Question:
How did you come up with the title: THIS IS MY AMERICA?
Answer:
I like to have a title that embodies the essence of my novel, so I’m very thoughtful in title selections.
While writing my novel, the activism of Colin Kaepernick kneeling during the national anthem shed light on ideas for titles. His activism caused a negative response by many white Americans to question his “patriotism.” This resembled many other conversations around assimilation and lack of recognizing the Black American experience and continued fight for equality.
So I penned the title, THIS IS MY AMERICA. Tracy’s father and brother represent the generational cycle that occurs in America. When Childish Gambino’s song This Is America came out, I felt like the universe was telling me I was on the right track that a larger conversation around the country was brewing about what America represents. And how there is another America that we fail to acknowledge.