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Hi! My Name Is Loco and I Am A Racist Paperback – January 15, 2012

by Baye Mcneil (Author)

86 customer reviews

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Born to Love — Taught to Loathe In this powerful and controversial debut book, acclaimed blogger turned author, Baye McNeil (a.k.a. Loco), vividly illustrates with unflinching introspection and candor the birth and evolution of a racist and in doing so makes the persuasive argument that the only way to cure this social virus is by first engaging one’s own susceptibility. Loco takes us on a scintillating journey from the streets of Brooklyn, where a child’s first playground was the front lines of the Pan-African Nationalist and Black Power movements of the 70s, to a period of black militancy, military service, interracial romance and corporate bigotry in the 80s and 90s. Following the earth-shattering events of 9/11/2001, Loco journeys to Japan where he learns the hard way why the old adage: you can’t hide from yourself, has hung around so long. He finds the woman he was born to love; only she’s a member of a race he has come to loathe! In the name of this love, Loco confronts his dark stowaway with deep roots even as the world is literally falling apart around him, in the form of the Tohoku disaster of 3/11/2011. A book that is both a memoir and an impassioned call to arms, Hi! My Name is Loco and I am a Racist tells us in no uncertain terms that while racism continues to be demonized as a dark aberration that only “evil people,” ignorant fools, or people lacking compassion and common decency are subject to, then it will remain at large – hiding in plain sight, in our schools, offices, carpools, living rooms and sometimes even in the mirror.

Hi! My Name Is Loco and I Am A Racist

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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Baye McNeil (a.k.a. Loco) is an author, columnist, freelance writer and blogger from Brooklyn. He graduated from Long Island University in Brooklyn, NY with a degree in English and Communications. He's resided the better part of a decade in Yokohama, Japan, where he teaches junior high school English. He's a columnist for The Japan Times and also continues to blog about life as a foreigner, a New Yorker and a black man living on a tiny homogenous island. For more information visit: www.bayemcneil.com This is his first book. He is currently working on his 2nd about the jubilation and tribulations of teaching in Japan.

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Product details

Paperback: 392 pages
Publisher: Hunterfly Road Publishing (January 15, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 061558778X
ISBN-13: 978-0615587783
Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.9 x 9 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (86 customer reviews)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,782,806 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #6046 in Books > History > Americas > United States > African Americans > Discrimination & Racism
- #6543 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Sociology > Race Relations

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4.6 out of 5 stars

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Top Customer Reviews

We should all be grateful for "that empty seat"

ByMr. Robert Gordonon September 3, 2015

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

There are very few books (if any) that I will give "5 stars" to. This however happens to be one of them.

Though you can't judge a book by it's cover, in this case, let's start with that. The cover has an unusual, soft, velvety feel to it that makes you just want to hold it giving you a "warm-fuzzy" feeling. No dry Kindle or e-reader can do that.

Next, the content. Mr. McNeil is simply an excellent communicator and story teller. He packs vivid imagery and linguistic embellishment into the most simple and ordinary of actions.

Next, the milieu. Mr. McNeil takes you on his personal journey from the streets of Brooklyn and attending a Black-Nationalist elementary school (yes, imagine Huey Freeman from "The Boondocks", ironically written by another Afro-Scottish bard, Aaron McGruder), to his time in the military, then majoring in English, to the shores of Yokohama, Japan.

He weaves an artful and seamless tapestry using language and imagery from African-American Ebonics, Japanese cultural references, French (both literal and "figurative"), and post-SAT level vocabulary [I'm a lawyer and there were some words I had to look up!]. That McNeil can traverse and combine all of these cultural spheres is a treat.

He leads you through feelings of exploration, adventurism, hilarious laughter, and copious tears of sadness. It is a journey of self-understanding, from loathing the Japanese people for their differences, to understanding them, to an understanding of self, realizing that he himself was in fact a "racist".

He says concerning lessons learned from the "empty seat" (i.e. the space left open next to him on Japanese subways and trains because no one wants to sit next to him due to their xenophobia and stereotypes: "I told myself that I ought to be thankful for it [the empty seat]. That the Japanese had done me a big favor by leaving it empty; that their racism, xenophobia, Iwakan (. . .feeling of incompatibility) or whatever it is, had helped me to recognize and begin to face up to my own [racism]!. . .Sure, it pissed me off something awful [that empty seat]. . . but at the same time it inspired me to write like nothing I'd encountered in my entire life. . . if there was no empty seat, I'm pretty sure there'd be no Loco, either."
p. 375, 376.

We should all be grateful for that empty seat as Mr. McNeil has channeled his frustrations into a positive story about life, living, loving, and the human condition because of it.

Well worth the purchase, well worth the read.

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Good read overall

ByAlan K. Leforon January 17, 2014

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

I bought this book, because like the author, I also live in Japan. I was looking for his stories of living in Japan, and ended up with other stuff that I wasn't really interested in. He spends a fair amount of the book on his NYC childhood, which while interesting, wasn't what I was looking for.

