How to Be Black (2011)

Others: Positive

Have you ever been called "too black" or "not black enough"? Have you ever befriended or worked with a black person? If you answered yes to any of these questions, this book is for you. Raised by a pro-black, Pan-Afrikan single mother during the crack years of 1980s Washington, DC, and educated at Sidwell Friends School and Harvard University, Baratunde Thurston has over thirty years' experience being black. Now, through stories of his politically inspired Nigerian name, the heroics of his hippie mother, the murder of his drug-abusing father, and other revelatory black details, he shares with readers of all colors his wisdom and expertise in how to be black. Beyond memoir, this guidebook offers practical advice on everything from "How to Be The Black Friend" to "How to Be The (Next) Black President" to "How to Celebrate Black History Month." To provide additional perspective, Baratunde assembled an award-winning Black Panel--three black women, three black men, and one white man (Christian Lander of Stuff White People Like)--and asked them such revealing questions as: "When Did You First Realize You Were Black?" ""How Black Are You?" "Can You Swim?" The result is a humorous, intelligent, and audacious guide that challenges and satirizes the so-called experts, purists, and racists who purport to speak for all black people. With honest storytelling and biting wit, Baratunde plots a path not just to blackness, but one open to anyone interested in simply "how to be."

ISBN:: 9780062003218
Length:: 254 pages

Genres: biography

Lists: …

Similar books

1 of 6

Open book
The Black Count
Tom Reiss
2012 · 432 pages · 1 review
Others: Positive
Explores the life and career of Thomas Alexandre Dumas, a man almost unknown today, but whose swashbuckling exploits appear in The three musketeers and whose trials and triumphs inspired The count of Monte Cristo.
Why?
What made the match, strongest first
Also biography
83%
Brown Girl Reading loved both
14%
Similar descriptions
3%
Personalize your recommendations
Open book
Assata
Assata Shakur
1987 · 274 pages · 1 review
Others: Positive
On May 2, 1973, Black Panther Assata Shakur (previously known as JoAnne Chesimard) lay in a hospital, close to death, handcuffed to her bed, while local, state, and federal police attempted to question her about the shootout on the New Jersey Turnpike that had claimed the life of a white state trooper. Long a target of J. Edgar Hoover's campaign to defame, infiltrate, and criminalize Black nationalist organizations and their leaders, Shakur was incarcerated for four years prior to her conviction on flimsy evidence in 1977 as an accomplice to murder. This intensely personal and political autobiography belies the fearsome image of JoAnne Chesimard long projected by the media and the state. With wit and candor, Assata Shakur recounts the experiences that led her to a life of activism and portrays the strengths, weaknesses, and eventual demise of Black and White revolutionary groups at the hand of government officials. The result is a signal contribution to the literature about growing up Black in America that has already taken its place alongside The Autobiography of Malcolm X and the works of Maya Angelou. Two years after her conviction, Assata Shakur escaped from prison. She was given political asylum by Cuba, where she now resides.
Why?
What made the match, strongest first
Also biography
84%
Similar descriptions
16%
Personalize your recommendations
Open book
Bourgeois blues
Jake Lamar
1991 · 174 pages · 1 review
Others: Positive
Why?
What made the match, strongest first
Also biography
86%
Brown Girl Reading loved both
14%
Personalize your recommendations
Open book
From Scratch
Tembi Locke
2019 · 360 pages · 2 reviews
Others: Positive
Why?
What made the match, strongest first
Also biography
86%
Brown Girl Reading loved both
14%
Personalize your recommendations
Open book
King
Jonathan Eig
2023 · 679 pages · 1 review
Others: Positive
A biography of Martin Luther King Jr.
Why?
What made the match, strongest first
Also biography
86%
Brown Girl Reading loved both
14%
Personalize your recommendations
Open book
Somebody's Daughter
Ashley C. Ford
2021 · 264 pages · 2 reviews
Others: Positive
Why?
What made the match, strongest first
Also biography
86%
Brown Girl Reading loved both
14%
Personalize your recommendations