A cultural travelogue, this work explores what it is like to be black in America today. It draws on a wide range of interviews with black Americans from a variety of experiences. By the author of "Let the Dead Bury Their Dead".
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'[A] magical collection of interwoven stories capturing the richness and pain of the black experience in the American South' -- ESQUIRE
About the Author
Randall Kenan was brought up in Chinquapin, North Carolina. Author of the highly acclaimed A VISITATION OF SPIRITS and LET THE DEAD BURY THEIR DEAD he teaches writing at Sarah Lawrence College and Columbia University. He is currently working on a non-fiction exploration of the black experience in contemporary America.
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First Sentence
"When I asked Dora Grain about the ""middle class,"" her reaction was a few notches short of violent: ""What kind of class?" Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
"When I asked Dora Grain about the ""middle class,"" her reaction was a few notches short of violent: ""What kind of class?" Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
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Amazon.com:
4.5 out of 5 stars
11 reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Long, but open-minded and inspiring.
22 Feb 2000
By Theodore Christopher
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover
I thought that Randall Kenan's book was very good, and thought provoking. The best things I liked about it was the fact that he tackled this very broad subject matter, but did not go into the book with any preconceived notions about the authenticity or meaning of "blackness." There was no sense that he was trying to label the people he was interviewing, or make any kind of judgments about them of how more or less "black cultured" they were. I think it is a tremendous credit to the author that despite the emotional tenderness of delving into one's personal heritage, through it all he was always able to come across as kind, considerate, unbiased, and at many times sympathetic to their particular point of view. The time consuming years in which it seemed to take for him to make this book, and his perserverence in remaining patient and sensitive is amazing. The other thing that deserves much appreciation is the fact that he just didn't go to where the obvious most dense congregation of black people were, nor did he just remain in the south to answer his question of "blackness." The whole idea that he interviewed black people in very obscure places: Maine, western Canada, Wyoming, etc. was a pleasant refreshing surprise that added depth, openess, and wonder with each succeeding chapter. I think this was the true gem of the whole book, and set it apart from others like it.
Despite the fact that I liked the book very much there were a couple of things I felt inhibited the flow. For instance, I felt a few of the interviews were too long, and the interviewees were allowed to go too far away from the main subject. Although I liked the injection of history in each chapter, which gave you a sense of how black people got to that place historically, some of the chapters felt bogged down with too much history, and not enough present day feelings, the Allensworth, California chapter was the best example of that. I also thought that there should have been a better distinction between the author's thoughts and what the interviewees were actually saying. Too many times that line was blurred, and got a little confusing.
Despite all this though I would still highly recommend the book. My few criticisms in the previous paragraph are the only things that kept me from giving it a full 5 star rating.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A well-rounded look at African Americans
12 July 2000
By Dera R Williams
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
If anyone ever doubted that African Americans live diverse lives this book will prove otherwise. In his travels, Mr. Keenan interviewed blacks from various backgrounds. It was definitely an eye opener for myself at the great diversity. The region of birth and circumstances of environment determine how these blacks viewed themselves and their place in society. I found the chaper on blacks in Vermont and Louisiana as two examples of what the world does not see as exposed by the media. Yes, there were a few mistakes, but the people who nitpicked at this let these mistakes overshadow the purpose and revelations of this find memoir. This is a book that should be kept in all Americans libraries and in particulary African Americans. I commend the author on all the hard work and time he put into it.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Kenan sees the Unseen
5 Oct 2000
By A Customer
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
Randal Kenan shows us things we normally do not see. It is paticularly interesting how this man, with his own admitted biases and limitations, gets in close and is able to get people to open up. His humility and willingness to learn that comes through the book so clearly must have something to do with it. The chapter dealing with the "Black Revolutionary" middle class college students was engaging and compelling. It would be interesting to see where they are today and what they are doing. Kenan shows us some memorable characters from the multicolored portrait of the Black populace. I will be looking for more. Get it, read it and see if you see what Kenan sees?
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4.5 out of 5 stars
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