That being said, he is a talented writer and does a nice job telling his story. I really did relate to his tales of living here in the land of the rising sun. I never heard anyone go on so much about the empty seat on the train (I experience that daily), but I like how he used that as a way to understand other aspects of this society. The stories he did tell about life in Japan were very similar to my own experiences. I found a lot to relate to and enjoyed hearing his take on life here.

I do think he way "overplayed" the earthquake in March 2011, as far as how it affected him. He was down in Yokohama, far from where anything really happened. I was much closer to Fukushima that day than he was, and I would not have so much to say about how the earthquake affected me.

I think we are all racists, aren't we?

0Comment 2 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

An important addition to the dialogue on ethnicity, race and Japanese society

ByDon MacLarenon June 29, 2013

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Baye McNeil's memoir, "Hi! My Name is Loco and I Am A Racist" is an excellent work of memoir and an important addition to the dialogue on ethnicity, race and Japanese society. Hopefully, it will find a wide audience.

The book has great dialogue, great depiction of its characters, heart-rending tragedy, and a helluva lot of comedy. The writer is a sensitive, intelligent human being who bares his soul for the reader.

The book reminds me of Malcolm X's autobiography, Richard Wright's "Native Son" and Ralph Ellison's "Invisible Man" in that it examines a character's identity and the issue of race from many different angles. What endears me most to the narrator is his willingness to question his own ideas about race and evolve as a human being, just as Malcolm X did. Also (as the title suggests, not so subtly) he admits to his own racism - though the fact he was willing to write the book and question his own ideas on race, suggests he has transcended the level of most of the racial dialogue in the world.

The author took an important step in his evolving ideas on race that Malcolm X didn't take: he moved to Japan, which adds another dimension to his personality and to the debate on race. I believe McNeil will continue to evolve as a writer and scholar - perhaps even changing or discarding some of the ideas he writes about in the book (and I am not completely in accord with him on everything).

I take a personal interest in this book because I lived in Japan for 11 years and because I, like the author, have struggled hard with issues of race - both in the U.S. and abroad. Nevertheless, this is a book for everyone, as the issues McNeil writes about affect us in whatever corner of the world we choose to reside.

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A Woven Tapestry of Words

ByTashaon November 18, 2013

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I typically do not read non-fiction books, but I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this one. First off the cover art is brilliant as it speaks to my love of video games, comics and graphic novels. Second, this book gave me so many emotions. Baye McNeil's woven tapestry of words pulled me in and made me want to shed tears of sadness, cry out in anguish and at times want to reach out and shake someone. I loved the way that he gives you the back story of his growing up in Brooklyn and it's juxtaposition with his experiences in Japan. I giggled and shook my head when he wrote of his relationship with Matsui-kun and cried when he wrote of his relationship with Aiko. I can only imagine his countenance as he was going through these two very different experiences. I look forward to reading more works by this author. He definitely has a way with words.

0Comment 2 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Most Recent Customer Reviews

If you've lived in Japan, read this now!

Powerful, honest and raw look at living in Japan as a black male. As another black man with Japan experience, this is a must read!

Published 9 months ago by Kindle Customer

Makes you think!

The author was featured on a blog I follow and since I was in need of a book to read I chose his. At first I wanted to put it down because it wasn't my usual read, but I wouldn't...Read more

Published 9 months ago by DeAhna G. Hall

Not for the faint of heart

This is a thoughtful, raw, and genuine view into author Baye McNeil's heart. He shares candidly and eloquently his experiences and thoughts regarding race, discrimination, and...Read more

Published 9 months ago by spanu

This book helped me reinforce my views on living in ...

This book helped me reinforce my views on living in Asia (I currently live in South Korea). It even helped me get back into writing. What he says about black men in Japan is true.Read more

Published 10 months ago by Shaun

Good Read

I enjoyed this book and following Loco's journey. It made me wonder why people act the way they do, but we are with a doubt products of our environment.

Published 11 months ago by K.Spaulding

A Treasure to Read. Thank you Baye.

The circle of life, at least for humans, consists of the parent teaching the child (both directly and indirectly), guiding it with lessons that should prepare it for brighter...Read more

Published 1 year ago by Henry Seals

Not your average expat in Japan bedtime story

There is an abundance of expat in Japan stories out there, but few if any quite like this.

“Hi, My Name is Loco and I am a Racist” is less about how beautiful the...Read more

Published 1 year ago by Tara Kamiya

Very interesting perspective from someone with a different background. ...

Very interesting perspective from someone with a different background. I never thought of things from his point of view.Read more

Published 1 year ago by H. Suzuki

This one is good for the soul

Funny, deep, angering, exposing, and a page turner.

Published 1 year ago by Steven D. Alexander

Brilliant

Probably one of the most moving and self reflective books I have read about the experience of racism in Japan. Still trying to digest it all. Worth the read many times over.

Published on March 4, 2015 by B. Berry

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Hi! My Name Is Loco and I Am A Racist Paperback – January 15, 2012

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