Black Chameleon Memoirs

Montez DeCarlo
Aventine Press (2006)
ISBN 1593303424
Reviewed by Danielle Feliciano for Reader Views (6/06)

“Black Chameleon Memoirs” is the story of Mico Brunson.  Mico is first introduced to us as a third grader living in Detroit. His father is dragging him to a local boxing gym after yet another of Mico’s schoolyard fights.  His father believes that Mico’s anger and energy can be used more productively than in beating his schoolmates.  Mico’s father is also hoping that his son can be taught a lesson by the older, larger, more experienced boxers in this gym.  Mico is suited up in gloves and protective gear and thrown into the ring with a boxer named Terry.  Terry promises to teach Mico a lesson.  To everyone’s surprise, young Mico knocks Terry out within seconds.  Terry is a Golden Gloves champion; Mico is a third grade child.

This opening anecdote is a fitting example of how Mico lives his life.  No matter how much bigger or more powerful someone seems, Mico will find a way to win.  Many times, it is truly a matter of survival. Living in a city that is riddled with gangs, Mico joins none of them, yet receives protection from all of them. He knows that if he joins one, then all of the others will become instant enemies.  However, if he remains neutral, no gang will have any problem with him and all will protect him.  This is quite advanced thinking for a 10 year old, but it is typical of how Mico operates.

Mico learns to hustle early on in his life, starting off by stealing candy and selling it to classmates.  He begins a life of crime as a child, yet even this he does on his terms.  In any given situation, even if Mico seems to be down for the count, he finds a way to fight back and come out on top.  In order to escape from an abusive mother, he moves out on his own 4 months before graduation.  For these 4 months he bounces around from place to place, truly homeless, yet unwilling to leave without his diploma.  After graduation, Mico joins the Army.  In the Army he shows more of a talent for hustling and covering it up than he does for anything else, and be brings these talents with him after his stint in the Army is up.

After the Army, Mico moves to Washington, D.C. and is offered a job with an investment company.  At this point in his life, Mico is forced to choose between a life of hustling on the streets and joining corporate America.  He chooses a corporate job, yet fate has other plans.  Through this job, Mico meets a new group of people, those who work in corporate America, yet use it as an arena for hustling. Mico joins this group and lives with one foot on each side of the line.  He uses his life of crime and talent for hustling to gain success as a businessman.

While it may be questionable to admire someone who makes money by criminal means, it is impossible to not admire Mico for rising above the life he started with.  He left behind a life of abuse, gangs and poverty and made something of himself.  That alone makes him truly successful.

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