Nephew

A Memoir in 4-Part Harmony

By: M.K. Asante

Narrated by: M.K. Asante, Dion Graham, Adenrele Ojo, Neph

As urgent, resonant, and essential as The Fire Next Time and Between the World and Me, a poetic, raw, and inspirational love letter from the bestselling author of Buck, written to a nephew who was shot nine times and survived—a reflection on life, overcoming odds, finding your voice, and the power of music and family.

Waiting in the emergency room at Temple University Hospital in North Philadelphia where his eighteen-year-old nephew, Nasir, lay unconscious after being shot nine times, MK Asante began pouring his heart and soul into a series of letters to a beautiful, dying Black boy so full of life.

As Nasir fought for survival, MK realized there was so much—too much—that he had kept from his nephew, starting with the truth about his father, MK’s brother, Uzi, whom Nasir had never met. MK could no longer remain silent because in many ways, his nephew was repeating the mistakes of the past. MK began his confessional to repair family bonds—to save Nasir from the same streets that stole his father and to introduce him to the man and family history the young man had never known. The result is this beautiful, poignant, and honest family memoir.

Nephew introduces us to two men, strangers to each other, whose similarities are astonishing. Both have red hot tempers, both struggle with opioid addiction, and most profoundly, both are lyrical geniuses whose raps are raw, powerful, and autobiographical. Yet neither had ever heard the other’s lyrics. As he tells his family’s story, MK draws vivid portraits of both Nasir and Uzi through their songs—lyrics that become the touchstone of their relationship. When father and son eventually meet, they confront each other and share a dialogue through their lyrics.

An explosive, innovative memoir of family, faith, poetry, secrets, love, race, poverty, redemption, addiction, Philadelphia, hip-hop, jail, purpose, mental health, and violence. Nephew is fast-paced, intimate, lyrical, educational, and inspirational. It is the epic, painful, poetic, and miraculous redemptive story of a new generation—a new style of memoir for a new decade, the rhythmic story of a family in love, struggle, and verse.

Raw

Earlier this year I read Buck, by the same author. That book was a masterpiece, but it left me with a few questions. The book, Buck, was about a teenager named Malo, whose older brother (Uzi) went to the penitentiary. His dad ended up leaving, and his mother went through severe depression. I was so glad to hear that the author followed it up with “Nephew”.

This book contains a series of letters from Malo to his brother’s 18-year-old son Nasir, who was shot nine times and lay unconscious in a hospital.

This book has the same premise as “The Fire Next Time” by James Baldwin and “Between the World and Me” by Ta-Nehisi Coates. I gave both five stars.

This was a good read, but I had one issue with it. Sometimes it wasn’t clear who the author was talking to. It was supposed to be addressed to Nasir, but it felt like he was talking to the reader. There were a lot of memorable parts, but some felt regurgitated from Buck.

I'll leave you with a quote.

“It isn’t actually Mississippi; it’s America. There’s no Mason-Dixon Line—it’s America. There’s no such thing as the South—it’s America.”

A soul moving story well told!

This is a powerfully sensory listen. I loved this book! It is rich, textured, thoughtful, real and if you allow it, spiritually awakening! Thank you for this melodic window into life MK Asante!!

Thank You Mr. Asante

100/10 read. This book was originally a required read for class and I ended up loving it. I lost my little brother to gun violence 3 years ago and this book connected so much of life within the parallels. Actually just inspired me to potentially write a book of my own once I graduate Fall ‘25 from Virginia State. Thank you MK Asante for the vulnerability and access into your world.