Discussion Topics - Ten Seconds

Charles Johnson said “Louis Edwards deserves the highest praise for creating a human portrait of a black male as compelling and sensitive as it is rare in recent American Fiction.” How is this achieved or not achieved in the novel? Is there a gap of honest African American male writing today?

Throughout, Eddie is weary of responsibility. When Eddie nearly drowned as a child, instead of being afraid of water, he was enticed by it and the idea of drowning. “He didn’t want to learn how to swim, because if he did, he’d be forced to do what Daddy did: keep coming back….The water could carry you to a good place.” In what other ways is this illustrated in the book?

What role does Betty play in Eddie’s life? The children?

When Malcolm and Eddie were six years old, Malcolm claimed he could make himself fly in his dreams. “Malcolm hadn’t told anybody else about his dreams, he said. Eddie told him to keep it that way. People already thought Malcolm was weird enough.” Why does Eddie think this is so strange? How does Malcolm differ from Eddie and others? Discuss the importance of Eddie’s friendship with Malcolm. What effect did Malcolm’s death have on Eddie?

Edwards has been praised for his ambitious narrative structure. How does it help to tell Eddie’s story? Discuss each second and its significance as a chapter.

Is Eddie a likeable character?

What is the significance of the race Eddie is watching? In what ways does it represent his own life? Why is Eddie worried that he can’t figure out who won the race?

What is the significance of the flash of the camera at the end of the book? What is the “tiny truth” that Eddie is so desperately trying to hang onto? Why is it so difficult for him to understand, to remember?

Edwards has chosen two very interesting quotations with which to begin the book. Discuss the meaning of each in relation to the novel.