Laymon juxtaposes the mounting death toll with the refusal of leaders, like Donald Trump and Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves, to mandate masks or acknowledge policy errors.
that address the intersection of race and the pandemic. How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America: Essays 125039
The essay uses this staggering number to anchor a broader critique of: Laymon juxtaposes the mounting death toll with the
He notes the disparity between the wealth generated by his speaking tours and the grueling manual labor his grandmother performed for decades to earn the same amount. If you'd like to dive deeper, I can help you with: Summarizing other essays in Laymon's collection. If you'd like to dive deeper, I can
In the context of the essay, represents the official U.S. death toll from COVID-19 as of the specific day Laymon was writing (late June 2020). Key Themes
