores Whitney Houston’s “How Will I Know,” saying it paved the way for music to explore crushes. Crushes, for Abdurraqib, are not just romantic; they can be seasonal and geographical too.

Part 6, Essay 3 Summary: “Carly Rae Jepsen and the Kingdom of Desire”

Abdurraqib goes to Toronto to see Carly Rae Jepsen perform with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. This is the first time she has performed in her home country in many years. Abdurraqib believes that Jepsen’s music is “a never-ending chase where the only thing to fall in love with is the idea of falling in love” (291). The endless possibilities her music explores make him feel hopeful.